Joshua Tree – Coffee, Karaoke, Line Dancing & Star Wars

Sadly saying goodbye to Vegas, Charlotte and I decide to make a quick detour to check out the Hoover Dam in nearby Boulder City.

Those that know me understand that I’m not good with heights, so this might seem a little strange, but if you are so close to one of the great engineering feats of the 20th century you can’t let a little fear define you.

It’s a short drive from Vegas to the Dam, stopping only to get a little information from the first visitor Centre we see. We’re told there is a great viewing bridge a little ways before the Dam, which looks out on to the Dam face.

What we’re not told is that it’s a bloody high suspension bridge next to the highway, with a grate floor.

As you can imagine, white knuckles prevented me from venturing out on to the bridge, so it was on to the Dam itself.

After passing the security inspections (Charlotte clearly attracting the attention of the lingering guards), we ventured down to the Dam itself. You can drive over it, walk over it, hang over the edge, in fact if you wanted to jump over the edge and fall to a bloody death, there’s little to stop you.

I managed to walk over the bridge in both directions and take a couple of photos but there was no way in hell I could adopt the seemingly nonchalant postures of many who lean over the edge look straight down one handedly grasping cameras!

AAAARGH I shudder even writing about it!

The Dam is impressive – it is huge and a massive feat of engineering, but with my courage (and interest)waning, we leave within the hour, having checked off a traditional must see item from the list.

We venture south the scenic way, via Mohave National Preserve,  making it as far as Joshua Tree before it gets too dark.

There’s a saloon right near the entrance to tomorrow’s destination – Joshua Tree National Park, so I park around the back and head in for a pint and a bite to eat.

The place is packed to the gills – but I finally get a seat at a bench right near what appears to be the stage. Apparently it’s karaoke night (though that might not be the reason for the crowd as it turns out) so my seat may not be a favourable one.

But as these things tend to happen, it’s the perfect seat at the perfect time. A little while later a couple ask if they can join me (seats now being even rarer) to which I of course say yes. They are Royce and Jess. I’m not sure if they are a couple or just friends. There appears to be a little of the “early date” tension around, so I’m wary of interposing myself too much into the moment.

They are both outgoing people, and within 15 mins we are all chatting away nicely. My “early date” feeling is justified – they are in the getting to know you phase of things, and welcome a little externality – I’m certainly not an imposition or a third wheel.

Royce and Jess are both highly intelligent and educated so we quickly get into pretty intense discussions about any manner of things from politics to semantics to the point of life (See Jess I acceded to your argument that we where having a discussion and not an argument!)

Karaoke fires up, which obviously leads to some to and fro on who will sing and who won’t. Ultimately I agree to support Royce on stage for a somewhat out of tune version  (on my behalf, not his) of the Doobie Brother’s “Drift away”.

Next Jess and Royce clearly bond over Buckcherry’s “Crazy Bitch” (Warning NSFW)

The dam walls have broken, and by the end of the night we’ve each been up at least 3 or 4 times – some together, belting out the classics from Tenacious D’s “Greatest Song in the World” (Royce and I), to Shannia Twain’s “Don’t impress me much” (Jess), Bohemian Rhapsody (all of us with a group of people Royce also knows), “The Devil went down to Georgia” (me), “Love Shack” (all of us) and a few others – do I remember a Maria song in there from you Jess or was it “Raining men”?

In between we are graced with the mixed offerings of a devoted couple who keenly feel joined at the hip, and the tuneless magnificence of young lady at the neighbouring table, whose almost deliberate disdain for the constraints of melody, beat and timing allow her to transcend the karaoke universe. She is charming and eventually provides the highlight of the night – a ribald parody of Santa Clause Rock which cannot be printed here.

Beers flow, time flies, and before you know it, the evening is dwindling to an end. The karaoke host gets Royce and I up for the last song of the night – it’s his own version of a “Show us your tits” ballad – nicely worded and all but in essence, asking the girls to get them out for the good of the world.

No-one does.

At the end of the night, as we head out to the quite chilly car park to our respective vehicles, Royce makes an offer of an indoors bed for the night. He only lives around the corner, and 5 mins later Royce, Jess and I are in his living room watching him set up the blow up mattress. A few more beers, more chatting, some drunken instruction in tap dancing from Jess, and the next thing we know its 3 am.

Jess is the only one who has to work in the morning, Royce being the owner of his own coffee company and cafe (more later), whilst I’m…(well you know), but we do decide to call it a night.

I’m on the mattress, Jess is on the couch, Royce retreats to the bedroom.

Barley 5 hours later Jess is up, ready for the hour drive home and the 30 min drive to work. We both bid her farewell, before heading back to sleep for a few more hours.

I later find out that the offer of an indoors haven from Royce was perfectly timed – Jess found that the bottle of water in the console of her car had frozen solid overnight as the temperatures plummeted.

After the extra few hours sleep and a welcome hot shower, Royce invites me to check out his cafe.

Royce is the owner of Joshua Tree Coffee, which is both a coffee roasting company and a local cafe haunt. The place is impressive – a huge open space, with the massive roaster on show. Unfortunately i don’t drink coffee so cannot comment on how it tastes but having seen Royce’s intensity and passion (he has a couple of coffee related tattoos) I can only guess that it is phenomenal.

If you are a coffee head, drop him a line and I’m sure he can send you some of his roast wherever you are in the States.

Royce has to deal with a couple of work related issues that crop up while he is there, so I bid farewell and head off to Joshua Tree National Park.

It is magnificent – beautiful rock formations, majestic outcroppings of trees, scenic vistas. It has them all, in spades.

As the sun begins to set, I head off to take up an invitation from Jess to go line dancing that night with her and Royce. The venue is a little ways away, Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio. I unintentionally (no fault of Charlotte’s) take the scenic route via Palm Springs which adds a little time and distance to the trip, but still arrive before the appointed hour.  I find my way to the appropriate lounge where there’s already a bit of a crowd doing the dosey do, or something similar.

Royce arrives and we have a drink and a chat whilst we wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Jess is late, (which I later find out she is famous for) but she arrives eventually. What I didn’t know was that she is part of Daisy Dukes and Boots – a group of “professional” line dancers who both perform here as well as help out teaching newbies the ropes. Jess is in a little bit of a kerfuffle – her best friend was bringing her performance shorts, but has left them at home. Whilst they are fetched she introduces Royce and I to the rest of the group, before finally going off to get changed.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, line dancing/Boot scootin’ is a co-ordinated dance where everyone already knows the steps. Everyone moves right, left, forwards, backwards, twirl, stomp and kick up their heels in unison, as if telepathically connected. It’s like the Nutbush from my nightclub days, except the steps are generally a little more intricate. It attracts everyone from kids to seniors, it can be as energetic or as laid back as you want, people interchange partners – in short everyone just has a damn fine time dancing.

It’s a little daunting for a first timer like me, so the first few minutes are spent observing and trying (with little luck) to decipher the labrynthine patterns being formed by the feet of those on the floor.

That’s when Breanna, another member of the Daisy Dukes comes and asks me to dance. Nervously I join her on the floor. Luckily (or perhaps intentionally) this is the two step – a simple dance with a partner that is easily taught and understood – Step-together, walk, walk. Even I can manage that and I begin to get the hang of it, and find myself not screwing it up for at lest 30 seconds before the music comes to an end. I thank Breanna for being my first and taking my virginity before quickly retreating before I find myself in the midst of a more complex dance.

Royce and I retire to contemplate a couple of decent whisky’s, watching as the Daisy Duke girls kick up a storm as the live band belts out numbers.

Over the course of the next few hours Jess teaches us both the electric slide, which we manage to then perform with varying degrees of competency out on the floor, as well as managing another round of the two step (where I’m admonished by Jess on both my navigation skills, and my tendency to not face my partner directly – “we’re not dancing the tango!”).

The night ends with raffle give aways. No-one from our posse wins. It’s been a fantastic night. For the sceptics out there, go give it a try. Everyone’s friendly and welcoming, there’s a real sense of community, it’s heartwarming to see the silver hairs up and stepping out (often showing up their younger compatriots), and you get to experience the joy of dancing in a non-threatening atmosphere. (which, for many, otherwise only happens when alcohol overcomes self-consciousness). I can really see why people do it.

The night is not over yet. Star Wars – The Force Awakens is opening tomorrow and some of the guys have got tickets to the 12.45 am showing at the local Gold Class equivalent. I’d been worded up yesterday so have bought a ticket to the same showing, as has Royce. So we trundle off to Brittany and Torrey’s place to while away  the hours before the movie starts.

There I get my dox fix, as they have 2 wonderful four legged friends, eat some Mexican, have a drink or two, and soon enough it’s time to head off to the cinema. We get there, settle into our different seats, but just before the movie starts, Jess comes and finds me then Royce – it seems that there are two spare seats in the back row with them (a couple of people must not have showed up). We don our 3d glasses, munch on our popcorn and the movie starts to much excitement.

2 hours later we emerge, and start digesting the movie as we quickly head back to Brittany and Torrey’s to pick up cars and disperse to our different homes. We find that nearly every single one of us has nodded off at some point or other – I suppose comfy reclining seats, a long day, dancing and booze had the inevitable effect. Oh well, it just means another viewing will be in order.

At Brittany and Torrey’s it’s quick farewells and a thank you from me for inviting me into their home as its now past 3 am. Jess drops me back at Fantasy Springs where Charlotte is patiently waiting and I snuggle down to sleep.

Little old Joshua Tree has shown me a helluva a good time – all stemming from a random seating arrangement in a bar that probably only a few hundred people in the world have been to!