After watching an epic sunrise in Cholla Cactus Garden and completing a 7 mile hike on the Lost Palms Oasis Trail, we left Joshua Tree National Park for the afternoon. I was sad to know this was our last day at Joshua Tree National Park. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Joshua Tree National Park from sunrise to sunset, along with the incredible stargazing. I think tied with the natural beauty, was the adventure that came within the park. Deepali and I loved all the rock scrambles and bouldering. My favorite area to boulder was in the Hall of Horrors. Bouldering outdoors was such a rewarding experience as we gained confidence in our ability to climb and explore with each rock we hurdled.

Now you see why I was sad to leave. However, we were going to at least try to find some authentic Mexican food. I was also looking forward to an actual meal. We ate so many bars and snacks for two days straight because our focus was being within the park. For our first real meal in days, we chose Plaza Restaurant in Mecca, CA.

Here, I ordered two tacos (carne asada and pastor) with a side of rice and beans. Out of the two different tacos, I liked the asada better than the pastor. The seasoning of the carne asada was perfect. So tender! The meat and corn shell was so spot on that I forgot to even use the sauce. Deepali likes spicy heat and said that the sauce was like straight up hot sauce. It is probably good that I did not use the sauce then. I give this taco a 5 out of 5 because I would not change a darn thing about it. The pastor taco had a semi sweet marinade. The pork seemed a little dry. I gave it a 3 out of 5, as it was still a really good taco. The takeaway here was simple tacos with a big flavor.

My only thing I wish we could have changed was the timing of when we arrived at Plaza Restaurant. Every table was occupied during the late lunch period. We ended up taking a very long time here for lunch and skipping the next hike. We were okay with that decision because we needed a break in the day from the heat.

After an amazing lunch, we made it back to Joshua Tree for one last sunset and some stargazing. Our next adventure awaited us in Death Valley National Park. Unfortunately, we did not find tacos there. Just more desert.