Cacti and a Western movie set

Another cool, but sunny morning. After a quick breakfast we went out to explore more of the area. First stop: another farmers' market, this time in not-far-away Joshua Tree. They aren't that much different in regard to vendors, but this was clearly more frequented by really excentric people and hippies. Almost everything is expensive, though good quality and partly unique. We only bought mandarines this time, filling up our Vitamin C supplies.

Downtown Yucca Valley is excentric, too. Vintage stores and fancy boutiques, and, one nice sourdough bakery, where we (of course!) had to get bread for dinner tonight.

The Cactus Mart in Morongo Valley was recommended to us by insta-friends from Northern California, who are passionate gardeners. And, it was well worth the visit! Even bought a little cactus.

 

Never been to Pioneertown before. About 5 miles to the north of Yucca Valley this Western town was used for Hollywood movies. It was established in 1946 by several investors including famous actor Roy Rogers. Goal was to create a  functioning 188o's themed town, serving as a filming location, vacation destination and as a permanent residence for people working in the entertainment industry. 

 

They established buildings like a grocery, a motel, a saloon, a feed barn, an Ice Creme Parlor, the "Pioneertown Likker" (=Liquor), a shooting gallery and a noewpaper office.  More than 50 films & serials were filmed in Pioneertown during the 1940's and 1950's, and, over 200 productions in total.  

Still nowadays, the town is still a fully functioning production set where movies, independent films, music videos and commercials are filmed. Shows like the one on the photos above take place every weekend. A lot of visitors come from Los Angeles - a 2 to 2.5 hour drive. Those guys are either easily recognizable by their fancy clothing and their dogs, or, they are dressed up as cowboys/girls. Elko cowboys would laugh about them. 

Love these Indians!

The day ended ,,, guess what? In a museum: The High Desert Nature Museum in Yucca Valley. Though exhibitions were a bit "dusty", they showed a great film about the history of the area, and, we saw a living chuckwalla, a lizzard typical for the region: