Global retreats and journeys that
enrich the mind, heal the body, and inspire the spirit.
VIBING ON THE DESERT - tales and tips from the
Health Habitravels "Desert Vibes retreat"
If
you think that the desert is desolate, think again.
Subtle tones and vibrations tantalized the senses
of the Health Habitravels group that joined me in
California's Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree National
Park October 15-17th. Extremely diverse wild life
and vegetation survive in this fantastic place, where
the high and low deserts converge. You'll find a wealth
of information on the region and the national park's
protected 800,000 acres at http://www.nps.gov/jotr.
It is an amazing place to visit. If you're a nature
lover and enjoy outdoor activities there are many
ways to experience the park. The region is famous
for phenomenal rock formations, and rock climbers
of all levels, from all over the world, come here
to try any one of the 5000 climbs available. If you're
new to climbing you may want to contact www.joshuatreeclimbing.com
for a list of their courses. If you're short on time
and motoring through the region, simply driving through
the park is a one of a kind pleasure, especially if
you've never seen a Joshua Tree. These personality
plus, alien looking "trees" are in fact a type of
yucca found throughout the western states, with most
congregated in the Mojave Desert. Legend claims that
Mormons who came to the area thought the outstretched
limbs of the trees looked like the Prophet Joshua
reaching up to the heavens. You can learn the solid
facts about these fascinating trees at http://www.nps.gov/jotr/nature/plants/trees/jtrees.html.
If you do have time for more than a drive through,
by all means, take a hike.
Those
of us on the recent October Health Habitravels Desert
Vibes Retreat did, and we got a real feast for the
eyes when we made it to the summit of Ryan's mountain.
It's a good 1-1/2 hour uphill hike, which I recommend
for those of you in decent shape. What an amazing
sight. This vantage point affords a sweeping panoramic
view of both the Colorado and Mohave deserts. There
are a variety of trails in the park. You can climb
mountains that offer spectacular views, or wend your
way through giant boulders that are right out of a
classic John Ford Western. If you have time you might
want to check the National Park site listed above
for the schedule of free ranger led tours. If you
want to hire a private guide, the Desert Institute
at www.joshuatree.org,
will find you an expert. The Mojave is a rainshadow
desert, which means you might encounter sudden rainstorms
during any season, but fall and spring are prime times
for desert travel. I could easily turn into an annual
fall desert rat, and I can't wait to be there in spring
when the place is in full bloom.
When I do go back you better believe I'll return
to ultra-comfortable Irene's Adobe at 29 Palms Inn
(www.29palmsinn.com)
I highly recommend this tucked away, laid back inn,
with its community of one of a kind historic adobes
and cabins. If you're adverse to the night concert
of hooting owls, whispering winds and yipping coyotes
make sure and pack your earplugs. If not, open the
windows, let in the wafting sage, drift off looking
at the sparkle of the polished clean as a whistle
desert sky. And here's a unique holiday thought -
if you're looking for a hideaway to get together with
family in December, this inn could be the spot. Many
of the rooms have fireplaces or wood burning stoves,
and some have kitchens. There are hot tubs in private
sheds - although be warned - they're heavily chlorinated,
which makes it hard to soak for too long. You can
however order up an in-room massage, and the onsite
Oasis Caf® can't be beat. The homemade breads and
soups served at brunch are the best! If you want to
recharge a city frayed body and soul any time of the
year just hang around this inn, fill up on the fine
organic gourmet meals served at the caf®, sit out
by the Oasis of Mara and let the resident ducks entertain
you. If you're there Saturday or Sunday, be sure to
take in naturalist Pat's tour of the grounds and garden.
She's brimming over with knowledge about the surrounding
area. She wowed several of my group who are natural
history buffs. And if you want serenity plus entertainment
there are a variety of festivals happening throughout
the year. Check The Sunrunner Magazine, www.sunrunner.com
Our group attended the 5th annual Didgeridoo festival
- and for a world music fan like me - it was an ecstatic
experience. Keep an eye on the Didge festival website,
www.jtdidgefest.com
so that you don't miss the 2005 event. This year's
line up included world famous Didgeridoo players,
bag pipers, drummers, Tuva throat singers, musicians
from all over the planet putting out healing sounds
using primordial instruments, under a starry desert
night sky. As a pre-festival primer I invited Barry
Martin of L.A. Outback to the inn to share his extensive
knowledge of Didgeridoos and guide us through a beginner's
lesson. So what is a Didgeridoo? It is an Australian
aboriginal instrument, made from hollowed eucalyptus
branches. Blown by experienced players it creates
a rhythmic hypnotic healing sound. This is the ultimate
"good vibe," all natural, meditative mechanism both
for listener and player. A member of the group discovered
he's a natural born Didge player, and guess what's
on his holiday wish list? And a couple bought a Didge
for their son - Visit Barry's site www.laoutback.com
for information on Didges and their cultural origins,
upcoming events and classes and to order CDs and Didgeridoos.
The desert is the optimal place to view the night
sky, and after the festival Dean Naston, a science
expert on staff at The Natural History Museum and
The Griffith Park Observatory, dazzled us with his
breadth of knowledge of the heavens. As we located
the heavenly bodies we know by name but can't always
find such as the North Star - Orion's Belt - the big
and little dippers - the Pleiades - Taurus and other
Zodiac configurations - and got a chance to sight
clusters of newly forming stars in "star nurseries"
through his mega-powerful telescope, he passionately
regaled us with Greek and Roman myths related to star
names, explained that stars we perceive as shining
white light are actually multi-colored, and he got
us up to speed on "the speed of light."
We finished off the weekend with a final Pilates
class by the Oasis or Mara. By the way the Oasis is
a main reason for inhabitation of the area for thousands
of years. Part way into class the Inn's ducks waddled
up on the lawn to their nearby feeding station, fussing
and quacking while we huffed our way through The Hundreds.
Now that's got to be a first in Pilates history. Sorry
to say we missed such a photo op, but I promise all
of you that anytime a Health Habitravels group descends
on the 29 Palms Inn, performing Pilates for some ornery
ducks will be a tradition.
