// THE TRIP – Joshua Tree and Pioneer Town

I recently snuck out of the Southern California Hot Bike offices and away from my keyboard duties of online editor for a day of throttle twistin’ out to Joshua Tree National Park and Pioneer Town in the Mojave Desert.
Although the weather may be a bit too hot at the moment for some high desert adventuring and sightseeing, I share the story and photos with you now for in a few short months prime riding conditions will prevail. Fall, Winter and Spring are the ideal times to visit the area.I happened to ride in on the tail end of spring just as summer was setting in and was greeted with temps in the high 70’s and a light breeze.

<div class="st-block quote text-
Notice: Undefined index: st_text_align in C:laragonwwwhotbike-importblocksquote.php on line 1
“>

From the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas it’s a 2 to 3 hour ride to Joshua Tree National Park, approximately 130 miles from Downtown Los Angeles

This jaunt out to the picturesque high desert is a great little day trip if you live in Southern California or are just visiting the area for a short time . From the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas it’s a 2 to 3 hour ride to Joshua Tree National Park, approximately 130 miles from Downtown Los Angeles.

I took off from the Hot Bike offices in Irvine early one morning as my two-wheeled freedom machine led me east on Interstate 10, the quickest and easiest way into Joshua Tree. Just a few miles east of the Morongo Indian Reservation is where things started to get interesting. As I headed north on HWY 62 ( Twentynine Palms Highway) , I became dwarfed by the massive wind turbine generators that populated the hillsides like 100 ft tall blooming wildflowers . These turbines are a type of windmill that produce electricity by harnessing the wind. The wind that spins through those turbines is a boon for those voltage needs and makes for a stimulating time behind the bars to say the least.

The gusts of wind weren’t too bad and after just a few short miles I was through the San Gorgonio Wind Park as it is called and entered into the much calmer high desert closer to my destination. Just be aware and ready for some windy conditions on this short stretch of highway and all will be good. The views of the valley as you gain elevation and the assembled army of about 2,700 wind turbine generators is a sight to be seen.

Continuing on HWY 62 led me to Yucca Valley , right at the doorstep of Joshua Tree National Park. It is here where one can head north for a handful of miles on the Pioneer Town Road ( a designated California Scenic Drive) and arrive at you guessed it, Pioneer Town.

Pioneer Town was originally created as a old west movie set in the 1940’s where the actors lived and worked.”King of the Cowboys” Roy Rogers was among one of the original developers and investors of the town.Gene Autry “The Singing Cowboy” regularly taped segments of his television show in Pioneer Town. Fast forward to the modern day where the western town movie sets are kept intact and old west gunfighter shootouts are re-enacted on the weekends, there is even a mock OK Corral on site! While there you can mosey into Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace for some cold beverages and grub. Pappy & Harriet’s is also a thriving music venue that plays host to artists ranging from the classic rock and funk of Eric Burdon ( Animals and War) ,the garage-esque rock sounds of the Murder City Devils and the new age soul and rhythm of Solid Ray Woods.

After a refreshing sarsaparilla and harnessing my inner Sam Elliot for a bit, I mounted up on my steel steed and continued on a short 15 mile stampede into the Joshua Tree visitor center and main entrance to the park. Joshua Tree National Park encompasses a land area of nearly 800,00 acres, that’s bigger than the state of Rhode Island! The park is aptly named after the Joshua tree that is native to the land and decorates the terra firma so brilliantly that at times it resembles a fake movie scene. Along with the Joshua Trees, the park features some stunning geologic rock formations that were created over 100 million years ago.Make sure you have plenty of spare memory on your photo taking device beforehand because you will be taking photos aplenty!

There are nine campgrounds within the park should you decide to extend your stay, be warned though, those campgrounds fill up quick and reservations are recommended due to the parks 1.3 million annual visitors. There are numerous hiking trails also in the park that range from under 1 mile to 35 miles in length. I decided to stretch my legs a bit and went for a 1.5 mile hike on the Barker Dam trial loop. A desert oasis is what I came upon midway through the loop. The dam was constructed by early cattlemen in 1900 as a way to keep their herds hydrated. In the present day it attracts a myriad of desert wildlife ranging from rare species of birds to desert bighorn sheep.It also made for a nice place to relax for a bit,take some photos and bask in the natural beauty of all that Joshua Tree has to offer.

<div class="st-block quote text-
Notice: Undefined index: st_text_align in C:laragonwwwhotbike-importblocksquote.php on line 1
“>

So alluring is the beauty of Joshua Tree that Jim Morrison is said to have written the classic Doors song “Riders on the Storm” after a peyote induced visit