DLD| Robin Lewis |Ep 157

Born in in Kingston Ontario Canada, near Syracuse NY, Robyn Lewis made her way to California with her first husband – he was moving back to family and Robyn was excited to be near LA to continue her acting career.

 

Robyn describes herself as a shy kid who took some acting classes in Canada to try it out, which lead to doing extra work on films when she moved to Los Angeles. On set, she enjoyed the camaraderie of the other actors and talks about some of the pitfalls of being a newbie in Hollywood.

 

While living in the Los Angeles area, Robyn had a friend with a place in Pioneertown. Robyn, and her then husband, would come up to visit for a change of scenery, wandering around Mane Street, which at the time was mostly residential. They’d wander into Pappy & Harriett’s - with no reservations - and were wowed by a young lady who would stand near the jukebox and ‘rocked the place’ with her amazing voice.

 

Robyn and her then husband decided to purchase a place in Johnson Valley and moved to the desert. Robyn quickly realized this location was too remote for a young mother with two young children. To meet people and give the kids some social time, Robyn found the parks in Yucca Valley, picnicking with the kids several times a week, meeting other moms and kids. She also discovered a Mommy and Me group where she found herself teaching several classes. Eventually, Robyn rented out the Johnson Valley house and moved to Yucca Valley.

 

Robyn says at that time the Morongo Basin was a pretty quiet place. There was no Starbucks, no Applebee’s. Just a Kmart and two grocery stores. Robyn confesses to not spending much time in the National Park until meeting her current partner.

 

If you’ve been to Crossroads Café in Joshua Tree, Robyn may have taken your order. She recently made the difficult decision to leave the Cafe after working there for over ten years. In this episode, Robyn says the crew she worked with was truly like a family and she met so many wonderful people, visitors and locals alike.

 

In all her years here in the Morongo Basin, she feels this is the largest and longest influx of people that she remembers moving to the desert. She’s asks new residents and visitors respect the place, the silence and clean up after yourself.