Joshua Tree, CA

Though I didn't do it then, I'm doing it now. Listening to U2's The Joshua Tree while writing about Joshua Tree, CA. Oh, how typically predictable can I be? Then again, it never crossed my mind to listen to the album when I was there. On top of that, I chose not to set foot in Joshua Tree National Park. And you wonder if the town's name is a misnomer? It's not, the park is roughly 10 minutes away.

So what exactly happened? More on that later. For now, know that a mojo buried deep within me was somehow disinterred in this small desert enclave.

My cousin had mentioned that the surrounding plains were charged. 

"Whatcha talkin' bout Willis??"

"They're magnetically charged. Seriously, look it up."

Sure enough, they were. Could it be that the land was literally charging people to become trailblazers? Hard to dispute after our visit to Noah Purifoy's outdoor museum. Purifoy's first body of work was created from the debris of the 1965 Watts Rebellion. "For the 20 years that followed the rebellion, Purifoy dedicated himself to the found object and to using art as a tool for social change.... After eleven years of public policy work for the California Arts Council ... Purifoy moved his practice out to the Mojave desert, where he lived for the 15 years of his life creating ten-acres full of large-scale sculpture on the desert floor. Constructed entirely from junked materials, this otherworldly environment is one of California's great art historical wonders."

No. Kidding. It may feel like you're hallucinating when you walk around his art (you might be if you didn't bring enough water, a hat, sunblock, and one of those personal fan misters that only people who wear fanny packs seem to use), but in fact, they're very real, very awesome, and free to behold. Irrefutably Purifoy was a true artist. 

That evening we feasted on some New York style pizza. Was I still hallucinating?? New York pizza in the Californian desert? Yep, trust me, it was legit. When I read of their beginnings on the menu (which is why you too should read every word on a menu) my hypothesis was justified again. "In 2001 Pie for the People started out as a food truck traveling from festival to festival. In 2005, Pie for the People opened their first shop in Seattle, Washington. In 2009 Pie for the People sadly closes the door for Seattle. In 2010 Pie for the People moves to sunny Joshua Tree, California." I can't imagine any MBA grad advising such a business move. Trusting their moxie (always great with pizza) they forged their own path here. And seeing the number of parked cars at any hour of the day, any day of the week, many are following their trail.

Okay, it's later. So what happened for me not to visit a national park that's 10 minutes away when I wear my tourist hat so proudly? It was our last day and extenuating circumstances had postponed our plans to visit the park earlier in the week. My cousin's husband calls first thing in the morning. She turns to me poker-faced, "Okay, we have two options, visit the national park or attend a Native American sweat lodge." Then, silence...

"The tribe has spoken. Seriously, I only hear one option. The sweat lodge!"


Length of Stay

One week

Docking Index

       

Eight anchors, because of the trifecta: next to zero humidity (no more frizzy hair!), sun (cold extremities), and New York style pizza (favourite food). I may go a little crazy seeing the same stranger twice a day (small, small, town). Aren't most creative geniuses slightly off though? Then eventually I'll have an exhibit here and become the next Purifoy. (Okay, I am hallucinating.)