Joshua Tree Tortoise Telegraph, January 2016

Welcome to the tortoise telegraph!

This

is our first issue of the Tortoise Telegraph for 2016. Response to our inaugural issue in December has been phenomenal, and we’re excited to already be in our second year of publishing (and our second month, at the same time!).

We’re continuing to hone our approach, taking our own sweet tortoise time to figure things out on the way. With this issue, we’re including a lot of Joshua Tree National Park information and news because we’re celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service and 80 years of Joshua Tree National Monument/ Park.

You won’t see us using the official logo of the NPS Centennial because we can’t, unless we pay to license it, something that we didn’t budget for, but we love our parks and we love the fact that they are truly national treasures that belong to all Americans. It doesn’t get better than that, does it?

We’re working to make the Tortoise Telegraph more interactive, so please send us your love notes to publish for free, or a photo of a favorite dinner or meal out at one of the hi-desert’s dining destinations (or shopping, lodging, hiking, etc.). We’re coming up with some prizes to reward folks who participate.

Meanwhile, in this issue we have Tortoise Talk with yet another Steve Brown in the hi-desert, and this one is simply dandy.

Stay in touch with the Tortoise! www.jttortoisetelegraph.com

In this issue: The tortoise talks with rock star high school teacher, steve “dandy” brown

Death Valley Jim guides leads you to the mysterious carey’s castle

Our recent wet winter weather left Joshua Tree National Park all white and dazzling, as is evidenced by this beautiful photo sent to us

by Kevin Wong, program coordinator for the Desert Institute at the Joshua Tree National Park Association. Have a great hi-desert photo you’d like to share with our readers? Send it to us at: tortoisetelegraph@gmail.com.

Death Valley Jim, our adventures editor, takes you out to Carey’s Castle, and with our size now doubled from our previous issue, you’ll find more dining, events, and information suited for all of us hi-desert locals, as well as our two million annual visitors to Joshua Tree National Park.

You can find the Tortoise Telegraph distributed at dozens of local shops, restaurants, hotels, visitor centers, and other businesses.

Most places can’t keep ‘em in stock for too long, but all our advertisers have them, so pay them a visit. They’re friendly and fun. And drop a line if you get a chance and let me know what you think. Thanks for joining us! – Steve Brown, editor

The tortoise is publishing your love notes - free! And you can win a $100 gift certificate to the 29 Palms Inn, so you can take your sweety pie out for a romantic dinner at the oasis!

joshua tree national park information, hi-desert events & more!

1

Tortoise Talk

Steve "Dandy" Brown: rocker/teacher/dad

Don’t miss

Dandy Brown

By Steve Brown

Y

es, I know, there are two (at least) Steve Browns in the hi-desert. Deal with it. One, for better or worse, is me. The other, well, the other is just Dandy.

That’d be Steve “Dandy” Brown, the musical spark behind the bands Hermano and Orquesta del Desierto, as well as his own solo work. But there’s more to Dandy, the southpaw guitarist, bass player, and songwriter, than one might think. He’s also a Yucca Valley High School teacher, parent, and spouse, who is intelligent and outspoken.

We Steves sat down recently in the Jelly Donut in Yucca to catch up on his life just before his rehearsal and found there’s no place to begin like the beginning.

JTTT: Tell me about your early years, your childhood.

SB: I spent most of my childhood in Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. My mother was from southern Kentucky so we had a lot of family down there. We’d visit them quite often, but my father’s family was mostly just an hour north of Cincinnati.

I spent almost all the way through high school (there), and almost all the way through college, and the travels began. Right after I got out of college it was back and forth to Europe. I spent about a decade doing that, trying to be the next great American novelist. I’d spend three months overseas, come home, make enough money to pay off my bills, go back for three months, go in debt again, back and forth, and back and forth.

Eventually things evolved, and the music side of the art really started taking off for me.

JTTT: How did the music side get going?

SB: In 1993, the band I was with, called Dock Ellis, got a development deal from Capitol Records and we did an album for them which they ended up not putting out, but my portion of the money they invested in that I was able to reinvest into a recording studio.

And so I spent about seven or eight years working the recording studio and it was a great time. I loved having the recording studio.

A lot of great artists came through, I did a lot of session work, I got to work with a lot of people and it really expanded me musically. But my partners were, well, I had three partners, one was bi-polar, and when he would go off the deep end it was bad. When he was out of his lithium it got really, really bad. The other partner was a heroin addict and my third partner... My heroin addict partner would come in, and I’d be in the middle of a session, and he would just fire up on the couch and nod out right there. That wasn’t too cool when I was doing like gospel or something like that, you know. Those people were like, “What is he doing over there?”

So eventually the recording studio, I just got tired of it. I couldn’t deal with those guys any more.

They’re just not very dependable, obviously. Right about that time, about 1998, I ended up having the idea to do this album, a hard rock album. I had just broken my ankle playing basketball, and I was laid up for a couple of months. I just sat in my apartment writing a bunch of heavy songs, staying inebriated, and I was like who can I get to come in and play on these?

I started making some phone calls to some people I really admired. I liked their work immensely and surprisingly they popped back, “Yeah man, I’d like to do it.”

So, John Garcia from Kyuss, and Dave Angstrom from Black Cat Bone and Supafuzz, and Steve Earl from the Afghan Wigs, and Mike Callahan from a band called Earshot, committed to the album. They all came in to Cincinnati, and we tracked an album and ended up making 10 CDR copies of it. Actually, I didn’t know what I was going to do with it. I thought I was just going to sit on it and enjoy it myself. But I made 10 CDR copies and sent them out to a few friends. I came home from work one day and there were over 30 e-mails from various record labels because people made copies of those copies. So we had basically 30 different offers to put the album out.

2

6 p.m., Sunday, February 14

The Beatnik Lounge 61597 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree All ages, Free

We decided to go with Frank Kozik from Man’s Ruin Records. Frank Kozik is an artist from up in San Francisco, very famous for his bunny. As we were wrapping up the recording of Only a Suggestion, John was involved with a band called Unida, who, of course, were signed to another label. In the end, we had to wait about two years before we could put out the first Hermano collection. Contracts are a bitch sometimes. We were finally able to put the album out right around 2002 on a label called Tee Pee Records out of New York. We put the album out, we did a tour. and Hermano was born with the release of “Only a Suggestion.”

They put it out, it sold like gangbusters, but, unfortunately, Tee Pee Records wouldn’t give us any reports. I got into a huge war with the guy that owned Tee Pee Records. I mean, we were going back and forth threatening each other in e-mails. I’m slinging stupid shit to him like, “I’m coming to New York.” He’s responding, “I’m coming to Joshua Tree.” I’m typing back, “Here’s my address. Thank goodness nothing ever came of it. Just a bunch of bitching. With the help of our attorney, that situation was eventually severed and the album got picked up, along with the next two albums, by Suburban Records in the Netherlands.

We continued through the first decade, of the 21st century, with Hermano, doing tours three, four weeks a year. We had an obligation because every contract you have to do so many shows. During that time I also put together a band out here called Orquesta del Desierto. I did basically the same process. I just called people I really liked to come in and do kind of a Latin flavored album. And we did two albums with that and we toured with that, so it was really, really busy through that first decade doing those two bands.

Around 2008, we ended up getting an offer to do it full time. It was like, you want to come out and do six months on, six months off? And they said you’ll make as much money as you’re making at your day jobs right now. I thought about it, and everybody thought about it in the band, and at the time my youngest had just been born.

The more I thought about it, the harder it was for me to think about being away from my new baby for six months at a time. It was just like, wow, this is the developmental part of my child’s life and am I going to be like an absentee father. I ended up saying, well, I would rather be a rockstar for like three weeks out of the year and be able to see my family and have the security of my day job teaching high school than do that.

Well man, the moment I said no to that offer, every offer that I had on the table—poof—disappeared. They realized I wasn’t going to make the commitment to be on the road all the time, because that’s where they sell the records, that’s how your modern record label makes money. They don’t really sell CDs any more, they sell singles, but the way you make money for a record label is to be out on the road all the time pushing the merchandise. That’s really the only way a band makes money any more. (Continued on page 6.)

3

Carey’s Castle and the Elusive “Cave Cache”

Story & Photos

by Death Valley Jim

T

he location of Carey’s Castle was at one time one of Joshua Tree National Park’s most highly guarded secrets. The people that had tracked it down did whatever they could do to keep others from finding it, and when asked about it, the National Park Service didn’t acknowledge it’s existence.

Much has changed in the Internet age, the “castle” is not the secret that it once was. A quick Google search will reveal GPS tracks, and an extensive number of accounts from people who have made the trek to this secret “castle” in the desert.

I had never previously attempted the hike to Carey’s Castle, yet it had been on my list of interests. I had heard that in addition to the “castle,” there was a hollowed out boulder that contained a cache of possessions that belonged to the man who built the “castle.” The “cave cache” as we’ll call it, has eluded visitors to the “castle,” either because they are not aware of its existence, or they haven’t been able to locate it. There were no photographs of the cave cache online, and mentions of it have been far and few between.

Finding and following the trail is easier than one might imagine, because of the “castle’s” new found popularity there are plenty of foot prints to follow up the sandy wash. The first mile of the hike leads you across the open desert, before ascending into a series of canyons. Once in the canyons the wash turns into a boulder scramble, and remains that way for a good portion of the remaining 3.5 miles. Some obstacles, like dry waterfalls, and boulder-strung passages, seem impassable, but there is always a way. Don’t expect a simple walk in the park here, this is easily a contestant for a strenuous/difficult rated hike.

You have reached Carey’s Castle when you see a series of rusted metal barrels near a pile of boulders. The outside of the castle is picturesque, with its old wooden door and custom stone masonry entrance way.

Wooden benches have been installed on the outside, and are inviting after the long, sometimes grueling hike.

The inside of the castle is larger than anticipated. There is ample head room and floor space. A green bed frame, along with a few period relics remain to sort through. It is my understanding that just a few years back there was much more here, but it has likely walked off as souvenirs.

The stone work that was done to seal the castle is impressive, lasting for nearly 80 years.

Evidence of Native American habitation is present; the castle ceiling has roughly a dozen small red, black and white pictographs painted on it.

Outside of the castle there is a mortar stone, which would have been used to grind local vegetation or small animals.

4

So who was this Carey guy, and why did he live under a rock in the middle of the desert?

First off, his name wasn’t Carey, it was Cary. Born Arthur Loyd Cary, in Kansas on July 18, 1914. His family moved to various locations in Colorado, before eventually settling on Granada, Colorado. It was in Granada that Cary spent his most impressionable years, going to high school and meeting his wife, Eleanor Fern Grisham.

Sometime around 1935, Cary and his wife packed their bags and headed for California’s Coachella Valley. Cary, his wife and their child lived in Holtville, where Cary worked as a vegetable truck driver.

In the late 1930s, Cary was involved with placing a number of mining claims east of Eagle Peak. These claims would come to be known as “Beacon #7,” “Beacon #8,” “Welcome Stranger,” and “Duffie No. 1.” All of these claims were partially owned by Cary, with the exception of the Welcome Stranger, which was solely his. The Welcome Stranger, better known today as “Cary’s Mine,” is located less than a quarter of a mile from the castle.

It is highly doubtful that Cary was the lonesome, freakish desert wanderer that many make him out to be. Cary worked regular jobs throughout the years, as well, having a family at home in Holtville. Cary’s castle was likely a place that he built to lay his head down at night during the times that he would spend away from home, mining his claim.

Cary and his wife remained in Holtville well into the 1960s. Cary was then working as a mechanic and tractor operator. Eventually they relocated to Henderson, Nevada. Cary passed away on April 8, 1976.

What about the cave cache?

It does exist!

It is located in a large hollowed-out boulder that is well off the beaten path from the castle. Arriving at it, there was no evidence of anyone having been there for sometime. No footprints, no modern trash.

A stash of magazines from the early 1930s–1940s was situated in the back, many of which were still intact enough to flip through the pages, and read the articles. Much of Cary’s personal belongings that he had stashed here have become nesting for rats, so I was careful about what I was pulling out and looking at.

The hike to the castle and the cave cache is rewarding in the sense both of being challenging in terrain, and the mystery and intrigue which surround the sites.

Jim has spent nearly a decade documenting the hidden treasures of the American Deserts, with a focus on Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Mojave National Preserve. He is most widely known for his two book series, “Secret Places in the Mojave Desert” and “Hidden Joshua Tree.”

His specialties include Native American history, archaeological, historic site documentation, and natural wonders. He is well versed in, and active in the environmental preservation of the desert, including having been a consultant to the BLM for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP), and a spokesperson for Campaign for the California Desert.

In the backcountry Jim is a minimalist, hiker/backpacker, and an avid supporter of Leave No Trace ethics.

For more odd, interesting, historic and prehistoric places in Joshua Tree and the surrounding area visit the author, Death Valley Jim online at www.deathvalleyjim. com, and pick up his book series “Hidden Joshua Tree” and “Secrets Places in the Mojave Desert.”

5

Dandy Brown continued

When I said no to that, they decided, we’re going to move on. Then I spent the next six years until now, just kind of doing my solo thing here locally, or regionally, I go out and do things, but Hermano didn’t do anything for a long time. But we’ve always talked about doing another album. We would meet every couple years and do writing sessions and demo sessions and finally last year in the summer, we said let’s finally do this, let’s do another record.

We met in Denver in August of last year (2015) and we recorded a dozen songs and now we’re just waiting to wrap that up and hopefully get it out in the fall of this year.

JTTT: Tell me a little bit about your day job.

SB: I’ve been at Yucca Valley High School, this is my 14th year there. I teach seniors English 12 and AP literature and language.

I love working with kids that age and definitely teaching them about world literature, which has always been my passion since I was a kid. When I was really small, about six maybe seven years old, my dad took me to a yard sale and he bought me an antique book. I just fell in love with the feel of the book and the aged pages and all that kind of stuff. From that point on I started creating this huge book collection.

I always had a penchant for ancient literature. I grew up in a pretty devout Baptist household back when I was devout to any theology, and I got really interested in ancient text. I think by the time I was 12 or 13 I had read western canon from cover to cover at least a dozen times. From there it sparked my interest into all other canons.

When I went off to college, that was my focus—ancient lit. But then in college, I got real involved in the American modernists and then when I first moved to Paris, I got real excited by Sartre and existentialism. Then, of course, as every young man that’s into literature goes through, Henry Miller became a huge influence upon me. I could rattle off book after book, but as with music, I think I have a pretty broad taste but as far as what I teach, I focus mainly on the ancient texts, the foundational texts.

My class, we start out from ancient Sumerian literature and I usually get them through about 5,000 years of material. In a year, two semesters, we’ll get from ancient Sumeria all the way up to just beyond the English Renaissance. Which is a pretty broad array and I try to prepare them for not only the next level of education if they decide to go on to that, but also to be able to discuss culture and to know where those texts come from, how were they developed, what the archetypes are built upon.

Most kids, especially in a conservative community like this one, they have this impression those books just fell from the sky one day and somebody kicked over a rock out in the desert, and they’re like, “Oh, my gosh, it’s the Torah,” or something like that.

They don’t understand these are archetypal structures that have been built upon for thousands of years before they ever reached the Hebrews. And the Hebrews are pulling them out of ancient Sumeria to begin with. That’s why when you read something like, the most common one, the Epic of Gilgamesh, or something like that, you’re seeing the same stories they’re just carried by those Hyksos tribes to the west and they’re reconfigured. Utnapishtim’s story is identical to Noah’s story 2,000 years later. People just don’t realize it’s building upon that, reconfiguring the stories.

I make them aware of the “woman as corrupter” archetype, and I’m like, look at your billboards, it’s still here today. From the harlot in the Epic of Gilgamesh all the way to now, look at how we depict women in literature and what does that do to your psychology? I try to wake them up, to see the deeper part of themselves. I always feel like it’s never my job to tell kids what they are, or what they’re going to be, but to give them the tools to discover it themselves.

I think the reason I focus maybe on the woman as corrupter archetype is I have daughters. I do not want my daughters to look at themselves as weak or submissive or any other way they have been depicted through literature. Or through Disney. I don’t want my daughters waiting around for Prince Charming to come along and save them. I want them to have confidence in themselves as valid, important human beings.

JTTT: What do you think about living in the desert?

SB: The desert itself is an animal with many different heads. You can find places where it’s phenomenally beautiful and phenomenally peaceful and inspirational. And then you can find places where people have simply ruined it. The low desert, for one.

Now the people in the low desert are going to hate me for saying that, but the desert wasn’t meant to have 120 golf courses in it. No. When I first moved out here it was 111. Every year they seem to add one.

The hi-desert is a very passionate place, a very inspirational place. Especially once you get away from the buildings and into the actual desert. I don’t want to be all new agey, but you can actually feel the energy that comes from the area, from the atmosphere, from the environment. It’s penetrating. The different seasons here affect the psyche in different ways. The madness of the summer, that is so inspirational. In many ways, it’s a very beautiful place, but it depends on where you’re at. I like this area up here.

JTTT: How does your wonderful wife Analisa put up with your passion for music?

SB: She definitely understands that’s what I do. She understands I am enraptured by music and it’s going to be a part of every single day of my life. As long as it doesn’t diminish too much my time with the family, she’s totally accepting of that. I think it took maybe a little while for her to understand me as deeply involved or as inspired by music as I am.

I think after the first few years of seeing how actively engaged I am with it, I think she finally figured that’s who he is, I can’t really change that about him. Because that wouldn’t be me any more.

Get more of Steve “Dandy” Brown, and connect with his new solo album, Damned to the Heels of Success, on our website at www.jttortoisetelegraph.com, and see Dandy Brown in concert on Valentine’s Day at the Beatnik Lounge in downtown Joshua Tree.

6

Tell that special someone how you feel this Valentine's Day send them a free Love Note in the Tortoise Telegraph and you may win a $100 gift certificate for dinner at the 29 Palms Inn

Support Our Advertisers!

And become one of them!

W

hat can we say? We’re in love with love and with the hi-desert, so we’re going to print your love notes, love letters, love poems, secret love messages, and more. We’ll print them in our February issue, and we’re not going to charge you a thing. How’s that?

To make it even better, we’re going to pick one that we really enjoy and we’re going to provide a $100 gift certificate to the 29 Palms Inn to the winner, so that one special couple (we’re assuming it’s a couple, and that they’re human, but out here in the hi-desert.....) can enjoy a romantic dinner at the historic 29 Palms Inn on the Oasis of Mara.

Entries are due by Monday, February 1, 2016. Love notes should be sent to us at tortoisetelegraph@gmail.com, and should include your name and contact information so we can notify you if you win the gift certificate, or if we have any questions.

If there’s any doubt about whether the name of the person (if used) in your love note should be public, please use a first name only. We’re not responsible for the consequences of your actions (we’re not even responsible for the consequences of our actions!). You must be, or the person you’re sending your note to, must be from the hi-desert. Be discrete. Obscene language or references may be edited out or your love note may not be published if it is too vulgar.

Keep it classy. Keep it clever. Keep it fun. We love our readers, and we want it to stay that way! The editor reserves the right to edit (they always do), and to reject any content deemed inappropriate.

So, sharpen your pencils and get jotting down your limericks, your pledges of profound love, your best—or worst—romantic poetry, your appreciation of the one you love who has (somehow) loved you for all this time, or even your best try at a proposal. Send them to us by February 1, and maybe you’ll be taking your special someone out for a romantic dinner—on us!

7

Enjoying your park:

Joshua Tree National Park Map & Info J

oshua Tree National Park is one of the best places to experience the desert. Actually, if you spend the time, you’ll get to experience two different deserts—the Mojave Desert (the hi-desert part of the park), and the Colorado Desert (the low desert/ Sonoran Desert areas of the park).

But did you know that Joshua Tree National Park includes not just the two desert ecosystems, but also has a third? In the western end of the park, over 4,000 feet in elevation, the Little San Bernardino Mountains bring with them the habitat for juniper and pinyon pine.

The park offers visitors and locals a nearly endless opportunity for recreation or just getting away from it all. You can, quite literally, hike and explore here for the rest of your life without covering it all, but enjoying all of it immensely.

Like geology? Joshua Tree National Park offers astounding geology. The giant monzogranite rock formations of the Mojave portion of the park (the landscape of the Wonderland of Rocks is a prime example) are nearly as iconic as the Joshua tree forests.

8

Like wildlife? There’s plenty to see, but you have to get out of the car and look. From coyotes to desert bighoorn sheep, tarantulas (they’re cool) to snakes, lizards, jack rabbits, and more than 250 species of birds that live in, or migrate through the region, you can find wildlife in abundance in various parts of the park.

Of course, there’s the namesake Joshua tree, the frequently gangly Dr. Seussish relative of the yucca or lilly or whatever it is this week that it’s supposed to be related to, the cuddly cholla cactus, juniper, palms, and wildflowers that often seem to have missed the memo to only bloom in springtime.

Chances are you may encounter wildflowers along trails or in and around washes, almost any time of the year, depending on rainfall and warmth.

But don’t always look down, because especially after the sun goes down, the hi-desert’s night sky provides some memorable treats for the soul.

And you can still hear it sometimes—real, authentic silence. Find out how good silence can feel until it’s disturbed only by the sound of the beating of a raven’s wings. That’s Joshua Tree National Park.

Desert Institute programs for January and February, 2016 Black Rock Lecture Series on Friday, January 15, features “Images of America – Joshua Tree National Park” with author, Joe Zarki. The lecture begins at 7 p.m. and admission is free. The lecture is held at the Black Rock Ranger Station, 9800 Black Rock Canyon Road, Yucca Valley.

Old Schoolhouse Lecture Series on Friday, February 12, features “History of the 29 Palms Artists’ Guild” with author/historian, Pat Rimmington. The lecture begins at 7p.m. and admission fee is $5. A dinner with the speaker is available at 5 p.m. Please RSVP

by Wednesday, February10: 760-367-5535. Seating at the lecture and dinner reservations are limited.

The lecture is held at The Old Schoolhouse Museum, 6760 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms.

Hike Lower Cottonwood Canyon on Sunday, February 14, 8 a.m. – late afternoon. For those driving in and out of Joshua Tree National Park via

the Cottonwood entrance, the lower portion of Cottonwood Canyon is just a scenic throughway. Few stop there to explore, probably because the canyon is narrow and bordered on both sides by steep cliffs. It appears that anything worth seeing in the canyon might be seen from the road. Cottonwood Canyon, like most canyons, does have a confinement character to it in the very bottom. However, like most canyons, Cottonwood is much more than just its trough. There are numerous lower angled cleavages in the cliffs, and these provide a moderate access to the canyon rim. It is in these cleavages and high up on the rim where the adventurous hiker will definitely see what can’t be seen from the road.

Join the Desert Institute for a most unique look at Cottonwood Canyon. The route is a loop and involves a fair amount of rock scrambling, none of it technical or sustained. Elevation gain is about 600 feet, and total distance is about five miles, depending on how hikers choose to follow the terrain. Though not long in mileage or extreme in its difficulties, this route will give its hikers a far more athletic and genuinely cross-country look at the canyon. If there are winter rains, the canyon will be in glorious bloom.

Fee: $50 for JTNPA/PINE members, Sign Up: www.joshuatree.org, 760-367-5535.

$60

nonmembers

The Joshua Tree National Park Association is the primary non-profit partner for Joshua Tree National Park. Since 1962, the association has operated the visitor center bookstores and helps staff many of those locations with information specialists. Its Desert Institute provides courses on natural science, natural and cultural history, creative arts, and desert survival. The association sponsors community lectures, publishes books and media specific to the park, supports the Junior Ranger program, and more. Learn more at www.joshuatree.org.

Celebrating 100 Years of the National Park Service 1916 - 2016

9

Enjoying your park:

Joshua Tree National Park Programs D

eepen your experience with Joshua Tree National Park with free guided walks, talks, and evening programs hosted by park rangers and volunteers. Learn how people, wildlife, and vegetation have adapted to survive in the desert, and how geologic forces have shaped this arid land.

Programs begin promptly at the times noted below, so plan to arrive a few minutes early. Children under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Programs take place outdoors, but may be canceled or moved inside during inclement weather or if there is a danger of lightning.

Bring a hat, wear sunscreen, and carry plenty of water with you. For evening programs, bring warm layers of clothing and a reliable flashlight.

10

Free National Park Entrance Days

January 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day April 16 - 24: National Park Week August 25 - 28: National Park Service Birthday (Happy 100th, National Park Service!)

September 24: National Public Lands Day November 11: Veterans Day

Did you know every fourth grade student can get a free annual park pass through the Every Kid in a Park program, and active duty military and citizens with a permanent disability may also obtain free park passes?

Hike with Superintendent David Smith of Joshua Tree National Park! As part of the National Park Service’s centennial this year, Smith will be leading hikes up five different peaks in the park.

January 9: Pinto Mountain. Nine miles, 3,983 feet, meet at Turkey Flats Backcountry Board, 9 a.m., all day.

February 6: Monument Mountain. Six miles, 4,834 feet, meet at Cottonwood Visitor Center, 8:30 a.m., half day.

March 5: Eagle Peak. Ten miles, 5,350 feet, meet at Cottonwood Visitor Center, 8:30 a.m., all day.

April 2: Queen Mountain. Four miles, 5,687 feet, meet at Joshua Tree Visitor Center, 8 a.m., half day.

April 30: Quail Mountain. Twelve miles, 5,813 feet, meet at Joshua Tree Visitor Center, 7 a.m., all day.

Call (760)367-5502 to RSVP. Come prepared.

Take a tour of historic Keys Ranch I

n the high desert country that was to become Joshua Tree National Park, rugged individuals tried their luck at cattle ranching, mining, and homesteading. William F. (Bill) Keys and his family are particularly representative of the hard work and ingenuity it took to settle and prosper in the Mojave Desert.

NPS Photos: Robb Hannawacker.

The ranger-guided tour of the ranch includes the colorful story of the 60 years Bill and Frances spent working together to make a life and raise their five children in this remote location. The ranch house, school house, store, and workshop still stand; the orchard has been replanted; and the grounds are full of the cars, trucks, mining equipment, and spare parts that are a part of the Desert Queen Ranch story.

Listed as a National Historic Register Site, the property is located in a remote, rocky canyon in Joshua Tree National Park. To preserve its historic character, admission to the ranch is restricted to guided walking tours. The tours are a half-mile in length and last 90 minutes. Group size is limited to 25 people.

Tour Schedule through January 31, 2016 Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.

Friday afternoons at 2 p.m.

Saturday afternoons at 2 p.m.

Keys Ranch tours cost $10 per person aged 12 and over and $5 for children 6 to 11. Children under six are admitted free. Senior and Access Pass (Golden Age and Golden Access passport) holders pay $5. These tour fees do not include the park entrance fee of $20 per car, good for a seven-day visit.

Entrance fees are payable at park entrance stations.

Reservations are required. You may book a tour by calling 760-367-5522 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. any day of the week. Space will not be re-

served until payment is received; credit cards are accepted. Tickets may also be purchased prior to the day of the tour at the Joshua Tree and Oasis visitor centers. Tickets are no longer sold at the ranch gate.

Sturdy walking shoes, drinking water, sunscreen, and a hat will add to your comfort. Dress in layers to be prepared for changing weather conditions.

To find the ranch, pass the entrance to Hidden Valley Campground, turn left at the Y-intersection, follow the road approximately two miles to the locked gate. Your guide will meet you there. (See map.) Please arrive at the ranch gate 15 minutes prior to your tour.

Smoking and eating are not allowed during the tour. Camcorders and cameras are permitted but camera tripods are not. (You may inquire about special tours for photographers and other artists.)

Info: www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/ranchtour.htm

Watch for wildlife: Coyote (Canis latrans) T

he coyote is one of the more ubiquitous mammals found in and around Joshua Tree National Park, and one of our favorites (when they’re not trying to eat our cat). You may encounter them in, or outside, of the park, as locals know very well.

Coyotes are known from Native American folklore as a bit of a trickster, but one with a little humor involved, which may be why you’ll hear them laughing when they get together with their friends in the evening.

One ranger told us of a particular coyote who had learned how to work the tourist crowds pretty well, earning himself the occasional tuna sandwich in the process. The ranger said his schtick was to hold up his left hind leg as if it was injured, and then hobble around the road. Sympathetic tourists would toss him food, feeling sorry for the poor injured coyote.

But upon another drive past the busking coyote, the ranger noticed that it was now holding its right leg up as if injured—the left leg had miraculously healed! It became quickly apparent that coyote was feigning injury to scam snacks, living up to their trickster reputation. Oh, and please don’t feed the wildlife, even those who perform for you.

NPS Photo: Michael Vamstad.

11

12

The Tasty Tortoise - favorite plates from around the hi -desert L

ately, the hi-desert has experienced a bit of a dining revival, with more of a variety of great dining options available for locals and visitors alike. Have a favorite? Everyone takes pictures of their food these days, so send a pic of your favorite hi-desert dish along with a description of what it is, why you like it, and where we can find it at tortoisetelegraph@gmail.com. We may publish it, and we may send you a little prize too!

La Copine New American brunch cafe & supper club Flamingo Heights

It’s the kind of place you’d never expect, in a place you’d never expect it. In short, La Copine is culinary magic that has somehow manifested itself out on Highway 247/Old Woman Springs Road, in Flamingo Heights.

It’s the place that everyone’s talking about lately, where Chef Nikki Hill and singer/songwriter Claire Wadsworth blend quality and creativity to craft culinary creations that are so damned good they almost bring a tear to the eye of this crusty old desert tortoise.

They have fun with the names of their ever-changing menu—Femme Fatale (a most incredible French toast with country bread, grand marnier custard, strawberry-maple syrup, and creme fraiche), or the Holy Crepe “deux” (a pear and goat cheese crepe with black pepper caramel syrup and pumpkin seed crumble), to the Biggie Shorty, a new favorite sandwich with braised short ribs, caramelized onion and fig jam, horseradish-cheddar fondue, and greens all on a toasted baguette (see photo below).

But no matter when or why you go to La Copine, there is absolutely no excuse not to begin your meal with their hot beignets (photo above), heavily dusted with cinnamon-coffee sugar. In fact, there is no reason really, not to begin every day with these delicious treats, except for the fact that La Copine is open only Thursday through Sunday, from 9 in the morning until 3 p.m. Somehow, we must struggle to cope with their absence Mondays through Wednesdays.

They don’t have a phone, and they don’t respond to media inquiries, but they are setting up their first Supper Club dinner menu for January 29, something they plan to do monthly, so don’t panic if you miss this one. See more about La Copine on our website at www.jttortoisetelegraph.com.

La Copine, 848 Old Woman Springs Rd., Yucca Valley. www.lacopinekitchen.com

13

Hi-Desert Happenings Theatres Theatre 29 73637 Sullivan Road, Twentynine Palms The Farndale Christmas Carol, directed by Marty Neider, runs through December 19, then the 2016 season begins with Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys, directed by Eddie Tucker, January 15 - February 13. Tickets and information are available at www.theatre29.org, or call (760)361-4151.

Groves Cabin Theatre 8758 Desert Willow Trail, Morongo Valley The Groves begins their 2016 season with The Sea Horse, a play by Edward J. Moore, directed by Abe Daniels. The Sea Horse runs February 13-March 20. Information is available at www.grovescabintheatre.org, or call (760)365-4523 for tickets.

Hi-Desert Cultural Center 61231 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree The Spitfire Grill, The Musical. Directed by Howard Shangraw. February 12-20. Tickets and information are available at www.hidesertculturalcenter.org or (760)366-3777.

St. Joseph’s Players St. Joseph of Arimathea Church, 56312 Onaga Trail, Yucca Valley Yucca Valley’s own theatre group is currently raising funds for their next season. These folks do good work and if you’d like to support their theatre upgrades, please visit www.crowdrise.com/stjosephsplayerstech. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/StJoePlayers, or call (760)3629319.

Art & Special Exhibits 29 Palms Art Gallery 74055 Cottonwood Drive, Twentynine Palms (760)367-7819, www.29palmsartgallery.com 29 Palms Annual Juried Students’ Art Show. Art reception, Sunday, January 17, noon to 3 p.m. Through January 31.

James O’Keefe (painting), Suzanne Ross (mixed media), Guild members.

February 3-28. Reception February 7, noon to 3 p.m.

Upcoming art classes: Winter Light, Plein Air Paint Out, by Krista Wargo, 8

a.m. to noon, January 23 (adults); Tips for Advertising Your Art, by Lori Rennie, 5:30-8:30 p.m., February 11 (adults); and Indigenous Art Gallery, talk

by James O’Keefe, 5:30-8:30 p.m., February 18 (adults).

29 Palms Inn 73950 Inn Avenue, Twentynine Palms (760)367-3505, www.29palmsinn.com Showing the works of Sherry Killam and Ellie Tyler through January 31.

29 Palms Creative Center 6847 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, (760)361-1805 www.29palmscreativecenter.com Local hi-desert artists, art classes and art parties.

29 Palms Visitor Center& Art Gallery 73484 29 Palms Hwy., Twentynine Palms A Walk in the Park: Celebrating 80 Years of Joshua Tree National Monument/Park and 100 Years of the National Park Service, January 8 - March 25, 2016.

Gallery 62 61871 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree, www.hwy62arttours.org/gallery62.php Clay Artists of the Desert, January 8-24. Curated by featured ceramic artist, Penelope Benson-Wright who recently relocated to the hi-desert from New York, the show provides a unique cross-section of the dynamic work of local clay artists. The seven artists create a wide variety of functional, non-functional and sculptural pieces, including wheel-thrown hand-built pottery, high and low fired pottery, Raku and pit-fired pottery and sculpture, wall pieces, and mixed media works incorporating clay.

Participating artists, members of the Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council, include Penelope Benson-Wright, curator and featured artist: Raku ceramics and sculpture, wall art, from 29 Palms; Thomas Alban, of MazAmar Art Pottery: functional and sculptural ceramics, from Pioneertown; Linda Ferrari: functional and sculptural ceramics, from Joshua Tree; John Greenfield: hand-built and sculptural ceramics with mixed media, from Joshua Tree; Ed Keesling, Clayworks: functional and sculptural ceramics and wall art, from Yucca Valley; Tony Milici: sculptural ceramics with mixed media, from Pioneertown; and, Karan Murphy: functional and sculptural ceramics, from Joshua Tree.

Note: Gallery 62 has been the home gallery for the MBCAC for the past two years, providing an exhibition venue for council member artists throughout the year. Due to an unexpected rent increase, Gallery 62 will close January 24. The MBCAC hopes to find a new venue to continue its support of the area’s arts community.

Taylor Junction 61732 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree. (760)974-9165.

Marcella Swett “Arterial” and Phillip Graffham, January 9 - February 6.

JTAG (Joshua Tree Art Gallery) 61607 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree. (760)366-3636, www.joshuatreeartgallery.com Three Women – Three Stories. Barbara Drucker, Barbara Spiller, and Tobi Taboada. Through February 6.

Beatnik Lounge 61597 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree. (760)475-4860 The Stars We Are, group show. Beatnik Boutique, Saturdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Hi-Desert Nature Museum Yucca Valley Community Center, 57116 29 Palms Hwy., Yucca Valley (760)369-7212, www.hidesertnaturemuseum.org Pollinators: Keeping Company with Flowers, January 7 - February 20.

Brown Bag Lunch Lecture: The Buzz about Bees, Stefanie Ritter presents a fascinating lecture about bees. The lecture will focus on the human history with bees, the trouble with the honey bees in recent times and how amazing native bees are. The Mojave Desert is home to over 1,000 species of native bees that pollinate over 1,000 species of native flowering plants., museum biologist, noon, January 21. $5.

Art Colony of Morongo Valley Covington Park, 11165 Vale Drive, Morongo Valley.

(760)792-1238, www.artcolonyofmorongovalley.com January featured artists: Abe & Stephanie Nielsen. 52nd Anniversary of the Art Colony of Morongo Valley, February 13, noon to 3 p.m.

Music 29 Palms Inn 73950 Inn Avenue, Twentynine Palms (760)367-3505, www.29palmsinn.com Live music nightly (see schedule).

Pappy & Harriets Pioneertown Palace 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown (760)365-5956, www.pappyandharriets.com Upcoming: Canadian Tuxedo, Lucky Bones, January 21; Grant Langston, The Easy Leaves, David Serby, January 22; Black Crystal Wolf Kids, Janu-

14

ary 23; Mick Rhodes and the Hard Eight, January 28; I See Hawks in LA, January 29; Wanda Jackson, Jesika Von Rabbit, January 30; Patrolled by Radar, February 4; Gene Evaro Jr. and The Family, February 5; Trevor McSpadden, February 6.

Regularly scheduled: Ted Quinn’s open mic on Mondays, The Shadow Mountain Band opening for other acts most Saturdays, The Hot Fudge Sunday Band, most Sundays. For complete calendar: www.pappyandharriets.com.

Joshua Tree Saloon 61835 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree, (760)366-2250, www.thejoshuatreesaloon.com The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre with Mojave Sky, February 13, 8 p.m..

Regularly scheduled: Open Jam Tuesdays with Ted Quinn, karaoke Wednesday and Friday nights, live music Saturday nights, Punk Rock Thursday, second Thursdays.

Beatnik Lounge 61597 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree. (760)4754860 Soul Priestess, January 16, 7 p.m.

Dandy Brown, February 14, 6 p.m.

Online music: www.RadioFreeJoshuaTree.org (See schedule for programming.)

Health & Healing, Desert Living Beatnik Lounge 61597 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree. (760)4754860 Tibetan Meditation with Sunny, Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m.

Solar Talk with Buck Buckley, Wednesday, February 3, 5 p.m.

Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project monthly meeting, February 6, 2:30-5:30 p.m.

Joshua Tree Retreat Center/Institute of Mentalphysics 59700 29 Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree, (760)3658371 Intro to Tibetan Spiritual Breath. Tuesdays, 6:308 p.m., Lotus Meditation Building. Donation: $5.

Improves subtle energies of the body by understanding breath and the natural relationship to healing.

Rainbow Stew 55509 29 Palms Hwy., Old Town Yucca Valley (760)418-5170, www.rainbowstew4u.com January 21, 7-9 p.m.: Orishas! Goddesses & Gods of West Africa. Author Marsha Scarbrough, sharing experiences of the spiritual tradition, mythology, and relationship with a West African shaman. Music, teachings, and the story of a love affair. Marsha’s book, Honey in the River, is available for purchase. $10.

January 24, Jesse Kalu of Sedona, Heartfelt Presentations, flutes made of Sedona bamboo, stories, nature sounds and wildlife reflections, $5.

Moon Powered Magic with Claudia Thompson.

Five Saturday Playshops, January 30 - March 26, series: $175, per class: $49. Thompson is the world’s leading authority on Moon Powered Astrology and Moon Powered Beauty. She is the author of Reach for the Moon and Make Your Dreams Come True, and more than 60 e-books.

Morongo Basin Conservation Association 47th Annual Meeting and Local Energy Symposium.

January 23, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Yucca Valley Community Center, 57090 29 Palms Hwy., Yucca Valley. Keynote speaker: Bill Powers, founder of the San Diego Energy District Foundation. Also: Woody Hastings, Renewable Energy Implementation Manager for the Center for Climate Protection in Santa Rosa, and Barbara Boswell, Director of Choice Energy and the Finance Departments for the City of Lancaster. For more info: www.mbconservation.org.

Want to be included in our calendar listings?

Send your event info to us at: publisher@sunrunnersw.com.

Schedule Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday Friday

12 AM 9:15 AM 10 AM 1 PM 3 PM 8 PM 9 PM 10 PM 11 PM

Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday Sunday Sunday Sunday Sunday Sunday Sunday Sunday Sunday Sunday Sunday

12 AM 1 AM 9 AM 10 AM 12 PM 3 PM 4 PM 5 PM 9 PM 10 PM 12 AM 1 AM 9 AM 10 AM 11 AM 12 PM 4 PM 5 PM 8 PM 11 PM

Overnight Trip Lauren of the HiDesert Travels Without Charlie American Parlor Songbook Mojave Kitchen Dance Diaries Down The Memory Hole Indie Lion Mojave Kitchen Dance Diary Kitten Time In The Pit Overnight Trip Travels Without Charlie Saturday Morning Kids Show Down The Memory Hole Myth In The Mojave Other Desert Stories American Parlor Songbook Indie Lion Mojave Kitchen Dance Diary Kitten Time Overnight Trip Travels Without Charlie Other Desert Stories Symphony on the Corner Myth In The Mojave American Parlor Songbook Sunday Evening Variety Show Sunday Evening Variety Show In The Pit

Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday Monday

12 AM 7 AM 8 AM 9 AM 10 AM 11 PM 12 PM 3 PM 7 PM 9 PM 11 PM

Overnight Trip Symphony on the Corner Other Desert Stories Myth In The Mojave Travels Without Charlie Lauren of the HiDesert Sunday Evening Variety Show Down the Memory Hole Mojave Kitchen Dance Diaries In the Pit Kitten Time

Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday

12 AM 7 AM 10 AM 2 PM 3 PM 4 PM 5 PM 6 PM

Overnight Trip Lauren of the HiDesert Travels Without Charlie Indie Lion Symphony on the Corner Other Desert Stories Myth In The Mojave Down the Memory Hole

Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Show Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday Thursday

12 AM 7 AM 8 AM 9 AM 10 AM 11 AM 12 PM 3 PM 4 PM 6 PM

Overnight Trip Travels Without Charlie Myth In The Mojave Other Desert Stories Kitten Time Lauren of the HiDesert American Parlor Songbook Indie Lion Symphony on the Corner Sunday Evening Variety

9 PM 10 PM

Mojave Kitchen Dance Diaries In the Pit

12 AM 8 AM 9 AM 10 AM 11 AM 12 PM 3 PM 4 PM 5 PM 8 PM 10 PM

Overnight Trip Lauren of the HiDesert Travels Without Charlie American Parlor Songbook Indie Lion Down the Memory Hole Symphony on the Corner Myth In The Mojave Other Desert Stories Sunday Evening Variety Show Kitten Time

* Note: general rotation music is played during the times when no DJ’ed program is scheduled.

15

Annual Visitor Count for Joshua Tree National Park Hits two Million

Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent David Smith and park visitors.

A

ccording to Joshua Tree National Park, a couple visiting the park from Inglewood, California and their friends visiting from Denmark pushed the annual visitation number up and over the two million mark this past Monday, December 28. This year the park has set a new record, up from 1.6 million in 2014.

Superintendent David Smith noted, "We are no longer a fall through spring park. The park is attracting new visitors from around the world and many of them come in the summer which has traditionally been the slow season for Joshua Tree. That's no longer the case."

In 2016, the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary since the agency was established in 1916 to manage and protect the nation's natural and cultural treasures. The Sun Runner and the Joshua Tree Tortoise Telegraph will be celebrating our favorite national treasures - our parks - throughout 2016.

For more info on Joshua Tree National Park, please visit www.nps.gov/jotr.

Editor/Publisher/telegraph operator: Steve Brown Adventures Editor: Death Valley Jim Photos by: Steve Brown, Death Valley Jim, Kevin Wong, Michael Vamstad, Robb Hannawacker, NPS. Submit story ideas, photos for consideration, dining/shopping/lodging/favorite places and event photos to: tortoisetelegraph@gmail.com advertising inquiries: sunrunnerads@gmail.com or 760-820-1222 see the advertising page at www.jttortoisetelegraph.com for pricing and specs. distribution inquiries: tortoisetelegraph@gmail.com join the tortoise telegraph online at: www.jttortoisetelegraph.com, on facebook at: www.facebook.com/jttortoisetelegraph on instagram at: www.instagram.com/jttortoisetelegraph join the sun runner, the journal of the real desert, online at: www.sunrunnersw.com on facebook at: www.facebook.com/TheSunRunner join southwest stories with steve brown online at: www.southweststories.us on facebook at: www.facebook.com/RealDesert thanks for joining us!

16