You've got to love L.A.: it may be a crazy megalopolis, but you only need to drive 3 hours north and you're mano a mano with the Mojave desert and its unique culture. If you happen by Owen's Lake at Easter -- made (in)famous by Mullholand's shenanigans, which were fictionalized in Chinatown -- you'll be treated to the greatest raout, aka a gigantic 4-day party organized by a local mule packer, which attracts people from all walks of life and from all over the world.The modus operandi is simple: you drop your ego at the gate, bring plenty of food and quality booze for a round the clock potluck, your sleeping bag for al fresco nights in the sand dunes, and a music instrument for impromptu jam sessions with the best of musicians -- including Grammy award winners (music sampling here.)
No metrosexuals or phonies allowed: only real people, whose looks belie their social status. The bum is actually a test pilot; the bluegrass singer a former investment banker; the aging flirt with an Errol Flynn mustache a colonel from the Air Force; the drummer a nuclear physicist; the iPad reporter a supermodel.
The lingua franca is English, but all sorts of languages are spoken, with people coming from all over Europe and Latin America via Asia, South Africa and the Maghreb. Fusion food, culture and conversations are de rigueur. Such a refreshing, enriching melting pot!
More photos here + seen from space.
UPDATE 06/24/11: The end of desert life? [LA Weekly]
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