Our camera at our cabin at Lake Cavanaugh on March 10 showed 29 degrees and some measurable inches of snow.On the same day, more than 1,300 miles to the south, it’s 80 degrees and blue skies at our condo in Palm Springs, California.
The weather back home is frightful. Meanwhile, here in sunny Palm Springs, California, it’s absolutely delightful.
March is our getaway month from the gray and dreary Pacific Northwest winters, the annual rite of passage we’ve come to know as “The Big Dark.” Vicki has learned to put up with the drip, drip rain and overcast skies during our 41 years living in the PNW. But by March, she’s had enough. You can take the girl out of California (Sacramento-raised, to be exact). But you can’t take the California out of the girl. So you take the girl back to California.
We spent a day exploring Joshua Tree National Park. Framed in the foreground by a Joshua Tree, here we’re looking at Split Rock.
Over the decades, our default escape has been Arizona, and occasionally Hawaii. This year, we decided to mix it up. We had never been to Palm Springs. Don’t know why it took us so long. It’s an upscale, desert oasis, famous for its stunning mid-century, modern architecture and Hollywood celebrity history. Joshua Tree National Park is only a hour’s-drive to the north.
We’ve been to a few national parks – Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and of course North Cascades, Rainier and Olympic parks in our state. Joshua Tree is just different. It’s a surreal collection of otherworldly desert landscapes defined by twisted Joshua Trees and massive quartz, boulder formations that leave you scratching your head, thinking “how did those rocks get there?”
Intersection Rock in the most climbed rock in the park, with more than 40 climbing routes. We watched a couple climbers in action on this sunny-but-brisk day.Vicki walks through one of several “slot canyons” along the Wilderness Trail.That’s me by one of the “split canyons.” I wasn’t aware Joshua Tree National Park was about 4,500 elevation. We went from 75 degree temps in Palm Springs (about 500 feet elevation) to high 40s in the park. Good thing we brought some extra layers of clothing.Vicki along a trail through an open valley of Joshua Trees. Our destination was the remains of “Ryan Ranch,” a historic adobe structure built in 1896.And this is what the remains of that decaying structure – well two, if you count me – looks like. We also found the remains of a capped well. Homesteader J.D. Ryan operated the nearby Lost Horse Mine here.Hiking along the Wilderness Trail in Joshua Tree National Park.
Another highlight was to ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. It’s a 2.5-mile ride in the world’s largest rotating cable car that climbs nearly 6,000 feet to a mountain station near the top of Mount San Jacinto.
It’s a 10-minute ride from the valley station, elevation 2,643 feet, to the mountain station, at 8,516 feet. There’s only two cable cars in operation. Each holds 80 people. March is a busy month for the tram. We had to wait nearly two hours for our ride to the top.There’s a 30-degree difference in temperature from the valley station to the mountain station. We brought a couple layers of clothing. The high in Palm Springs was 97 on this day. I figured it was in the low 60s here at the top.The observation decks offer expansive views of the Coachella Valley towns of Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs and even the Sultan Sea, 50 miles to the southeast. Joshua Tree National Park would be on the cusp of the mountain range you see near the top of the photo.
Most of our time here is spent soaking in the southwest sun. Walks around the neighborhood in the cool of the morning, usually followed by a round of tennis. Relaxing and reading by the pool. Exploring downtown Palm Springs. And maybe best of all, eating dinner on our spacious, private patio in shorts and t-shirts while basking in 70-degree temps. That’s the California life Vicki remembers from her youth.
A familiar scene: Me in the pool and Vicki at poolside.Tennis truly is a year-round sport here in the Coachella Valley. So it’s no surprise court time can be hard to come by. But we have this one all to ourselves every morning in the community of condos we’re staying. We haven’t played this much tennis together since we were dating in college. Let’s just say our game could use some work. We also play pickelball, but in the evenings at a nearby public court, as trying to secure court time in the mornings is next to impossible.
It’s supposed to reach the 90s later this week, and approach 100 degrees by next week. Given the alternative – Midwest-like temperatures at home – I think we can handle that.
Every Thursday evening of the year is “Village Fest,” a pedestrian-only street fair on Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs. It features more than 200 local vendors selling food, art and crafts, plus live entertainment. About a six-block area is closed to vehicles from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Free admission to the two art museums in town are also in play from 5 p.m.-8 p.m.Vicki and I at the “Forever Marilyn” statue in downtown Palm Springs. The 26-foot-tall sculpture depicts Marilyn, a popular sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s, in her iconic pose from the 1955 film “The Seven Year Itch.” The sculpture has been somewhat controversial for its suggestive nature. Marilyn rented a 3,000-square-foot home known as the “Marilyn Monroe Doll House,” which recently sold for over $3 million. Even today, 64 years after her death, her legend in Palm Springs casts a long shadow.Bob Hope is among many Hollywood stars featured in the “Walk of the Stars” in downtown Palm Springs. A boulevard in the area is also named for him. Interstate 10 connecting Palm Springs to Palm Desert and Indio is named for Sonny Bono, former Palm Springs mayor. I also noticed roads named for Dinah Shore, Gene Autry and Gerald Ford, to name a few.Frank Sinatra’s “Twin Palms” estate is a five-minute walk from our condo in what is known as the “Movie Colony” neighborhood, where many Hollywood stars had homes. Sunny Palm Springs was a convenient getaway for many famous actors because of its proximity to Los Angeles. A “two-hour rule” was a 1930s-1950s Hollywood studio contract stipulation requiring actors to be within a two-hour drive of LA studios for last-minute reshoots. Sinatra’s historic mid-century home is now a luxury event venue for private parties. We couldn’t get past the locked gate to see the house with its iconic piano-shaped pool.We like to attend churches from various denominations and backgrounds when we travel. We visited Wellspring Church, a multi-ethnic and inter-generational church in nearby Indian Wells. Led by a dynamic African-American pastor, Ricky Jenkins, the church draws around 5,000 worshippers each weekend over the course of four services (a Saturday evening service and three on Sunday morning).
