the Thomson Knife LA → Palm Springs Run

LAX, 10:00
Bags collected, caffeine levels low, confidence high. We grab the hire car, throw it into drive, and like every Australian before us, instinctively turn left onto the wrong side of the road. One polite LA honk later, we’re corrected and officially rolling. Via In and Out of course, then Randy's donuts, ok now we're on our way.

Interstate 10: real life Mario Kart
Speed limit reads 70 mph, the flow is 85mph and the fastest car is still flying past us. Four lanes wide, we just go with the flow and hope for the best. It’s a little daunting but as long as the GPS gives us plenty of warning to exit, we’re all good.

Hello, Palm Springs
Our motel, an unapologetic 1960s time capsule, cool pool, Slim Aaron’s vibes. We drop bags, free the Randy’s stash, YouTube our way through the espresso setup, and dive straight into that slice of turquoise heaven.

Poolside downtime
Hours dissolve. Sunlight warming our skin. We float, we snack, we exhale.

Dinner tonight? Mexican and beer or was it beer then Mexican? Either way, we earned it, and the holiday has finally begun.

Next up: Joshua Tree? Wherever the asphalt leads, the donuts are coming with us.

- Belinda Van Zanen