We put a little diversity in our stay in Twentynine Palms, CA, by taking the advice of a few people we encountered in Joshua Tree NP. We met a couple who told us about a place west of Joshua Tree NP and, it is where the mountains and desert meet a lush sanctuary for wildlife. It is a great birding place and a neat riparian area in Morongo Valley, CA. Much of it has a boardwalk with sitting areas, and beyond that, is a trail that goes into the canyon for an 8 mile round trip hike. We only did about 4 miles today, as we wanted to do the second thing recommended to us, also. We traveled north of Hwy. 62 at Yucca Valley, CA to Pioneertown. It was built in 1946 by several prominent movie stars and they wanted it to represent an 1880's town, where they made many movies. It still remains as it did in the early days. Many old westerns were made in this town. We still had some daylight, so we went into the northern part of Joshua Tree NP to finish some earthcaches that we had to do. Tomorrow is our last day in the area, and we will go back to the park to do some hiking.
We saw snow on the mountains as we headed west to Morongo Valley, CA.
This is the entrance to the preserve. It is free to enter with a donation appreciated..
We are on the canyon trail, which was nicely groomed and lots of flowers to enjoy.
This is the Apricot Globe Mallow, and it was very plentiful in one area.
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| This crazy bird kept flying at us, and I thought it was going to land on Jim's head! |
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| We enjoyed walking on the boardwalk through the cottonwood trees and other lush trees. |
The Lupine Flowers were plentiful in Pioneertown.
This plaque at the post office explains the history of the town best.
This is one of many old buildings in Pioneertown.
I have to end with the old saloon. It seems like that was one of the prominent places in the movies.
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