Warning Signs, Yes or No?

Joshua Tree National Park is one of those California must sees. I’m gonna be totally honest here growing up hearing people talk about it, I can’t say I was ever moved to go. Nearly a life time or two passed before I ventured through the gates of the tiny tree forrest.

Located in the Palm Desert area not far from Palm Springs it’s easily accessible. On one of the hottest days of summer I set out to explore and discover what the hype was all about. My sister-friend and I drive separate cars through the gates and proceeded to stop at the visitor center with the kiddos in tow. Once we got a little information and gift souvenirs my son insisted on, we were off and ready to explore.

I couldn’t have imagined that a desert forrest could be so beautiful. The blending of sand with rock formations and the green sprout trees is absolutely breath taking. I even considered organizing a glamping trip with friends, then I remembered I have no nature living training and would definitely need to tag along with a more seasoned camper. We zoomed through the park stopping to take pictures at some of the more notable stops - Rock Skull formation the Bee Warning Sign and clusters of Joshua trees.

When I took the cover photo for this post, I did so with Beyonce in mind. But then after at least 3 snaps to get the perfect shot, I thought to myself, “how many people blow right past this warning and into the danger zone.” Then I asked myself, “Am I one of those rebels ignoring all the signs of life?” There are too many occasions for me to count where I didn’t heed the warning signs and lived to regret it. Like the time I decided to hitch a ride back to a party I’d left so that my parents wouldn’t find out I’d left. When approaching the car, I realized I didn’t know the occupants, but my friend was with me and we decided the risk was worth avoiding being found out by our parents. However, the ride turned quickly to a bad decision. Thankfully, our drivers had to attend to the gas light sign, which gave us an opportunity to get out of the car and haul ass the rest of the way back to our original drop off.

My parent’s never found out, but I learned something that night. Sometimes when you break the rules you have to pay the consequence and other times you get off free. The thing is you can’t bank on there not being a cost or how much that cost will impact you. So for me, I am snapping a picture and taking the warning under strong advisement as I got back in the car to continue the ride. Funny thing is, I ignored my own gas sign and embarked on the ride through the park with less than a quarter tank of gas, blasting my air conditioner to save us from sweltering heat. We made it out to a gas station, but barely. Maybe I don’t take heed all the time.