Consider the town of Goffs for a moment. You really should. You’ll feel much better. With a current population 23, plus or minus a few jackrabbits, and situated eleven miles from Interstate 40, Goffs is today a wealth of history, and ground zero for any serious study of the Mojave Desert. Originally named Blake, Goffs…
Where do you go in Joshua Tree when you’re not in the mood for the National Park experience? We opted for Noah Purifoy’s old place. Down a dirt road, on the left. We saw it before we were there. Are those commodes towering in the air? we wondered. Yes indeed. Porcelain monuments to the private…
Update, July 8, 2023: According to the Desert Sun newspaper, “San Bernardino county staff are preparing a proposal to rezone Pioneertown’s Mane Street as Rural Desert Commercial land this fall, replacing a Special Development designation that has helped limit commercial activity — in some cases even the reopening of longstanding businesses — for decades. The…