Joshua Tree

British Invasion singer Eric Burdon, who sang with the Animals and then the funk band War, has listed his retreat in Joshua Tree for sale at $999,000. The Southwestern-style gated house, built in 2007, sits on 2.5 acres surrounded by native plants and encircled by an adobe wall. The 3,200-square-foot-plus courtyard-style home features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a laundry room and an office. There is a studio with a woodburning stove. Outdoor amenities include a heated saltwater pool, a spa and a rooftop deck.

Whether you're making resolutions or still recovering from New Year's Eve, rejuvenation is the key as you start 2013. For the 200 or so people at the Integratron , it's going to be a mesmerizing “sound bath” of music from crystal bowls at this 38-foot-high geomagnetic dome that's way out there - near Joshua Tree , we mean. Building began in 1954 after George Van Tassell, a former engineer, UFO enthusiast and meditation practitioner, had an encounter, it's said, with aliens from Venus - aliens who revealed to him the secret of using frequencies to energize and regenerate cell structure.

WOMEN Presentation Contributors Bridget Crocker, Sarah Katin, Kimberley Lovato and Mary Jo McConahay, featured in "The Best Women's Travel Writing, Volume 8," will discuss their travel tales. When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. HIKING Slide show Peter Potterfield will present images from his just-released book, "Classic Hikes of North America," featuring 25 backpacking trips in the U.S. and Canada, followed by a Q&A period.

PHILIPPINES Slide show Rafael Mirasol will explore the Philippines' colonial roots, a bustling metropolis and its beach resorts. When, where: 7:30 Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. ROCK CLIMBING Workshop Experts will offer an introductory class in rock climbing, including types of climbing, what gear is necessary and getting started. When, where: 7 p.m. Wednesday at REI stores in Arcadia, 214 N. Santa Anita Ave., and Northridge, 18605 Devonshire St. Admission, info: Free.

EUROPE Presentation Angel Castellanos will discuss European travel skills, including sightseeing strategies, eating like a local and traveling with a smartphone. When, where: 7:30 p.m. Monday at Distant Lands, 20 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Admission, info: Free. RSVP to (626) 449-3220. AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND Workshop Veteran travelers will offer tips on planning, budgeting, lodging, transportation, packing and other topics for first-time visitors.

HIKING Presentation Author Ellen Eastwood will discuss "The Trail Hound's Handbook," which reinvents the hiking guidebook as a pet-focused, outdoor activity guide for children and families. When, where: 7 p.m. Wednesday at the REI store in Northridge, 18605 Devonshire St., and 7 p.m. Thursday at the REI store in Arcadia, 214 N. Santa Anita Ave. Admission, info: Free. (818) 831-5555 for Northridge, (626) 447-5408 for Arcadia. JOSHUA TREE Field class For ages 8 to 13 (and parents or guardians)

Tim Disney's prefab house will be open to the public 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 15 and 16. Admission is free, but visitors are asked to register online in advance. Shuttle service to the house will be provided from the Joshua Basin Water District, 61750 Chollita Road, Joshua Tree, Calif. More information and registration: http://www.bluhomes.com/joshuatree .

The low-slung structure tucked among the unearthly boulders of Joshua Tree looks vaguely like many other modern prefab homes from the last decade - streamlined silhouette, eco-chic materials, indoor-outdoor appeal - but with one key difference. It has Mickey Mouse in its corner. A globe-eared, white-gloved figurine sitting in the front window is the first - and during a recent sneak peek, the only - hint the owner is Tim Disney, great-nephew of Walt and a prefab believer. Disney is a board member and investor in prefab builder Blu Homes , and the Joshua Tree house, to be opened to the public for the first time next weekend, is Blu's first in Southern California.

Desert America Boom and Bust in the New "New West" Rubén Martínez Metropolitan Books: 337 pp., $28 In his new book "Desert America: Boom and Bust in the New 'New West,'" Los Angeles writer Rubén Martínez leaves the city behind for the beauty and desolation of the dry, sparsely populated corners of what he calls the "inner West. " He alights in northern New Mexico, a land of pueblos and piñon trees, of sweeping vistas and old adobes. Many an adventurer and seeker has come to this land before him: Spanish conquistadors, American artists, New Age spiritualists, clipboard-toting Realtors.

The gig: Ed Rosenthal is a licensed real estate broker arranging sales and leases of commercial buildings. Most of Rosenthal's transactions fall in the historic district of downtown Los Angeles, which he says has a "human scale" that the new financial district lacks. Claim to fame: Rosenthal garnered international attention in 2010 when he got lost on what was to be a brief hike in Joshua Tree National Park. He survived for six grueling days in the desert before being rescued.