8AM Pacific:

After a night beneath the stars in Joshua Tree, we’re finally headed back east on the final leg of the journey. The haze is still here, and as bad as ever, incase you were wondering. We can’t see more than a mile in any direction, which is really pretty annoying, especially when you’re surrounded by some of the most amazing scenery in the country, but no matter. Our morning hike through the cactus gardens was rudely interrupted by literally a couple hundred bees, swarming the car in an attempt to drink our condensation from the AC. Our trip to the Cottonwood Oasis was likewise shared with a mountain of bees, which seem to be basically everywhere in the desert. They may be struggling everywhere else, but I assure you, they’re doing just fine here. Never in my life have I been berated by so many bees, literally landing all over you in a thirsty frenzy. We should hit Phoenix in about three hours time, hopefully they don’t have bees in Phoenix. We’ve had our fair share.