The California Desert is a strange place. Artists and hippies and families move to the desert to be close to the land and for affordable housing. This makes for a strange culmination of personality types. Knowing this, I picked out a few experiences that piqued my interest, different and interesting locations that are more than just hanging out in Palm Springs. Once I had a list ready, we packed up the 2019 Blazer and headed to the desert.
Cabot’s Pueblo Museum
After a quick breakfast of pastries, our first stop was Cabot’s Pueblo Museum in Desert Hot springs. This funky little stop is Cabot Yerxa’s home in the California desert. In 1941 Cabot began to build the pueblo using salvaged items he found in the surrounding desert. On the property, he discovered two natural springs, one hot and one cold, and he named the property, ‘Miracle Hill’. My mom and I arrived at the Pueblo and bought our tickets for a tour of the museum. Our docent taught us all about the history of the area, Cabot Yerxa, and the property itself. We got to view several of the rooms on the property and learn about the ingenious ways people would keep cool, store things and connect with the community around them.
It was a unique spot and I’m so glad I came across it while searching for things to do in the area. I asked some locals about it later and they had no idea it existed. The tour tickets were really inexpensive and the museum and house were very cool. Hopefully, once they open all 35 rooms in the house, I’ll be able to visit again.
Kitchen in the Desert
After Cabot’s, it was time for lunch. We left the Desert Hot Springs area and traveled into Joshua Tree. For lunch, we went to Kitchen in the Desert. A super cute cafe serving up some delish flavors and putting a spin on Caribbean and new American Flavors. The restaurant is in a compound built in 1947 with bright colorful buildings and lots of parking (all dirt). For lunch, we ordered sandwiches, a side of fries to share, and the cucumber cilantro lemonade which was just absolutely amazing. I ordered the roast beef sandwich. The smoky flavor of the tri-tip was out of this world and the roasted garlic aioli was outstanding. My mom’s veggie sandwich was fresh and tasty. We enjoyed the ambiance of the cafe, its cute decor, and the tasty food for a while, reveling in the air conditioning before we ventured back out for our next stop.
Noah Purifoy’s Outdoor Museum
We traveled to Noah Purifoy’s Outdoor Museum in Joshua Tree next. Noah Purifoy created this museum out of found items. His sculptures and art, found off a dirt road in a suburban area, are free to visit. His art is exciting and thought-provoking. Each piece is different, eliciting strange and wonderful responses as you view them. My favorites were the TV set piece, the “Gallows” and the toilets all set up together. This art museum is one of the more interesting that I’ve been to in my life. It’s for the curious and the interesting. Don’t visit expecting to understand everything, we certainly didn’t. Go to see something new and be inspired.
Desert Christ Park
Nestled along the side of a hill next to a church, Desert Christ Park is a park made up of different statues depicting the life of Jesus. The statues are a bright white, a stark contrast to the blue desert sky and the dark dirt that they preside over. For a small donation, you can grab a booklet that gives scripture for you to read as you take in the different statues. Built in the 1950s and moved to its current location around that time the statues offer an interesting way to go through the Bible.
Pioneer Town & Pappy + Harriet’s
Dinner was next, we were hungry and some BBQ at Pappy + Harriet’s was in order. Pappy + Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace is a desert staple. Serving up great barbeque and solid lineups on stage. You come for the food and stay for the music. Unfortunately, the show slated for the night we were there sold out, but we were able to sit on the patio and enjoy our meal as the sun set beyond the horizon. The food was surprisingly good, and I’m a tough grader when it comes to barbecue. I didn’t expect much from a place known for music. I ordered the Santa Maria with the Mac & Cheese and Broccoli. The tri-tip was well prepared and super tender, the Mac was amazing –so worth the cheese I was not supposed to be eating. Music legends like Robert Plant have graced the Pappy + Harriet’s stage and people pack the floor to listen to new artists find their sound. Photos and lights line the walls and this place is seriously alive with history and magic.
The next morning we were ready for some more exploration. After having breakfast at the Airbnb we headed back through Pioneertown and stopped to see what was open. Sadly everything was closed that early in the morning so we wandered around the facades, fed some chickens and enjoyed the used bookstore, the only place open at the time. The used bookstore has no name and no way to look it up. It lives in the “Hay and Feed Store” in Pioneertown. If you like used books this place is for you. Otherwise, Pioneertown is a charming little walk with a collection of different shops and things to see and do! If you’re there at the right time on the right day you may even catch a real cowboy shootout.
Art Queen
Based on the recommendation of our tablemates at Pappy and Harriet’s we visited the Art Queen Gallery in Joshua Tree. It’s another example of that strange desert art style that is really unique to the location. Art Queen is a collaborative gallery put together by several artists. Here we viewed an array of repurposed and redesigned clothing items, paintings, and handmade decor. The outdoor gallery is home to the “World Famous Crochet Museum” a museum inside of an old 24 hr photo hut that is positively filled with crocheted items. This place is unique and really transcends description. We laughed about some of the NSFW art we found as we roasted inside the glass gondola in the mid-morning sun.
Giant Rock
After grabbing lunch at Crossroads Cafe we drove out to “Giant Rock”. Giant Rock is a 7-story freestanding bolder that attracts alien enthusiasts. To get to the rock you have to drive about two miles though the desert on a dirt road. I was very excited to use the Blazer and pop it into all-wheel drive. I miss having my 4-wheel drive Jeep so getting to play with the Blazer was a joy! It made crawling through the sand and over dips and bumps so much easier. I had no fears about getting stuck.
Giant rock is truly well, giant. At one point a man dug out a one-bedroom apartment and LIVED UNDER the rock before dying in an explosion during a pursuit. We didn’t experience any alien activity while at the rock, but, it is a sight to behold. You feel so small, it’s no wonder people believe it’s a spiritual site. Unfortunately, people have tagged up the rock, lit fires at its base, and left trash and glass in the surrounding area. When you visit respect the land and our earth. Be a good human. This is worth the drive if you don’t mind a little dust and especially if you like rocks.
The Integratron
Our final activity was a sound bath at the Integratron. Up until this point I had never had a sound bath before. Let me tell you, my life has changed. The Integratron is a “tabernacle and energy machine sited on a powerful geomagnetic vortex in the magical Mojave Desert”. I went into this experience a little skeptical, it sounded like a bunch of hippy crap that would not work, but let me tell you, guess who’s a HUGE fan now?
After checking in you are free to relax in a hammock or around a table with your friends until they call your time slot. Once inside the spaceship-like building, you begin by leaving your shoes downstairs and ascend up a tall, nearly vertical staircase into the sound room. Then you pick a mat and prepare for a world of the mysterious. The host shares an introduction to the building and the sound bath before playing the crystal bowls. It is loud. You can feel the sound in your body. Each bowl is tuned to the chakras and is supposed to help you stop thinking about meditation and relax the brain. It works. For someone who prior to this trip had a very hard time meditating I found myself lost in the sounds and feeling of my body rather than in my head.
The last bit of the trip I’d like to talk about was our Airbnb. My mom and I rented a sweet Airbnb in Rimrock for our overnight stay. Our room was a 1950s airstream trailer and it was so cute! Honestly, I love Airbnb. The trailer was well-decorated and perfect for the two of us. We enjoyed talking under the stars and reading on the sofa and eating a complimentary breakfast in the morning.
If you’ve got any weird California places to recommend, add a comment or tell me the ones you’re going to check out after reading this article!
The Great Big Wonder 
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