My last blog was about an old western town located up the hill from Palm Springs called Pioneertown.  Up the hill is the high desert.  As opposed to the low desert which is where Palm Springs is located.  It's roughly a 40 minute scenic drive and transports you to a very different desert.  While Palm Springs is chic, hip, trendy, upscale and all about midcentury modern pool culture, the high desert is more sparse, laid back and bohemian.  Art is a big deal in the high desert, and if you are visiting Palm Springs in October, the high desert offers you a change of scenery in a very artsy way.  During three October weekends, high desert artists will open their studios and give guests a chance to see them at work during the Highway 62 Open Studio Art Tours.  I went to this event a few years ago and it's a unique experience.  You drive around the various high desert towns such as Joshua Tree, Twenty Nine Palms and Morongo Valley and view artwork at the artists home studios.  It's like an adventure as you follow the map from one place to another, often driving along deserted desert highways into seemingly endless vistas.  The event will feature 165 artists this year over the weekends of Oct 9, Oct 16 and Oct 23.  An opening night party is slated at 6 p.m. on Oct 2 at the Joshua Tree Art Gallery.