01-26-2026 A Desert Birthday

Birthday Girl Deborah on her day at Shermans's

As Mo and I were enjoying a lovely supper on a very chilly day at Sunset House, she came up with a brainstorm. “I think it would be nice if we could fly Deborah down to Palm Springs for her birthday weekend and have her stay with us.” For many years we often depart for the desert a few days before Deborah’s birthday and she just rolls her eyes and says, “That’s OK Mom.” I was so excited to share with her the idea of a trip to Desert Hot Springs for a long weekend with us.

At first it was a bit of a struggle for her to consider leaving her work at this time of year. As a finance director it is the worst time to be away, and Deb is working many hours a day and on weekends to meet all the year-end deadlines that are required. I finally said, “If you don’t go and work all that overtime at home, will you really feel that much better for it?”

The next day she called and said, “OK Mom, it really does sound wonderful. I’ll go.”

Mattie loves her morning walks with Mo in the desert

After arriving on Thursday afternoon, we settled into the park and prepared the MoHo for an extra guest. Everyone had assured me that the Palm Springs airport was small and easily navigated, so we weren’t the least bit concerned about picking her up just after 6 PM Friday evening. We visited a bit with Jeanne and Alan from Vermont, who had arrived the same day we did. It was convenient that they also had a guest visiting during the same time Deb would be with us. We all agreed there would be plenty of time together after Deb and Sara returned to their respective homes.

The road into Palm Springs is familiar, but we have never actually visited the airport. Needless to say, “easy” is relative, especially in the dark. When we took Deb back the following Monday, we learned it really was easy, but that was in the daylight and after understanding where departures and arrivals were located. Deb’s planes in both Medford and San Francisco were each delayed by an hour, and yet magically she arrived within eight minutes of her scheduled time.

Just half an hour later the three of us were settled into the MoHo with a drink and a delicious supper of the beef Bourguignon I cooked last week and froze for the trip. We had so much to share with Deb in her short weekend here, and during supper we made some choices about her priorities.

Setting up the dinette for a bed for Deb is something we have done before when she has camped with us. Mo and I made sure we had her sleeping bag, the mattress pad, and a few extras she wouldn’t be capable of taking on the plane ready to go.

Mt San Jacinto is still visible from our site in the morning light

We all slept well that night, and Deb was delighted that the lovely bathrooms here at Catalina Spa are right out the door. It makes everything much nicer for three people in what is basically a two-person motorhome.

First glass of sweet luscious orange juice

I squeezed the first glass of orange juice for us and we had a delicious breakfast in preparation for our big day ahead. Deb kept asking, “Why Palm Springs?” She didn’t really understand the history or the ecology of the town or the Coachella Valley in general, and I thought the best way to explain it was to take her first to the beautiful Agua Caliente Cultural Museum located right in downtown Palm Springs.

Mo and Deb at the Museum

Before we wandered Palm Canyon Drive admiring mid-century lines and boutique storefronts, I wanted Deb to understand what was under our feet. Downtown Palm Springs, all that prime real estate, sits on Section 14, part of the checkerboard land that belongs to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. In the early 20th century, much of that land was leased out under complicated and often unfair arrangements. For decades, tribal members watched developers and city leaders profit while they had limited control over their own ancestral ground.

Beautiful stories of the palms and tribal life inside the museum

Slowly and patiently, they changed that story. Through persistence, legal battles, economic strategy, and an almost stubborn faith in the long view, the Tribe regained control of Section 14. Instead of selling it off, they built a diversified economic base, leasing wisely, developing carefully, and using the revenue to invest in their own future. The Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza and Museum now stand right there in the heart of downtown, not as a token nod to history but as a statement: we are still here. The museum isn’t just beautiful architecture; it is sovereignty made visible. Taking Deb there first felt important. It reframes Palm Springs from playground to homeland. It reminds you that the desert keeps deeper stories than the ones on the postcards.

No way to capture the beauty of this 3D illuminated animated map

Deb loved the museum as much as Mo and I did when we visited for the first time last year. The displays are well thought out and beautiful, with homage paid to Mt. San Jacinto and to the story of how the first spring was found. 

display of the fine basketry of the Cahuilla people

The basketry on display is among the finest we have seen anywhere in the West. A favorite exhibit is a three-dimensional depiction of the evolution of the Coachella Valley, from before white settlement through the coming of the stage, the railroads, the highways, and finally the movie colony in the 1920s.

Deb at Forever Marilyn

We found a parking place closer to the center of town so Deb could get the obligatory photo standing next to Forever Marilyn. We then walked Palm Canyon Drive toward the Blue Coyote, a restaurant where Mo and I shared a meal on our very first visit to Palm Springs.

Deb wasn’t all that impressed with all the glitz and glamour and tourism that fills the streets, but she was a good sport and we stopped for a flight of frozen drinks at the Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar. By the time we arrived at the Blue Coyote, the lunch crowd had thinned enough that we snagged a great table adjacent to the sidewalk, always fun for people-watching.

Deb and I both had great meals, but sadly Mo’s chicken taquitos left a lot to be desired. Deb had yummy carnitas and I had a truly delicious bowl of something so big that the leftovers are still in the fridge several days later.

After our late lunch, we walked back to the car on the east side of Palm Canyon Drive, where Deb discovered she enjoyed the casual, slightly funky shops on that side and wished we had gone there first. Ah well, live and learn.

Sunday morning we woke early for Deb’s first swim in the beautiful water at the pools that bring us back year after year. Visiting Joshua Tree National Park turned out to be her favorite day, and I had no idea it was on her bucket list.

Deb and Sue at the Panoramic Loop Trailhead

Mattie wasn't allowed on the trail but Mo found a place to take her for a short walk

It was a perfect day with perfect weather. We entered from the West Entrance near Yucca Valley and encountered very little traffic. Deb was delighted with every turn in the road and every stately Joshua Tree. 

Mattie Mo and Deb at the Hidden Valley Campground

She explained how climbers use spring-loaded cams that expand inside natural cracks in the granite instead of drilling bolts. No hammering, no permanent scars. When the climb is over, the device comes out and the rock remains unchanged. I loved that idea of temporary trust between human and rock.

Panoramic View from the Keys View Overlook

Coming in from the west as we did made the side trip to Keys View simple.  It has been many years since Mo and I traveled there, and on this day the view was perfect.  It is incredible to see the mark of the San Adreas fault and to look down on the Coachella Valley from this vantage point in the park.  

Snow tipped Mt San Gorgonia on the weatern skyline

While we were up there, Jeanne and Alan and Sara appeared in Alan’s big truck and laughed and said hi to us.  A fun encounter before we each continued on our way.

Not positive which campground this is but you get the idea

After Keys View we drove into Jumbo Rocks Campground, where Mo and I have camped before, and decided that we liked the Hidden Valley  campground much better.  By the time we reached the area around Skull Rock the Sunday traffic was growing and cars lined the road trying to see the famous skull.  Deb was ok skipping that part and we continued south through the park.

Sunlight on the cholla

I was excited to show her the teddy bear chollas for the first time, but sadly the turnout was blocked off and the trail was closed.  She still got to see the brilliant backlighting of the beautiful spines in the afternoon sunlight.  

The ocotillo forest was less than spectacular on this afternoon with very few blooms, but the recent rains have caused the leaves to open and she got some photos of that.

Ocotillo not yet in bloom in late January

Leaving the park through the southern entrance was perfect and we stopped to take the obligatory photo of Deb standing by the park entrance sign.

We had arranged to meet Jeanne and Alan and Sara at the infamous Dillon’s Burgers and Beers for supper at 4:30.  Returning home via the back way on Dillon Road gave us time to show Deb what was left of the beautiful grounds at the Thousand Palms Oasis.  

Sue and Mo looking at the displays on the now closed visitor center

On the way home we stopped at what remains of the Thousand Palms Oasis. I have written many times about walking there, about the quiet ponds and the magnificent fan palms and the simple boardwalks that made it feel intimate and accessible. 

sadly the boardwalk ends after a few hundred feet

Now the gates are closed, funding is stretched thin, and repeated flooding has taken its toll. You have to park along the narrow, busy road, and the feeling has changed before you even step onto the trail. It is hard to watch a place we have loved struggle to hold its ground.

The palms on this natural oasis are as stately as ever

Monday was Deborah’s birthday, and we celebrated with lunch at Shermans Deli. Famous since 1963 for towering sandwiches and bakery cakes, it did not disappoint. 

Fabulous birthday lunch at Sherman's

The food was fantastic, the service flawless, and the sauerkraut served with the pickles was so good I ate it with my fingers. Deb chose a towering slice of carrot cake layered with cheesecake. No candle, no singing, just the three of us sharing something sweet.

That evening we returned Deb to the airport. Her final text after landing in Medford read, “It’s a lot colder here.”

Happy Birthday to my first-born daughter Deborah. You made me so happy with your happiness.