Places, Earth
Inland Empire, 2018
Inland Empire, 2018
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Places, Earth
Inland Empire, 2018 |
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Day One: History and Rocks. We finally were on our way an hour and a half later than planned after dropping off the other car for repairs while we didn't need it. We headed east on the I-210 and I-10, stopping at the Wildwood Rest Area and getting gas in Indio. Indio may be a long drive from Los Angeles, but we keep hoping someday to visit for the fair, Date Festival, Tamales Festival, Stage Coach Country Music Festival, among other things. |
| We arrived at the General Patton Memorial Museum a bit before Noon. (3.5 hours) The newly completed west wing is still empty but we enjoyed the exhibits in the older east wing. In the lobby is a topographic model by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and parts of Arizona and Nevada. In the tank yard are a number of tanks and other vehicles. A newly completed building contains other vehicles. We talked a few minutes with Michael Ables, Executive Director, who explained about the expansion underway. A year ago the Museum was 6,000 square feet and had just added another 12,000 square feet. Among vehicles is a M47, the first Patton tank, and a M60 which served from Vietnam to Desert Storm. I was told that three of the tanks are operational. We stayed a little over an hour. |
| From here it was less than ten minutes to enter Joshua Tree National Park and another ten minutes to the Cottonwood Visitor Center where I bought a life time senior park pass, we had a picnic in the car, and headed in. We got a glimpse of a Road Runner running across the road. I hadn't seen one in the wild since the construction of more homes around mine in the early 1970s. We stopped at Live Oak, a rock formation. I walked around a few minutes while my wife waited in the car. We drove through Jumbo Rocks Campground then continued to Keys View Road. |
| After a bit of driving, we ran into a traffic jam waiting to see the view. This must be a popular spot and once I climbed to the top of the hill, I understood why. I gazed south beyond Salton Sea and out toward Palm Springs. My wife waited in the car as I climbed the low hill but she did walk to the edge of the parking area from where she could see Palm Springs. We continue back to Park Road and then west to the West Entrance. We left the park at Joshua Tree. |
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We traveled east to Twentynine Palms, checked into our motel, and then enjoyed dinner at Thai Café. We returned to our room and after a time, drifted off to sleep. |
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Day 2: A Sound Bath and More History We awoke early as always and got ready. We had stayed here the year before and enjoyed the continental breakfast as much as last year. My wife rested as I attended Mass at a nice little church across the street from the park Visitor Center. After I returned to the motel, we began a drive to see some of the many murals in town. We stopped at the North Visitor Center and did part of a half mile walk. Every hundred feet or so there is a plaque telling part of a story. If you do the entire walk, you get the whole storey, but we took the shortcut and plan to return another time to do the entire walk. We continued the mural search, saw a total of a half dozen, then rushed back to the motel. We arrived at the Integraron at Noon for our 12:15 Sound Bath. Last year we just came to see the building and it was cloudy, dark, and there was a light rain. Today it was bright and clean with a beautiful blue sky. We checked in and within a few minutes, we entered the Integritron. We removed our shoes and climbed the ships ladder to the all wood domed second level. We found our mats and the orientation began. Turn off all electronic devices and relax. The man started playing the crystal bowls with a rubber stick and the sound resonated throughout the acoustically perfect dome. We listened to the sounds for an hour and relaxed. Eventually this relaxing hour ended and we returned to the real world. We headed south to Desert Hot Springs to visit Cabot Pueblo Museum. We were too late for the last tour of the main building but wandered the rest of the site for about an hour. Mr. Cabot had been an early settler of the area and built this complex to cater to the Hollywood elite who spent their vacations in the area. We headed back to the Park's West Entrance. We drove east through the park on Park road, stopping to take photos of the rock and trees with increasingly long shadows. Yesterday after we left the park, we noticed a beautiful sunset and hoped for a repeat today with a more interesting landscape, but it was less exciting today. We ate dinner and returned to our room and settled in for the night. |
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Day 3: Murals and Cowboys
We got up early (because we usually awake early), started packing, enjoyed another continental breakfast, and checked out. We had planned to see more murals and drive west through the park and make a few stops, but the wind came up the night before and was now a strong, cold, unpleasant wind so we decided to skip the drive through the park. We did see about a dozen more murals, mostly along Adobe Road. We hope to return next year to see the remaining half dozen murals and the dozens of pieces of public art, of which we have seen only a few. While I waited for my wife who needed something at Rite Aid, it started to rain, a reminder of our first day last year when the rain stopped about mid-afternoon. Within minutes the sprinkles and a few snow flakes ended leaving only the cold wind. |
| We headed west to our last stop, Pioneer Town, just a short drive up a canyon from Yucca Valley. We arrive a little before opening. I wandered in the cold wind about 20 minutes while my wife waited in the car, then since everything was still closed, we decided to come back another time when the weather is warmer. We headed home arriving back in town early and made one last stop. My wife had impatiently waited till after the trip to adopt her new puppy who we picked up on the way home. |
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| Note:This is not the official site for any of the places shown in Places Earth. Places Earth is not responsible for accuracy of the information. Hours of operations, prices, exhibits, and sometimes locations are subject to change without notice. |
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Support this Web Site I hope that you find this web site helpful. It started because of my love for Architecture and interest in History and a desire to share my photographs and tales of my adventures. I don't allow paid advertising. This web site is for your benefit and enjoyment and I make no profit on it. For twenty years it has been supported primarily from my regular paycheck as a Set Designer. If you are in the need of a designer, please see my Set Designer portfolio site Set Design Portfolio. |
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