High Valley Day Trip
One of my favorite day trips with guests is to go to the high desert for a day of shopping in the funky little antique malls, and junk shops. After a bit of retail we head over to the Integratron for a "Sound Bath" it is such a cool thing to do and everyone I have brought just loves it. To get there just head west on Interstate 10 to Hwy 62 and you will end up in the little town of Yucca where there is great antiquing and a few fun junk shops that sometimes yield treasures.
Antique Stores and Junk Shops
Route 62 Vintage Market Place- Nice little antique mall with various vendors. My friend was excited to pick up some of American Indian pottery that I have pictured. 55635 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca Valley 760 365-4330
Tamma's Magic Mercantile is located just a block or more from Route 62 and has a bigger selection. My friend found a 1940's Indian Squash Blossom necklace for $200 that she swears is worth $1,200 (in a good market!). As you continue down the road you will see shops on the left that are fun to take a look in.
Joshua Tree
Travel further and you will hit Joshua Tree, there are a few thrift stores and what I could only best describe as junk stores, which is like a treasure hunt. Reoyne's Corral is Phil and Roeoyne's home with a old west facade on the front. They have lots and lots of stuff for sale, and you never know what you will find. If you take a good look at Enchanted Book store photo, you can see it is crammed with lots of stuff. I did not even attempt to step inside. 61142 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree 9760) 366-8927
Bargain Alley is very clean and offers a variety of things. I found a great 1950's magazine rack marked $10 that they sold to me for $8. Later that week I saw the exact same rack for $85 in a vintage store. Right across the street from Bargain Alley are several interesting places, that always seem to be closed on the days I am there. 61716 Twentynine Palms Hwy, Joshua Tree 760 272-4025
The Integratron
The Integratron is the highlight of the day, you must make an appointment for a Sound Bath; the acoustics in this place are amazing. You will love the sisters and a husband that run it, they are fabulous.
The website description is as follows "The Integratron is the creation of George Van Tassel, and is based on the design of Moses’ Tabernacle, the writings of Nikola Tesla and telepathic directions from extraterrestrials. This one-of-a-kind building is a 38-foot high, 55-foot diameter, non-metallic structure originally designed by Van Tassel as a rejuvenation and time machine. Today, it is the only all-wood, acoustically perfect sound chamber in the U.S".George Van Tassel worked as an engineer for Howard Hughes during the time frame that the Roswell incidents were happening. Check out the website for the fascinating story of this very unique structure. http://integratron.com/
PLEASE NOTE!! No matter what your GPS unit tells you, do NOT drive on dirt roads en route to the Integratron! Please follow directions listed below:
Directions from Palm Springs: Take I-10 west to the CA Hwy 62 exit (Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, 29 Palms) past the highway 111/Palm Springs exit. If you have been antiquing and gone to Joshua Tree then you must turn back and follow the directions from here: Drive northeast about 25 minutes to the town of Yucca Valley. At the main intersection in town just past Carl's Jr., turn left at Old Woman Springs Road/Hwy 247. Drive 10 miles to Reche Road, where there is a large "Landers" sign on the right. Turn right, and drive 2.2 miles to Belfield Blvd. Turn left and drive about 1 mile. The Integratron is at the end of Belfield Blvd, just before the intersection of Linn Road.
Gubler's Orchids
As you travel to the Integratron you must stop at the Orchid factory across the street. 1000's of plants are sent out yearly to worldwide destinations. It is a fun place to see all varieties of orchids.http://www.gublers.com/Pages/Home.html
After this if you have the energy you can go to Pioneertown and Pappy & Harrietts for some wonderful food and great people watching. That information will be in another blog.
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