Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Showers near Joshua Tree National Park

"Gift shop" and "showers" don't usually end up in the same thought unless you're talking bridal or baby showers. But I'm talking good old hot water spraying at you.

There's a gift shop at the intersection of Highway 62 and Park Boulevard in the town of Joshua Tree, California. At the counter, tell the clerk you want a shower and give her four dollars. She will give you a token and a key attached to a big wooden cutout of a duck or a moon.

Go around back to the door that matches your key. (The key is for the handle, not the dead bolt. It took me a while to figure that out.) Inside is a sink, toilet, and a big wheelchair-friendly shower. There's no counter but a bunch of hooks. Bring your own towel. The token will get you seven minutes of water, which was more than enough for me, and word has it it's plenty even for those washing and rinsing long hair. When you're done, take the key back to the clerk, thank her for the excellent shower, and maybe buy a souvenir in remembrance of the experience. Mmmmm, showers.

3 comments:

  1. I'm surprised you haven't experimented with various camping/ solar shower devices. I used one in Quartzite and loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It would mean carrying around a lot of water, which takes up room. And, to me, a shower without large volumes of water at high pressure is rather sad, because it should be about more than getting clean. It's a physical, tactile experience, a massage by a zillion tiny fingers.

    ReplyDelete