I visited Joshua Tree National Park, the town of Joshua Tree and the Mojave Desert in the Summer of 2022 and the Spring of 2023. The Spring trip was during one of California’s wettest years in recent memory.
The images in this post combine my two trips to the area.
Joshua Tree National Park
I visited the park on my July 2022 visit. I took fewer photos than I probably should have. This is because, like an idiot, I didn’t bring water. Just inside the park entrance is a restroom with water fountains and as I entered the park, I pulled in to use the facilities. So the only water I had for this entire visit was the four or five gulps I took at the entrance water fountain. Suffice it to say, that is not enough water for a Joshua Tree visit. I was reminded of my stupidity often during my visit, as there are signs every several hundred feet along any route you take that say Do Not Die Today. By the time my visit ended, I kinda thought I was gonna.
Town of Joshua Tree
The “town” of Joshua Tree (it’s actually a Census Designated Place) and its environs have many fun things to do. The Joshua Tree Saloon is the perfect stop for a libation after a hike through the park. There are also lots of art galleries nearby to peruse, including the World Famous Crochet Museum, which appears to have been built from an old Fotomat kiosk.
Pioneertown
A few miles outside Joshua Tree is Pioneertown, a “living breathing movie set” built in 1946 and backed by the likes of Dale Evans, Roy Rogers and his singing group, the Sons of the Pioneers, who wrote and recorded a promotional tune for the endeavor called “Out in Pioneertown.”
I visited Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown in the Summer of 2022. Pappy and Harriet’s is a “magical desert roadhouse” featuring live music, Santa Maria style BBQ (rivaling anything coming out of Texas) and plenty of booze. The only image I got from that visit is of their unique adobe wall, which has bottles beautifully embedded into it. Reason enough to return.
The Joshua Tree Grid
As a former urban planner, I am fascinated by the “street grid” laid out seemingly in the middle of nowhere. With names like Sunburst Ave and La Crescenta Dr, the “streets” are mostly unpaved roads connecting vast expanses of desert. With “blocks” approximatey 675 by 1314 feet, they are much larger a typical city block of 330 by 660 feet. But since it is a grid, it’s fairly easy to navigate.
Transmission
A few miles outside town is the Mojave Moon Ranch, a private space that hosts a majestic 28ft tall concrete sculpture called Transmission, by multiplidisciplanary artist Daniel Popper. While the sculpture is on private property, they have been kind enough to provide a public viewing location so cheapskates like me can enjoy its majesticity.
Fully realized, she is “concrete” evidence that we are all divine — that we are all one. May we all transmute love, peace, and unity between ourselves, each other and mother nature
Hicksville Trailor Palace
If you decide to visit this area and you’re looking for accommodations, do yourself a favor and check out Hicksville Trailor Palace. I stayed there both times on my recent visits. This place is awesome. Out in the middle of nowhere, Hicksville is an oasis of kitsch, in the best possible way. The property features ten trailers (and a zombie safe bunker), a pool, an arcade, shuffleboard, an archery/bb-gun range, a putt-putt golf course, and a vending machine where you can select items like the vodka tonic package, the S’mores package or the Plan B morning-after pill package.
Also, Hicksville’s jukebox is epic. It has every song you’ve ever heard by every band you clould ever think of. (Additionally, the jukebox is the only amplified speaker allowed, as personal speakers or boom boxes are not permitted.)
All trailers on the property have themes. For instance, there’s The Lux, which pays homage to legendary punk rock psychobilly band The Cramps. And The Pee-Wee, the actual “Conastoga wagon” featured in the Pee-Wee Herman film Big Top Pee-Wee. There’s also The New World, a mid-century modern 50s-style trailer where Johnny Depp and Amanda Heard had their knockdown-dragout.
So far, I’ve stayed in The Fifi and The Pee-Wee. If you stay in all of them they put your name on their special wall.
Hicksville digs
Spotlight: The Fifi
The first time I stayed at Hicksville, I stayed in The Fifi.
This trailor was designed as an homage to New Orleans custom wig shop, Fifi Mahony’s Custom Wigs. I haven’t been to Fifi’s New Orleans shop but staying in The Fifi almost made me think I was there. The Fifi features wigs you can try on, a sweet in-trailer bar and a mini fridge, all decked out in the finest 70s shag.
Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Museum
A short drive from Hicksville Trailor Palace is the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Museum. Noah Purifoy was an artist and a founding member of the Watts Towers Art Center in Los Angeles. In the late 1980s, Purifoy moved to the Mojave Desert and spent the last 15 years of his life creating ten acres of large-scale sculptures constructed entirely of junked materials. These images are from my visit in March 2023.
Until next time
I’m already planning my next trip to the area. I’m scoping out my next trailer at Hicksville. I still need to visit the Integratron (for which Hicksville’s Integratrailor is named — maybe that’s my next one) and nearby Giant Rock. I also want to spend more time in Pioneertown. And when I do, I’ll be sure to post about my experiences here!