Go Figure

In Littlerock, California, along Pearblossom Hwy, a local windmill store has every reason to appreciate the wind.

Joshua On Crutches

Along Pearblossom Hwy in LA's high Mojave Desert stands a lone Joshua Tree, held up by wooden planks. Behind the Joshua Tree (which is actually a Yucca, not a tree) are fruit orchards, watered by the California Aqueduct, built in 1913.

The Joshua Tree, the largest of the yuccas, only grows in the Mojave Desert and is actually part of the Lily (Liliaceae) family.

Pasadena and Los Angeles are just on the other side of the San Gabriel Mountains shown in the background.

Hard Times In High Desert

Palmdale, CA -- A short, 90-minute drive north from Downtown Los Angeles will land you in a most rural part of LA County. This high desert area is affectionately call Antelope Valley.

I listened to Blue Grass while rolling down Pearblossom Highway through Littlerock (Littlerock, CA). The music acts as a movie soundtrack while passing quaint diners like Big Al's Burgers or Billy Boy's Cafe. Unfortunately, many of the small boutiques and cafes along this lonesome two-lane have recently been shut down. Most likely victims of our troubled economy.

Pictured above is a mini truck stop, Desert Lodge Market. The only trucks I saw were passing by at 55 miles per hour. A lone Honda Civic, parked on the dirt was holding down the fort.

Pearblossom Highway

Valyermo, CA--As much as I champion Pasadena and all it's diversity, sometimes I drive up and over our mountains and wander the Pearblossom Highway through Vayermo. With gas prices down, the two-hour tour into LA's high desert no longer costs a day's wages.

By Googling Pearblossom Hwy, you can catch a glimpse of this scenic highway and all the quirky towns. My favorite time to visit is in the late afternoon when long shadows sweep across the desert floor and every abandond shack looks like a subject out of National Geographic.