Remember when I went to Palm Springs almost two months ago? If you follow me on Instagram, you probably remember this all too well. So why am I only posting about the glorious trip now? I would really love to blame it on a "busy schedule," but lets be honest, I've done nothing but go to the gym and watch lots of Netflix since I got back from Japan two weeks ago.
One might ask what possesses people to do a desert vacation in the middle of summer.
I, too, asked myself this question quite a few times during the days leading up to the trip. But with the promise of a pool, air conditioning, and amazing shoot locations, my friend Georgia and I set out.
Very wind. Much racy. Much Calvin Klein.
This trip was INSANELY fun. Like, more amazing than I ever expected it would be. While our initial plans were to stay at the Saguaro Hotel, it came to my attention that you have to be 21 to check-in, which I am not. So with only an hour left to cancel the hotel booking before cancellation fees (aka the full cost of the room) would be charged, I rushed to find an alternative place for us to stay.
Without thinking, I clicked on the first available airbnb room with an opening. All I can say is, unexpected changes to an initial plan can actually be a good thing. Our stay with airbnb at
was absolutely amazing. For an incredible price of $130 a night, we stayed in beautifully furnished room with a couch and lounge area, great TV, king bed, beautiful bathroom, fully-outfitted kitchen, AND a private patio. Oh, and we also had full access to a beautiful pool, all the trendy pool floaties one could hope for (they had the donut one!!!), beautiful canopied lounge chairs, and the kindest hosts. I could go on and on.
After floating around in our amazing pool and cooling off in our beautifully decorated room, we set out for an evening shoot a little ways out of town. We were really going for that road trip/middle-of-nowhere vibe.
Take two girls who love fashion, photography, and Instagram, and what do you get? Two girls who spend hours running through the desert in their Calvin Kleins, sprinting across the highway and gushing about how beautiful dusk light is. We really looked like a pair of idiots out there, but we had the best time. No one got run over, either, which was really somewhat of a miracle.
On our second and last day in Palm Springs, we decided to venture further out to Salvation Mountain, an art installation created over the course of 28 years by Leonard Knight. This piece was truly incredible. In between trying to not pass out from the heat and wiping buckets of sweat from our bodies, we couldn't help but gape at the immense size of it. It's not even just the main "mountain" part. There are caves, with a million and one nooks and crannies, all painted and decorated with care.
So the next time you have the opportunity to drive a few hours out of the way and into the wild...go for it. (Also, make sure to invite me. Because I really want to get back out there.)
