Road tripping to Joshua Tree - Part 5

Our sabbath rhythm as a family is to rest a day a week, 2 days a month, 1 week each spring, and three weeks each year. We've had people tell us over the years that it seems really rigid. They're right. It's extremely rigid....i.e. non negotiable. We've cultivated this spiritual practice for nearly 16 years and in the midst of ministry life it continues to be life giving. People over the years have also said that 3 weeks sounds like too much time and they could never do it. I think everyone should take more vacation than they think they need....but lazy, yes it's VERY lazy -- we camp, we climb, and we hike....very restful sabbath practises for the White family. The difference between people who experience sabbath rest and everybody else, is that the people who know how to rest are experts at saying no. Sabbath is an act of saying no to our own drivenness, desire to succeed, need to produce, and addiction to the feeling that busyness give us.

During the final days of our spring break trip to Joshua Tree, we spent our time rock climbing, hiking, eating, and watching sunrises and sunsets. Sabbath stuff. 

Our campsite was at a place called Indian Cove. It was truly an amazing place. The campsites are tucked into the rock formations that offer endless opportunities to scramble, boulder, and climb with ropes. 

In the evenings we'd tell stories, eat smores, laugh and lounge. 

During the day, Indian Cove is a place with endless climbing opportunities!

One of the last hikes we did as a family was called the Boy Scout Trail. It is a beautiful 8 mile point-to-point trail. It features amazing wild flowers and only ascends 1700ft. It's a great way to get the true Joshua Tree experience. We highly recommend it! 

After our hike we found some boulders to climb and a cave to enjoy out of the sun. 

At the end of the day we enjoyed PIZZA. Pizza is the perfect post-hike food, I think! 

In the evening we found an amazing place to watch our final sunset in Joshua Tree National Park. Every sunset is a reminder that it's OK to hit the reset button. You can leave yesterdays worries in the past and look ahead to tomorrow -- a new opportunity to trust God. 

Every time we focus on sabbath, we are teaching our kids that a successful life is not defined by how much you accomplish for God, but by becoming more aware of how much God does for us.

The wise old man who wrote Ecclesiastes, now reflecting on his storied life said at the end of his book, "After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God,...because this is all that we were created for." 

Sabbath grows reverence for God. 

These are good days

Road tripping to Joshua Tree - Part 2

Joshua Tree sits right between the Mojave Desert and the Sonoran Desert.  It's truly an amazing place filled with desert scenery, harsh climate, crazy trees (called Joshua Trees that belong in a Dr. Seuss book) and amazing granite rocks. It's 800,000 acres and only two roads run into the park. It feels remote and other-worldly. It's hard to believe that anything could survive in this desert...but if you slow down and pay attention, the desert is filled with life. 

The harsh environment of the desert is evidenced by the temperature, which can be extremely hot or cold, and the lack of water. Joshua Tree only gets 4 inches of rain per year. How could anything grow on 4 inches of rain per year? But many plants and animals have adapted to this environment. It's stunning. 

One of our favorite travel writer James Kaiser writes about Joshua Tree, "Given the hard nature of the desert, wildflowers appear only when the conditions are favorable to their survival. Following rainy winters, wildflowers flourish for a few weeks in the spring, surviving just long enough to produce seeds for the next generation. Those seeds, in turn, can lie dormant for months or years until weather conditions are just right."

There is something surreal about walking through a landscape that feels so different from everywhere  else. As residents of California's Central Valley we are used to living in a desert....but this is entirely different - Joshua Trees for as far as the eye scan see, crazy rock formations, and every plant and animal perfectly adapted to survive in harsh environments. 

We spend the first part of our trip at a campground called Jumbo Rocks. We had an amazing campsite...big enough for both of our tents and semi-private with only 1 neighbor. 

In the evenings we'd walk on a trail right next to our site which overlooked the campground and gave a birds eye view of Jumbo Rocks rock formations. It was amazing. 

While we were in Joshua Tree, everything was in what's called a "Super Bloom" - Yucca and Joshua Trees were smiling at us each and every day.  A bloom is a smile, you know?

In the mornings it's our habit to wake up, drink coffee, and watch the sunrise. 

In the late mornings we typically go find adventures such as hiking or climbing.

After each day we'd come back to our campsite and and be greeted by wildflowers with vibrant colors contrasted against a desert landscape. Wildflowers remind us that the pursuit of adventure is not as important as the pursuit of beauty. 

Wildflowers are the proud assertion that beauty is what makes adventures enjoyable. The pursuit of beauty is a cherished focus for our lives.

Each night after a day of adventure we'd watch the sunset -- every sunset a reminder it is beauty that brings light to the shadows in our world.

These are good days.

Road tripping to Joshua Tree - Part 1

For the last 13 years, every spring we take a week-long road trip to the desert to camp under the stars and to rock climb and hike. This family rhythm re-ignites our passion for one-another and for the world outside of our normal lives. 

This year we went to Joshua Tree National Park. It's a 6 hour drive and for some families that would not be enjoyable. People ask, "That's a long drive...how do the kids do in the car?"

Our kids are great travelers. Before they were 5 years old, three of them had been to 3 different countries multiple times (2x to China, 2x to the Dominican Republic, 5x to America).

Here are our top-tips with traveling with little kids (our kids are 9-7-5-3):

1. Bring stuff for them to do in their seats...but don't give them too many things to do. Introduce something new every 30 minutes. 
2. Cultivate conversation in the car. Ask questions and talk about stuff.
3. With really little kids....let them cry and bring ear plugs. DON'T TURN AROUND. The storm will pass (in a few hours).
4. Keep them going with food. Snacks are your friends. Don't let them pound the water though...only stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
5. Let them be bored and don't always fix it for them....boredom is the soil for creativity and imagination. Seriously, we have found if we weather the whines about being bored...in 10 minutes their tune will change and find something to do. 
6. McDonald's with play areas are your friends. Let them RUN LIKE WILD MONKEYS in the play area!
7. For drives over 10 hours, plan the traveling time over naps and bedtime. Sometimes that means that you'll be driving at night or extremely early in the morning. It's worth it for us to be wrecked, more than dealing with our kids being wrecked. 

After a while....our kids inevitably fall asleep in the car - the rhythm of the road lulls them into deep contentment. Long car rides are just as much a part of our experience as is the camping, hiking, and climbing. The minute we're in the car....the adventure has begun! 

That evening we arrived in the town of Yucca Valley we rented a cheap motel next to a beautiful Joshua Tree reminding us that the following day we would be camping under the desert moon.  

Oh, and top-tip number 8: Long drives need to end somewhere awesome for the kids. A cheap hotel with a pool is worth it in our opinion because no one likes to set up a campsite after a long-drive on little sleep. Best to leave these things for the morning when everyone is fresh and excited about the day!  

Road trips are the containers that hold new experiences, personal growth, and family love - an important combination for any healthy family. 

These are good days.

Rockclimbing & Camping at Smith Rock

Some time ago we took the kids to a place we seem to return to every couple years: Smith Rock. Smith Rock is the perfect blend of climbing and camping....with lots of adventures for all ages. Typically after work we will drive 10 hours and arrive late to a cheap motel, carefully transferring sleeping kids into a single hotel room with multiple kids per bed. After a nights rest we will wake up and find our camp spot and for the next few days chase adventure wherever it can be found. 

Remember, adventure is a state of mind. It doesn't need to be a big objective or something hardcore to build a tolerance for uncertainty that pursuing adventure can teach. 

...when we camp....we always try and eat healthy. Feeling good is as important as the adventure itself. 

....smith rock is the only place cheap beer is acceptable. These are Joe's "favorite" cheap beers.

Can you se Elizabeth high on the rock in the shadow? 

We sleep in a big tent but all four kids sleep in a small tent...they like to cuddle and keep each other warm.

Camping includes a lot of reading and sitting around...we need that in our busy and stressful life.

Adventure is our state of mind!

These are good days.

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