It is March, and winter has left the building (in Los Angeles)… can you believe it? It’s eighty-five degrees, the birds are chirping, and my body is aching for the beach, and camping, and faraway places!
… but I couldn’t let this winter pass me by without a trip through the desert, because it’s honestly the best time of the year to visit (even though it can feel overcrowded at times).
Two opportunities conspired to get me to Palm Springs (and later, Joshua Tree), and I couldn’t have been happier!
1. I was asked to speak on a panel during Modernism Week about the secrets behind the making of a show house (I designed one of the bathrooms for the Christopher Kennedy Compound Villa GoLightly Edition!).
2. I was also asked to partner with a company called Campago (pronounced Camp-A-GO), to experience their camper van.
Can you say… ROAD TRIP?!
The moment my kiddos saw this van, they FLIPPED out. Beds in a van? They were sold!
First stop…
Good times with old design friends.
We rocked our panel and our outfits (how cute is Sal?). My dress is from Spool Boutique!
Bye Palm Springs… To Joshua Tree we GO!
But first… breakfast. Check out my new favorite spot… Workshop Kitchen & Bar the next time you are downtown.
Beautiful design, gorgeous outdoor patio… and delicious food!
With our bellies full… it was off to Joshua Tree. Patrick had never been to the park, so even though there was an HOUR wait to get in at the main entrance… we drove to an alternate entry point (about 15 more minutes) and zoomed right in!
Just out of frame of this photo of skull rock? The other 50 people taking photos.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, so even though we had to share this national treasure with everyone else visiting this holiday weekend… it was worth it… and the park is so big that you can find solo hiking spots if you dig a little deeper… which we did.
We missed out on Pie For The People (insert crying emoji) because of an almost two hour wait…
… but we didn’t let that get us down because we had our Campago!!!
We pulled up to our site (that I found on Hipcamp), unloaded ALL of the snacks, pulled out the gas grill (provided), and we were ready to settle in for a night in the desert.
The kiddos gathered sticks for our fire, and couldn’t wait to explore.
What makes this van so fun (besides the beds), is that all of the amenities are provided, so you don’t have to spend your time and expense owning and packing all of the gear.
It came with lanterns that we used to play a search and discover game at night, and a bluetooth speaker (very important to my husband), so we could have a dance party.
There is a sink with water, yeti cooler, fold up table and utensils and plates also tucked away in the back behind the beds.
They really thought of IT ALL (even a video game console, although we didn’t allow the kiddos to play it when camping since the name of the game was to disconnect).
The beds come with their own linens, blankets and pillows… although I might bring extra the next time we take a trip.
This guy is already planning his next birthday with this van and a few of his favorite friends.
It was a consolation prize, since I told him we couldn’t buy it!
Campago… we will travel anywhere with you (and maybe next time we’ll bring the dogs!).
On a side note… I drove this van to Palm Springs by myself, and although I was nervous at first… I was completely at ease after getting the hang of it.
The van also comes with multiple charging outlets, cup holders, and the video game console can play movies too if you want to bring some along.
Let me know if you have any questions below… and a camping we will GO!
