Many an adventurous Californian hits the road with a very special list in hand: The towns and attractions and offbeat nooks once recommended by Huell Howser, the public television host known for championing smaller enclaves and quirky individuals and "California's Gold" (the name, of course, of one of his many Golden State travel series).
But traveling to explore Mr. Howser's own house was never something any fan ever imagined doing. Well, maybe, sometimes, in their daydreams, because honestly? We all wanted to be Huell's pal.
Mr. Howser passed away in 2013, leaving his many travelogues behind to be enjoyed again and again.
And, yes, his mid-century Twentynine Palms house, too, stayed on as a living legacy to the man who loved California the most. The desert-elegant casa was purchased in 2014 by an artist, and many fans of the host hoped the house would hold onto its cool '50s-era swank.
Now those fans can see with their own eyes: The Wheelhouse is for rent for extended vacations and special events. New owner Joan Robey did some refurbing and buffing on the vintage home, and you can eye the buff-up on The Wheelhouse's very own photo-riffic web site.
Curbed LA mentions that Mr. Howser also bought an impressive chunk of the surrounding land, which means that those wild pink-peach-orange sunsets that are a birthright in Twentynine Palms can be enjoyed without other structures standing between the sky-viewer and the colorful horizon.
So while you maybe didn't ever get to be Mr. Howser's pal, nor did you get to journey with him while he shook hands with thousands of Californians in a hundreds of places, you could get married in his beloved abode now that The Wheelhouse may be rented for weddings.
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And isn't that a bit like having the sweet memory of Uncle Huell at your nuptials? With all of his affability and cheer.
Desert dreamers and mid-century mavens, this is one of the most magazine-able houses of the Golden State's arid region. Even if you're not going to host a yoga retreat there, or a family reunion, a few minutes spent clicking around the site will have you applying a little SPF, making a mimosa, and throwing a much-watched "California's Gold" VHS in the machine.
If you'd like to know more about Ms. Robey and her sculptures, find her pieces and statement here.
