The Hub of the Morongo Basin – Yucca Valley
Yucca Valley is strategically placed at the crossroads of the Hi-Desert, at the intersection of two state highways that lie at the center of this Mojave Desert Town. On Saturday, October 13 Yucca...
View ArticleI Have Always Driven By And Wondered What Is Up There – Old Woman Springs Ranch
Most people that drive up Highway 247, also known as Old Woman Springs Road, between Yucca Valley and Apple Valley have said “I Have Always Driven By And Wondered What Is Up There” as they look to the...
View ArticleThe Hot Dry Swampy Days of Summer
Why do we live in this confounded hot desert? First of all this desert, the Mojave Desert, especially in its higher elevations is not so hot compared to many other deserts. I sometimes laugh to...
View ArticleIs That Rain That I Smell?
Waking up the other morning to the smell of rain, well actually the smell of Larrea-Tridentata was so invigorating. After my lifelong obsession with this botanical wonder I think that it is time to...
View ArticleThe Bizzarre Official and Unofficial Story of Gubler Orchids
It sure sounds a bit bizarre but if I were to say “Let’s head out to the Mojave Desert and look at all the great world class orchids that are available” what would you say? Well as bizarre as it...
View Article92268 – Pioneertown – aka: Pappy and Harriets
Zip Code 92268, Pioneertown California sits at just over 4000 feet in elevation on the edge of the Mojave Desert at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains where Joshua Trees meet Pinyon Pine,...
View ArticleThe Beginnings Of Great Mexican Food In The Mojave Desert
This blog entry might seem a bit unusual even for me but the subject hit me as I sometimes drive around the southwest, so here we go, hometown food establishments in the Mojave Desert that made it big....
View ArticleNon-Native (and a few native) Mojave Desert Flora
It is spring time in the Mojave Desert and it is time to plant trees and bushes. In my almost 40 years living in the upper reaches of the Mojave Desert above 3500 feet, I have tried to plant many...
View ArticleI Love the U2 Album “The Joshua Tree”, Do U2? Let’s Trek Across The Mojave...
This blog, The Mojo on the Mojave is about things that are located or happening in the Mojave Desert, part of this story lies outside the Mojave’s reaches but we will touch on the entire bus trip that...
View ArticleUPDATE 9/28/2014: Gram Theft Burrito or Gram Theft Byrd – You Decide?
UPDATE 9/28/2014 This particular blog about Gram Parsons has been interesting to say the least, intended to only be one story has now turned into three. After I first wrote the first leg of this story...
View ArticleGeorge Washington’s Nephew in the Mojave Desert?
Imagine trying to make a name for yourself when your uncle is referred to as the Father of our Country. Colonel Henry Washington did a pretty good job of making a name for himself and also for naming...
View ArticleThe Joshua Tree Southern Railroad Museum and Narrow Gauge Railroad===== All...
In the Mojave Desert, on the south side of Joshua Tree, just a half-mile or so from the main road that leads to the Joshua Tree National Park, tucked away in a canyon, almost hidden from the one...
View ArticleThe Right Stuff In The Right Place At The Right Time
Timing is everything and it seems that the Right Stuff happened in The Right Place at the Right Time to create a very historical location in the Mojave Desert. This blog is mostly about the recent...
View ArticleThe Strange Tale of Gram Parsons’ Funeral in Joshua Tree
Gram Theft Burrito or Gram Theft Byrd – You Decide? Gram Parsons was considered a pioneer of the country rock movement of the late 1960’s into the 1970’s until his death on September 19, 1973 at the...
View ArticleGram Parsons Funeral Location
UPDATE Out of the blue a friend of mine told me that he had a old police photograph of the Gram Parsons crime scene in the Joshua Tree National Park from the day of the incident. He soon emailed me a...
View ArticleGram Parsons – My Final Comments
Mr. Phil Kaufman AKA “The Road Mangler” contacted me because he wanted to see the exact site where I had found the rock that was identified to be a few feet from Parson’s cremated remains. Mr. Kaufman...
View ArticleThe Little Park That Saved The World From Atomic War? Desert Christ Park
Well maybe the park was not responsible for saving the world by discouraging an atomic war, as its creator had hoped, but whether you come see this mirage in the desert as a religious pilgrimage or for...
View ArticleGlenn Frey, an Eagle in the Mojave
With the passing of Glenn Frey many people might not know that he has a Mojave Desert connection with Joshua Tree and the nearby Palm Springs area. Here are some pictures from The Eagles’ 1st photo...
View ArticleA Pretty Little Secret that Hides in Morongo Valley
02/15/16 – update from the author, “this Preserve will be in the Sand to Snow National Monument created by President Obama on February 11, 2016.” “The Big Morongo Canyon Preserve” November 6, 2011 –...
View ArticleKakurega In The Mojave Desert
I remember the first time I saw it, back in the 1970’s I was driving north up California Highway 395 between the towns of Lone Pine and Independence. On the west side of the road were the relics of...
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