My past four months of exploring the wild west started in the vast and oft remote Mojave desert, which is now built upon and attracting many kindred spirits to the high desert, specifically Joshua Tree, California. My first draw to this land of otherworldy landscapes and yucca trees came to me in a dream where a circular grove of joshua trees called to me to offer my contract with the powers that be to help me perpetuate my life purpose. This offering was made to the desert night sky by the transformation of fire to ash.

Guided by a wolf from my past who’s very essence I now fully understand, my search for my own definition of freedom came in the form of a modern day Frontierism and an intense desire to capture the grand landscapes of western America. Freeing myself from the entanglements of the old ghosts and ideals of the east coast, I picked up and moved two suitcases of belongings to the dry, sunny land where it is perpetually 80 degrees during the day and the sounds of crickets chirping, hummingbirds buzzing and coyotes chuffing in packs peppered the darkest nights of intricate star systems quietly shimmering in the sky.

This was the place where I felt both so at home and so far from home, simultaneously. Mornings consisted of waking early to a blazing sun peaking into my bedroom where I would rise unfettered from the mundane urban grind that peppered my previous existence, shake off the cloak of deep and silent slumber and sunbathe nude in my backyard and and watch the hummingbirds hover and listen to the wind do it’s dance through an orange sheet that draped over a pole by the outdoor bath tub, where I would check daily to see what centipedes, spiders, beetles and scorpions had fallen prison to during the night.

I would later see this same shade of orange worn by Buddhist monks in the region, in stripes in the sky at sunset. The desert has the most beautiful sunsets.

Here I learned to shake my boots out for spiders and scorpions.  I learned  that the mice and lizards lived in the holes in the ground and that the tarantulas can sometimes be found in trees. I later got into the habit of always driving with the windows up when first getting into the car until it gained momentum in the event of stowaway tarantulas. This came to be after one day I was driving down 62 towards Yucca Valley with the windows down when a huge furry tan tarantula quickly skittered up my windshield, causing my heart to skip a beat. My hands insitnctively reacted quickly and put the windows up before the spider made it’s way up and over to the passenger side window and then flew off the car from the gaining momentum.

I fell in love with the drive to Joshua Tree from Los Angeles as you near towards the exit for 62 on the I-10 E where the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm is home to over 3,000 gentle giant windmills rotating in unision in silence. At night I found they had a slightly sinister presence with their glowing red centers. One will often find themselves passing by giant dinosaurs in the area, as well – the giant dinosaurs at Cabazon and the gated leashed metal dinosaurs on 62E between Joshua Tree and 29 Palms.

A week of solitude and orienting myself in my new surroundings went by quickly. I read True Grit by Charles Portis and ate hoop cheese like Mattie Ross, I cooked everything from scratch and made use of the huge bushes of mint and basil growing in the courtyard. I made friends with an orange cat named Pumpkin aka Wilfred Brimley (aka Diabeetus).  I did yoga in front of floor to ceiling mirrors and  finally made friends with a pesky cricket that would chirp at night right next to my bed.

The town consists of 2-3 blocks of shops, restaurants, a liquor store and yoga studio. The  farmer’s market every saturday was a staple and I started to buy whole fish from a greek vendor from LA who brought out the most delicious bean and tabouli salads. I met a raw vegan tango instructor who told me about the many juicer models he has owned/is now selling/trying out. I made acquaintances with the sweet pretty girls in the Natural Sisters Cafe where they sell delicious veggie & fruit juices and avocado bean sprout hummus wraps.

Towards the end of week 2, Alexis and Lauren came to stay for 5 days. They arrived on a thursday afternoon and that’s when things started to get really interesting…