Not every adventure goes according to plan, but we still had a good time.
Let us start by saying the trip was supposed to be a full weekend adventure. We rented a camper that is parked in the middle of the desert and hooked up to electricity. So, you can imagine, we were super pumped…we had a toilet, shower, kitchen, bed, air conditioner, and privacy! Upon arrival, we opened the camper to find a bloody comforter, bleach-stained shower towels, and a door lock that was meant for a bathroom stall. F**k!!! 🤬🤬🤬 Obviously, we quickly contacted the renter, requested a refund, and decided to drive home late at night instead of scrambling to find a new place to stay. After that unexpected buzzkill, we started our day.
Our first stop was Joshua Tree Coffee Company. I, the caffeine queen, was very excited to check this place out. JT Coffee Co sources organic beans and roasts them in the Mojave Desert in small batches. Once you order, the JT Coffee crew will prepare the beverage of your choice using the drip system. Although, the wait felt incredibly long to get my cup, I was delighted by the flavor once I took a sip. I learned that they allow you to order ahead on their website – so take my advice and do that! If you enjoy the cup as much as I did, there is cute swag and bags of coffee for sale. ☕☕☕
After fueling up, we headed to the World-Famous Crochet Museum. It can be found at 61855 Hwy 62, and is likely the smallest museum you will ever set foot in. At most, two people can fit inside at a time. The structure is an old recycled One-Hour Fotomat Booth and is filled from ceiling to floor with crochet items that have been hand-selected and donated over the years. Nothing is for sale, but pictures are allowed, and donations are welcome. The store Art Queen sells World-Famous Crochet souvenirs and other little goodies that are mostly hand-made. We got a crochet heart and a painted cat rock for our porch.
Next on our agenda was Pioneertown. Pioneertown is in the Morongo Basin region of the San Bernardino high desert. The area was founded in 1946 by some of Hollywood’s finest. Actors including Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, created this Old West town using purely their imagination. Full of fabricated stables, saloons, jails and more, this small settlement was the set for many 1940s and 50s movies and television shows. There are stores, a bar, a bowling alley, and a restaurant you can go to during your visit. You cannot come here without going to PAPPY & HARRIET’S PIONEERTOWN PALACE. This legend restaurant has been filled with live music, dancing, BBQ, and booze since 1982. Artists like Paul McCartney, Lorde, and Arctic Monkeys are just some of the special guests that have performed here. We sunk our teeth into their famous ribs and washed it down with Sarsaparilla…if this doesn’t sound like a true country meal then we don’t know what is!
After our meal, we hopped back in the car and headed back to Joshua Tree. The temperatures were hotter than H-E-Double Hockey Sticks, so the air conditioning felt all too good. 🥵🥵🥵 We checked out several stores in town, some of our favorites were:
~ Hoof & Horn – This store is adorable! Filled with apparel, jewelry, accessories, home goods, and more. You will definitely find a cool item to take home with you, and the staff is very friendly!
~ The Station – A fun souvenir shop with an impressive collection of unique items, where you can meet Big Josh, a 20-foot-tall Cowboy that has been around since 1965. Depending on the time of year that you come, Big Josh may be decorated. The shop itself is also quite the site to see as it is a former Richfield Gas station from 1949. You can see all kinds of miscellaneous décor while wandering the property…skulls, planters, a Mickey Mouse Head, a replica cabin from an earlier time, and more.
~ Coyote Corner – Known as the Joshua Tree National Park Store, you can find books, maps, toys, candy, souvenirs, gifts, gear, and food in this place. This is the one-stop shop in town and it is definitely popular!
After checking out the local stores, we headed to the Joshua Tree Night Market. This typically happens the second Saturday of each month, but it has been announced recently that it will occur every Saturday from 6-10pm. Although quite smaller than we imagined, the booths were filled with lots of unique items. Our favorite booth…well mine, was the Parallel Fashion booth…this vendor sells the cutest, most reasonable jewelry!! See picture below. Also, the word on the street is that fire shows occur at sundown some weeks…we did not get to see this, but hopefully can catch it some other time. 🔥🔥🔥
After supporting local businesses, we decided to eat local as well, before heading back home. We went to Pie for the People! 🍕🍕🍕 A New York Style pizza joint with creative pizza combinations. We got a 20inch Elote Pizza! Yes, that is right, a Mexican corn pizza and it was delicious! Lime aioli, roasted corn, cotija cheese, cayenne, fresh lime, cilantro, and avocado ranch was just the right mix of flavor! We highly recommend trying out this pizza place!
After inhaling our oversized pizza, we hit the road. Since our weekend getaway turned into a day trip, we did not have time to explore all that we wanted. When we go back, we plan to explore the National Park itself (even though we have been before), go to the Cactus Mart to dig our own cactus🌵 , check out Moon Wind Trading Company, and grab a beer at the Joshua Tree Brewery🍺.
Currently drowning in our sweat,
TnT