PIONEER DAYS

PIONEERTOWN

That's Scotch and me in front of the OK Corral

The Champagne Cowgirls revisited Pioneertown last weekend.  We weren’t sure it was going to happen because there were high wind warnings the day before we were supposed to leave, and Peggy’s horse,Solo, looked like he was about to colic.  Oh no!  I continued to get ready, packing and shopping for groceries,  as if nothing was wrong.  Paid a visit to my horse, Scotch, and, looking deep into his big, soulful, brown eyes,  I whispered he might want to say a little horsey prayer for Solo, because if he was sick, we couldn’t go on our fun trip.

Scotch, the Magic Horse

I like to think that Scotch has magical powers, because Peggy called me late that night to say Solo was fine and we were going for sure.

Giant windmills. We're not in Escondido any more!

The winds died down miraculously Friday morning and we trailered our horses into the Wild West and backwards in time.  

Pioneertown. Photo: Wikipedia

Pioneertown was built in the 1940’s to shoot Old West movies.  The motel next door was built for the actors to stay in.  Our room was called “The Duke”

and there were pictures of John Wayne (my hero) on the walls, along with Old West artifacts.

Come on in, Partner, and set a spell

We will rustle you up some grub in our gourmet kitchen

Don't think they had microwaves in the 1800s

Ah yes, Home Sweet Home

As we unloaded our horses, a guy drove up in a red Mustang convertible.  His passenger was a young woman with her hair tied up stylishly in a red scarf.  I spoke with her briefly, commenting on their cute car.  She said it was a rental and I could tell by her accent that she wasn’t from around these here parts.  I got all excited when she said they were from Norway and told her about my visit with Kyle to her country. 

It turns out, we came on the absolute perfect weekend.  The previous weekend was cold and rainy and now it was in the mid 80’s.  We got this information from the two fellows at the Saddle Shop in town.  We remembered them from our last trip here.  They are always friendly and helpful and know all the history and latest scoop.

We went for a late afternoon ride, admiring all the pretty wildflowers the rain had brought.  Jack rabbits darted out in front of us from time to time and a few horny toads scurried into the brush.

We toasted the sunset from our front porch, and later, enjoyed a starlit sky.  The stars definitely seem closer and brighter up here in the high desert and we had a spectacular view of the Big Dipper.

On Saturday morning, our Norwegian neighbors left, gifting us with a case of beer they couldn’t possibly drink before their flight home.  We saddled up and headed for the Sawtooth Trail, which ended up being about a 12 mile ride.  We were both proud of our horses being so careful and surefooted on the steep, rocky trails, and carrying us safely on this four hour journey.  I imagined John Wayne galloping his horse along these same trails. 

Yes, those are obviously John Wayne's footprints

Love these rock formations

 The terrain is pretty desolate except for the patches of wild flowers, interesting rock formations and Yucca trees.  It was warm – you certainly wouldn’t want to be stuck out here for too long without water – but there was a strong breeze which kept us from being too hot.  Of course we had to make our requisite “split stop” at the top of a hill with a killer view of the Morongo Valley.

Split Stop with a view

Photo Op. Photo: Peggy Jones

Peggy and Solo

Relaxing at the halfway point

We got back to Pioneertown just in time to see the gunfight show.  A group of actors called the Mane Street Stampede, performs skits here on Saturdays and Sundays.  This was a good opportunity to desensitize our horses to loud noises.   

Bang Bang!

The guns were fired numerous times during every skit which always ends with someone shooting the bad guy who falls down dramatically and lies prone in the dusty street.  I know Scotch was nervous and felt him twitch with every shot, but he didn’t spin or try to bolt like he’d done before.  Solo was looking to his big brother, Scotch, to see how he should react to this situation.

Dude, just chill

I patted and praised him for being so calm, but when the show was over and we rode through the town, Scotch eyeballed everything warily and spooked at clothes, tablecloths, and everything flapping in the wind.  He was pretty excited, even after our four hour ride.

Our Norwegian neighbors were replaced with 3 guys, two of them German, who were friendly and seemed happy to speak German with me.  We all went to Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace for dinner and to see Jim Lauderdale in concert. 

Jim Lauderdale rocked the house. Photo: acousticmusicscene.com

Peggy and I had a table right up front by the stage which we thought was great until everyone stood in front of us on the dance floor, blocking our view of the band. Still, I was impressed with Jim’s energy, enthusiasm and obvious passion for playing his music.  Even when his band mates took a break, Jim stayed on stage playing his guitar and singing.  He played into the wee hours of the morning.  Long after we had left and gone back to our room, we could still hear him playing!

We were already nestled in our beds when we heard our German neighbors returning from the concert.  Even though our lights were out, they banged on our window, wanting us to join them for another beer.  I laughed and shouted out that I only drink Sekt (sparkling wine) and they should go to bed.

The next morning, they were at our door, politely asking for aspirin for their hangovers.  We had coffee together and talked more about Germany and traveling.  Then they climbed on their steel horses (Harleys) and rode off into the morning.  Peggy and I got on our REAL horses and went for another ride before heading home.

Goodbye Pioneertown!  Best trip ever!

Scotch takes time to smell the flowers. Photo: Peggy Jones