After our big final night at Disneyland, we let ourselves sleep a little longer than planned. That came back to bite us because we were supposed to pick up our rental car at 9:30 a.m., but ended up having to call and say we wouldn’t get there until 10:30. It turned into a whole ordeal since checkout at the hotel was at 11, and all the drivers had to be present at the rental counter to be added to the agreement.

When we arrived at the rental agency, it was pure chaos. There was only one overwhelmed employee trying to help a lobby full of people, and nothing was going smoothly. The first guy ahead of us couldn’t find his reservation. After some back-and-forth, it turned out he’d booked the wrong date. Instead of admitting it, he called his wife right there in the lobby and just kept arguing with the worker about the price. The next customer asked if they’d accept a picture of his driver’s license (why would they?), and of course he had to leave. Then there was a couple trying to pay with a debit card or Apple Pay instead of a credit card, which didn’t fly either.

By the time it was finally our turn, the poor employee told us he had to leave to go find cars for the seven people ahead of us. So, we waited another 25 minutes in the lobby. When he finally came back to help us, someone happened to return a car at that exact moment and he said, “Oh thank God, you just saved me—I didn’t have a car to give to them.” Not exactly reassuring, but at least we got a vehicle.

Even that wasn’t straightforward. The first car, a RAV4, had something hanging down underneath that looked like it was about to fall off. They almost ripped it off themselves but decided to give us a different car instead.

At last, we hit the road and picked up Tyson, who had been patiently waiting in the lobby with all our stuff. Our plan for the day was to drive up into the San Bernardino National Forest, winding through tall pines and mountain roads until we reached Big Bear Lake. The cooler air and the alpine scenery were such a refreshing change after the bustle of Anaheim. Once there, the plan was to rent e-bikes and spend the afternoon cruising the Alpine Pedal Path, a scenic paved trail that hugged the lake’s edge.

As soon as I stepped out of the car, I heard a Steller’s jay calling, and I was so excited because I’d never seen one before!

The forest there is well known for birding, and it definitely lived up to its reputation. I had to stop myself from pulling over every two minutes to watch the birds. In just a short ride, We saw a Steller’s jay, a pygmy nuthatch, a few ravens, a western grebe, a mountain chickadee, and even an unidentified hawk. The biking was beautiful, peaceful, and such a fun way to enjoy the scenery.

We would have kept riding longer, but the bikes were due back by 5 PM. That worked out, though, because we were all starving. Caroline had found a place called Tropicali, which is apparently the top-rated restaurant in the area on Yelp. I’m so glad we went because the poke bowls were amazing. The whole place had a laid-back surfer vibe, and the staff were awesome. We all got fresh juices or smoothies, and everything was delicious.

After our late lunch, we continued on to Joshua Tree for one of the moments I was most excited about: stargazing.

Once we checked in to our Airbnb, we made a quick Walmart run for snacks and got ready for our night under the stars. Our chosen viewing spot was Porcupine Wash, about an hour and fifteen minutes from where we were staying, so we didn’t have much downtime before heading out again.

On the drive into the park, a jackrabbit suddenly darted across the road. Luckily, Jordan had done his research beforehand and knew jackrabbits tend to be active at night, so he was ready for one to cross and managed to brake in time. Along the way, we also spotted several kangaroo rats hopping along the roadside, and they were adorable.

We came prepared for the dark sky. Everyone had red-light headlamps so our eyes wouldn’t need to readjust from bright white light. Joshua Tree is an officially designated dark-sky park, so the Milky Way was unbelievably vivid—like a river of stars across the sky. We brought binoculars too, which made it feel as if we were peering through a tiny telescope. The sky looked like a petri dish full of stars. I’ve never seen anything like it.

As an added bonus, we caught the tail end of the Perseid meteor shower. We saw so many shooting stars, but I had one tragic miss. I turned away for just a second to grab a sip of water when the rest of the group gasped and shouted about an enormous comet streaking across the sky with a glowing red trail. I still can’t believe I missed it!

Eventually, we packed it up and headed back to the Airbnb, tired but thrilled. The long drive back felt worth it after such an unforgettable night.