01-29-2024 Two Weeks at Catalina Spa in Desert Hot Springs

Sunrises and sunsets at Catalina Spa are almost always gorgeous

At the moment, I am watching huge gray and white clouds racing across the sky above Tucson, Arizona.  The air is cool, in the mid-fifties, and the heavy rain that kept us company last night and for part of this day has eased.  We are giving ourselves the delight of an extra day, a down day to regroup before we begin the long trek west and north toward home.

Catalina Spa has great pickleball courts, too bad we don't play

For the first time since we have been visiting Catalina Spa, we scheduled two full weeks at the resort.  Looking back in time we used to stay just a couple of nights, then 4 or 5 nights, and in the last few years we have spent a full week immersed in the desert sunlight, or rain, or wind, whatever is offered.  This year we decided on two full weeks, thinking that we would have plenty of time to do the things we like to do when we are in the area in addition to a bit of downtime.

Desert visitors usually know to give the jumping cholla plenty of room

As it turned out, we had lots of precious downtime and still managed to skip some of the things we often do.  I wrote last week about our day visiting Joshua Tree, something always high on the list. I did manage a day visiting the one remaining quilt shop in the Coachella Valley.  A few years ago there was a list of 4 really good shops to visit, but now there is only one left.  With a visit to that shop and a quick drop-in to Trader Joe's, it didn't take up much of our day.  Quilters will laugh when I say I only bought a single yard of fabric.  In the past, my budget for this quilt shop could run in the hundreds.

In past years we would often hunt for interesting hiking trails to explore, but this time spending our mornings and evenings walking a mile or so with Mattie in the desert was perfect for us.  The open desert area just north of our spot in the park is a great place for dog walking and getting a bit of exercise in the open air.  

Mattie loves it, especially when she can run off-leash.  We have to keep an eye out for other off-leash dogs making sure they are friendly but most often the dogs do well together and play chase until they get bored.  The dog park area in the park is tiny and has a dirt surface that isn't much fun.

We went swimming almost every single day we were there, most often beginning in the early hours of the morning before the sun rose.  I love swimming at that time of day because it is quiet most of the time, and I can actually swim without having a lot of conversation interfering with my swim time.  

After our swims and showers, we would go home to breakfast, a bit of news, and our morning desert walks with Mattie.  Sometimes I skipped the walk, but still managed to get in at least once per day.  It felt great.

Mt San Gorgornio, more than 11,000 feet high, northwest of Desert Hot Springs

We thought perhaps we might hike Big Morongo Preserve during our visit. Instead, one day when our friends from Nevada City California, Nickie and Jimmy, who were camped just a few spots away from us went, we learned that it was hard to access thanks to some huge puddles on the entry road.  So we skipped that adventure saving it for another year.

We also never had the inclination to pay the big bucks and take a day to wander the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens.  It was a long drive across the valley, and our relaxation time felt much too good to give it up for all that driving in traffic.  

We did drive to Cathedral City one day during our first week in the park for a movie at the Mary Pickford It's D Place Theater.  We do love that theater with the big recliners and beer or wine and pizza that didn't cost much more than Pepsi and popcorn.  We saw the new version of The Color Purple which was a bit surprising, based more on the Broadway Play version than the book or the older movie.

Nickie and Jimmy arrived during the second week we were at the park and we had some good times with them.  They are staying for an entire month, with a bit of a break at Anza Borrego.  We also thought we might go to Anza Borrego and visit our friend Kathie who is a camp host there.  Sadly, it rained on her day off when we planned to go, so we skipped that little extra adventure as well.  Next year.

In case you might be thinking that our time at Cat Spa sounds a bit boring, I have to assure you that it was absolutely wonderful.  The days slipped by filled with sunshine, good food, good conversation when we were in the mood for it, and surprisingly, a bit of music.

On Friday afternoons a few musicians, including Shannon, wife to our early morning swim companion Mike, put on a wonderful music jam with whatever musicians wanted to participate.  Shannon is the one who basically "herds the cats" as Mike put it, making sure all the musicians are playing in the same key and are in the same place in the music.  They played songs that appealed to most of the guests, with music from the 70's and 80's high on the list with some country and blues thrown in for good measure.

We enjoyed those afternoons thoroughly. Shannon has a great voice, and we especially loved the cool guy on the keyboard who surprised us with his riffs every now and then.

We camp in what is called "the lower park" and our lower park game room had 3 nice tables and a large selection of excellent puzzles.  We tried a couple and managed to finish one before our visit was over.  It takes a bit of adjustment to work on a puzzle, walk away for a time, and come back to someone else working on the same puzzle, but it was still fun.

On the afternoon we planned to hike Morongo with Jimmy and Nickie, I was still tired from our trip to Joshua Tree the previous day (post here) and begged off the hike for that day.  Instead, we met them at 4 in the afternoon in Desert Hot Springs for a reasonably well-reviewed Mexican restaurant for supper. Casa Blanca has four locations in the Coachella Valley.  

Having dined in the past at three different Mexican restaurants in Palm Springs we thought a new place might be fun.  I don't remember the food, which was basic Mexican, but what I remember most is the noise.  Even at a table on the outside edge of the restaurant, the music was so loud and intrusive that none of us would ever return to this particular restaurant.

On another sunny day, the four of us crossed the Valley to Palm Springs for some time walking the streets, enjoying the shops, and finding a delicious meal.  Before we went, I searched for the best salad in the area and in addition to a few very high-end places, came up with Tommy Bahamas.  

We found a place to sit early for outside dining during the lunch hour. By the time we finished our meal, there was a long line of people waiting to be seated. I couldn't have picked a better spot for a great salad.  Mo and Nickie had some kind of yummy salad with roast chicken, Jimmy had sweet little sliders, but my chopped salad with blackened shrimp was the best salad I can remember eating.

The day was warm and sunny and as we walked the streets we were delighted to find "Forever Marilyn" once again gracing the city.  Mo and I first saw the sculpture when we were in Palm Springs in 2013, but not long after that the statue was relocated to several cities around the country. 

Finally, in 2021, it was announced that Forever Marilyn would return to Palm Springs permanently thanks to the efforts of the non-profit organization PS Resorts.  A dedication ceremony took place on June 30, 2021, marking the statue's triumphant return to the city that had embraced her so warmly nearly a decade in the past.

Another delightful find just one street west of the main drag of shops in Palm Springs was the location of the historic former Desert Inn.  I linked to the history of the beautiful old inn rather than attempting to retype it in some kind of original fashion.  We loved the grounds, the green lawns, the recently planted California Fan Palms, and the waterfall.  

Returning home in the afternoon, we were all delighted at the lovely simplicity of the day, the beautiful food, and the fun shops on Indian Canyon Road in downtown Palm Springs.

Winter flowers in planters on the main street of downtown Palm Springs

On our last morning as we returned from the pool, a nice woman approached Mo and I and Mattie and said, "I know you."  I said "Really?"  "Yes," she said, "You are Sue and Mo and this is Mattie.  I read your blog".

It has been a long time since we have been recognized on the road from our blog so it was a nice little treat.  She said she had read the blog for years but never commented.  Especially in this day and age, when blogs are less and less popular, it was fun to discover that these words and photos that I put out into the ether are actually read and enjoyed by people I never know.  Thanks, Suzanne, for making our day.