Trip to mojave Desert

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/2/f/0/600_457057616.jpeg

On this Tour, we will be visiting a few unique places in the Mojave Desert. First, we will make a stop at Pioneer Town. In 1946, Pioneertown was founded by a group of Hollywood investors, including actors Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. They dreamed of creating an Old West set that was actually a town worth visiting, with 1880s-style false-front facades but interiors that had stuff for visitors to see and do things.

A number of Westerns were filmed here, including “The Cisco Kid” and it was the backdrop for a large number of television shows. Back in the day, you would often find the likes of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers walking down “Main Street” dressed in their cowboy spurs. Pioneertown is now a unique experience for guests, especially those who love photography, music, beer and enjoy line dancing.

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/6/8/f/600_457058543.jpeg

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/6/9/8/600_457058552.jpeg

We will have lunch at Pappy& Harriet. Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace is the cool indie indoor and outdoor spot for music lovers and travelers. Not only is it an awesome concert venue but a delicious restaurant and fun bar. P&H is the only place for grub in this town so make sure to eat up. Pappy & Harriet’s lunch and dinner menus include Tex-Mex cuisine with items such as burgers and hot dogs as well as ribs. P&H offers live music five nights a week and features legendary musicians such as Robert Plant and Leon Russell havegraced the P&G stage.

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/6/c/9/600_457058601.jpeg

Our Next stop will be at Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Desert Art Museum. Noah Purifoy (1917–2004) was an African American visual artist and sculptor, co-founder of the Watts Tower Art Center, and creator of the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum.

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/6/f/d/600_457058653.jpeg

In the late 1980s, Purifoy moved to the Mojave Desert, and over the last fifteen years of his life built what is now the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Sculpture Museum. Located on 10 acres of open land near the town of Joshua Tree , California, the museum contains over one hundred works of art, including large scale assemblages, environmental sculptures, and installation art created by the artist between 1989–2004.

The works themselves are great - as is the decay due to the harsh elements of their desert setting. Resisting the ideologies of institutionalized art, Purifoy proposed to find out what role nature could play in the history of an art piece, arguing that "changes are an integral part of life itself."

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/7/c/8/600_457058856.jpeg

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/7/c/d/600_457058861.jpeg

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/7/d/3/600_457058867.jpeg

Our Last stop will be at Joshua Tree Park, Barker Dam. It is a place where I usually spot Big Horn Ships in the evenings. You may need telephoto lenses for this one. Although, sometimes the animals come up really close and I was able to take pictures just with a regular wide angle lens. Now, please understand that I don't control wild life. We may see and be able to take pictures of big horns if they will come out, but they may not. Usually they do. We will finish by photographing sunset at Joshua Tree Park.

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/8/0/9/600_457058921.jpeg

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/8/1/c/600_457058940.jpeg

https://a248.e.akamai.net/secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/8/2/5/600_457058949.jpeg

We will be picked up by our driver and his minivan at Starbucks in Down Town Long Beach at 8am. There are several paid parking lots where you can leave your car for a day. Your fees include transportation, photography guidance, complimentary snacks and soft drinks and entrance. Please note, Lunch is not Included!