The outside of the Beauty Bubble, a cream building with orange sherbet trim, a large half circle painted turquoise reads "The Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum" with small bubble like circles rising from it. A cartoon of a woman is painted next to it, who does her hair with hair spray while looking in a mirror. Outside sit a blue and a pink chair, and on the left a sauna hair dryer.

Step into the Beauty Bubble, Joshua Tree’s Kitschiest Salon & Museum

March 20, 2019, 1 Comment

Just past the turn to head into Joshua Tree National Park is another national treasure, the candy colored The Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum. Step inside and you’ll instantly want to do something wild and crazy with your hair. Because, how can you not with a plethora of vintage hair goodies across every surface, and…

Myself standing in front of the Pioneertown Motel sign, wearing a butter yellow leather jacket with dark brown fringe, a t-shirt featuring the cover of the Eagles' album "Hotel California," jeans, and a cream colored flat top cowboy hat.

Sleep like Gene Autry at the Pioneertown Motel

March 15, 2019, Leave a Comment on Sleep like Gene Autry at the Pioneertown Motel

After Patrick wrapped up his conference in Palm Springs, we headed to the high desert to spend a couple of nights at the Pioneertown Motel. Long time readers may be familiar with previous visits to Pioneertown, a real town originally built as a live-in backlot of sorts made exclusively for westerns back in 1946. But…

A brown sign with yellow letters reads "Moorten Botanical Garden"

Exploring the Desert Wonderland of Moorten Botanical Garden

March 11, 2019, 2 Comments

The annual visit to Palm Springs, which is for Pat’s work, typically means I fill the days on my own – shopping, visiting museums, etc. This year Charles Phoenix recommended I visit Moorten Botanical Garden. And when Charles Phoenix tells you to go somewhere, you go! Home to over 3000 plant varieties, Moorten Botanical Garden…

To the left, the Babylonian arch/bridge, over six stories in height. A white elephant sits atop a pillar to the right, also towering over five stories tall.

The Shopping Mall Based on the Set of a Silent Movie Flop

August 29, 2018, 4 Comments

March 2022 Update: Ovation Hollywood, formerly known as Hollywood and Highland, is currently undergoing a $100 million remodel after being purchased for $325 million in 2019 by Gaw Capital, a Hong Kong real estate investment firm. The remodel started in 2021 with the removal of the elephants, and continues in removing the Babylonian elements, replaced…

Art Installation - a faux billboard reading "The Last Stop For The Bombay Beach Resort" but with most of the letters fallen off, so it reads more like "The Last Resort"

Abandoned Resort Town of Bombay Beach Now Weird Artist Paradise

June 5, 2018, 1 Comment

Over the last couple days I have been entertaining one of our friends visiting from Portland. It was a whirlwind few days hitting up various tourist and not-so-tourist spots. We spent Sunday in the desert including a visit to the Salton Sea. I’ve been several times now, but it’s always worth revisiting as it is…

Remnants of Vegas’ Glitzy Past Live on at the Neon Museum

April 12, 2017, 8 Comments

If you only go to one museum in Las Vegas, it should be the Neon Museum. The Neon Museum is rich in what made Las Vegas famous – neon. That spectacular glow of gases swirling inside glass made the lure of Las Vegas so bright and people flocked. Sadly though, over the years, many motels, hotels,…

A Song for You

September 20, 2016, 1 Comment

Patrick and I didn’t have much down time after leaving Portland, because I had booked the weekend at the Joshua Tree Inn months ago, as the weekend marked the anniversary of Gram Parsons’ death at the Inn, and I was lucky enough to secure room eight, the very room in which Parsons passed away in.…

Salvation Mountain

March 14, 2016, 4 Comments

Each time I would visit Palm Springs and return home I would get asked “Did you go to Salvation Mountain?” Here’s the funny thing about where Salvation Mountain is… It’s hardly “close” to Palm Springs. Palm Springs, and its neighboring cities of Palm Desert, Cathedral City, and Indio are the closest cities of any real consequence…

Zzyzx: The Forgotten Health Resort of the Mojave

January 7, 2015, 2 Comments

After stopping at Calico, we swung by a place I had only read about, Zzyzx, California. The reason I love road trips is it offers opportunities to stop at fun, unique and sometimes bizarre stops along the way. And Zzyzx is certainly one of those. While many think of the Mojave as desolate, the area…

Atomic Redhead

weird places to visit

Step into the Beauty Bubble, Joshua Tree’s Kitschiest Salon & Museum

Sleep like Gene Autry at the Pioneertown Motel

Exploring the Desert Wonderland of Moorten Botanical Garden

The Shopping Mall Based on the Set of a Silent Movie Flop

Abandoned Resort Town of Bombay Beach Now Weird Artist Paradise

Remnants of Vegas’ Glitzy Past Live on at the Neon Museum

A Song for You

Salvation Mountain

Zzyzx: The Forgotten Health Resort of the Mojave