01-29-2019 Final Days at Catalina with Family

Current Location:  Catalina Spa and RV Resort Desert Hot Springs, California

We will be leaving Catalina this morning, heading south for a wilder environment, sans hookups and swimming pools.  5 to 7 days here in the full campground is just about enough, and we did book for another week next year, locking in a great price, and ensuring that we will have a warm place to escape the inevitable foggy inversions that are part of lovely Grants Pass in January and February.

The Brothers arrived early afternoon on Saturday, after leaving behind the dusty, crazy, fun times at the Big Tent Show in Quartzsite.  They had a good time, camping with another friend of theirs, doing a LOT of shopping, and simply enjoying the somewhat unique ambience of the “Quartzsite Thing”.  That “thing'” draws a lot of people year after year, many who return over and over for all that is offered.  Open almost free desert spaces, lots of socializing and friendships shared, and of course, shopping for “stuff”, especially RV stuff.   So glad they enjoyed themselves, and glad we have done it in the past as well.  Every RVr should at least experience what it is all about at least once.

Dan and Chere

They settled into their spaces, put up awnings, and we showed them around the park a bit before making plans for dinner in Palm Springs.  Mo and I usually save our Palm Springs dinner out for the night of the Street Fair, so this time, on a Sunday night, it was a bit easier to park.  We had no trouble at all getting an outside table for 6 at Maraca’s, the Mexican restaurant we return to most often. 

Don and Wynn

It is right on the main drag corner, with outside tables that are great for people watching, and the food is quite good.  There are many Mexican restaurants to choose from in the area, but this one really does include good food AND good Palm Springs ambience.

Sue and Mo

The next morning, we made arrangements to meet at 10AM for a drive east to Thousand Palms Oasis.  There was a bit of overcast to the skies, but the temperatures were quite warm.  Extended hiking isn’t on the menu for the family, so we thought walking around the short trails near the ponds would be a good choice. 

The Visitor Center at Thousand Palms is small and truly charming, built from huge palm logs, and the docents are knowledgeable and interesting.  The most surprising of all were the flowers.  From a distance we saw the brown hills where Mo and I once wandered and almost got lost were covered with desert sunflower, sand verbena, and brittlebush, in full bloom. You can read about that crazy hike here. I was sorry that we wouldn’t have time to hike those hills on this visit, since we have never seen this part of the desert blooming to this extent.  Even from a distance, it was a sheet of yellow haze over the barren hills.

The warm afternoon after our return was the perfect time to gather under Dan’s awning for a long, chatty visit with family.  I had to laugh, since Mo and I travel alone most of the time, because we were all sitting out there doing the family visiting thing that I see happening so often.  It was fun to actually be part of that for an afternoon. 

We did skip the family dinner, so that we could finish last night’s leftovers and have time to do pre-departure chores, like rolling up the rugs, putting away the chairs, dumping the tanks. 

After supper we returned to Dan’s to visit a bit more and convinced them to try the pools.  We swam in the upper pool this time with Dan and Don and Chere, but skipped the crowded hot spa.  The bigger pool is a bit more open, and quite a bit cooler than the Lower Pool that we love.  By the time we were finished I was actually chilled and need a hot shower to warm up. Glad we had pool time with family.  I think I am the only one in the group that is so attached to swimming in warm water as much as possible before we leave this place.

It feels good to know that we will be actually moving onward and eastward at last.  When we first planned this trip, we didn’t plan for any extended stays on our way to Florida, and this was a shift in plans to accommodate the joint venture south with the Brothers.  It has been a fun time, and now we are ready to get rolling!

01-26-2019 Morning Walk at Catalina and Singing the Birds

Current Location: Catalina Spa and RV Resort Desert Hot Springs, California

74 Degrees F  thin high clouds and brilliant sunshine, slightly windy at 10mph

Mt San Jacinto (The Tram goes to that peak from below)

We both woke up early this morning.  The moon was shining in the back window over the bed and at only half full, it still seemed really bright.  I had gone swimming last night after Mo fell asleep, once again navigating my way through the bobbing non-swimmers just enjoying the murmur of their conversations without having to participate.

I brought two swim suits for this very reason, and at 4am when I said to Mo, “Want to go swimming?”, I was ready with a nice dry suit.  The nights aren’t terribly cold, but cold enough that walking a few hundred yards from the rig to the pool is darn chilly if one is wet.

Once again we were preceded by the dedicated lap swimmer, Terry, who does 2 miles every morning.  Living in Lebonon, Oregon, he is now retired, farms a few alpacas, has a wife who does fiber arts, and identifies as an old hippie.  He isn’t bad company that early in the morning if we must have company.  We would have to swim at 2 to beat him. 

I tried to catch the fleeting sunrise this morning, but without a lot of clouds to reflect light it wasn’t much to look at.  Still, the snowy peaks of Mt San Gorgonio and Mt San Jacinto glowed pink on the horizon opposite the sunrise.

Mt San Gorgonio

Our morning was easy, with big glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice.  I think they are even sweeter than ever this year, even though they were small.  Such a delight.

Around 11, after giving Mattie an energetic outing at the dog park, and a nice hike in the desert, we left her behind as we headed into Palm Springs. Today was the annual Singing the Birds event for the Agua Caliente Band of Calhuilla Indians.  There is singing and dancing by several tribes from the Southern California area and all are welcome to the free event.  We were impressed with the new Agua Caliente Cultural Center and Museum they are building in the heart of Palm Springs.  It is going to be quite fabulous.

The announcer made sure we understood that this celebration is for singing about the beginning of the world, to remind the People of their roots, and the dancing is social dancing, not performance dancing.  Everyone is invited to join in, but unlike some of the PowWow’s I have attended, I didn’t see any non native folks out dancing. 

The music was different as well because there were no drums, only rattles, which provided percussion for the singing.  Still, even without the drums, the music was hypnotic, and the event was delightful to watch.  We opted for a Native Fry Bread taco to share, something I haven’t had in 20 years and probably won’t need again for another 20. It is fairly bland, and the juices from the veggies really soaks into the fry bread making it somewhat soggy. 

On the way home, we then stopped at the Ice Cream Shoppe, which turned out to be NOT the place I thought it was that we had visited the last time we were in Palm Springs.  The Shoppe was rather upscale, with vegan ice cream, and flavors like green tea, blood orange sherbet, and Mexican chocolate.  Not the place for a simple scoop of chocolate which is always Mo’s favorite, but she settled for the Brownie Sundae, and I had Cappuccino chip, which was rich and perfect.

We had seen a sign for the Kim Nicol Trail at the end of our road, but couldn’t quite figure out how to find the trailhead with all the no trespassing signs posted along the dirt road.  The website explained it more clearly and we traveled the half mile or so south from Catalina Resort to find the trailhead to the first officially designated trail in the Coachella Valley in the last decade. 

It looked like a fun hike through sandy open hills, nice in the very early morning, but fairly exposed for a daytime hike.  Might have to give it a try before we leave here this time, or if not, then next time.  Brothers will be returning tomorrow from Quartzsite and our time will be busy with them for the next couple of days.

01-15-2017 Wonders of the Coachella Valley

Current Location: Orange Grove RV Park, Bakersfield, California  46 F with a foggy overcast

We are parked this evening at Orange Grove, once again picking oranges to brighten winter days at home.  I am watching the big rigs roll in, up to 4 and 6 at a time, and once again the park is completely full tonight.  It is such an easy stop, after the long drive down the slopes of Tehachapi Pass.  Level pull-through sites, full hookups, nice people to check you in, quick and easy, and yes, the oranges.  It is always about the oranges.

Leaving the Coachella Valley today was bittersweet.  It was perhaps the most blue sky day since we arrived, with temperatures predicted to be in the mid 60’s.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky when I slipped into the pool at 6am to swim through the sunrise lighting up a few small, low clouds in the east and turning the snows on Mt San Jacinto to the west a brilliant pink. 

That sea of green are the tops of all the domestic palms planted in the landscape of Palm Springs

With a short goodbye to new friend Claudia, we were on the road a little after 9am, enjoying the gorgeous light.  We decided again to take the slightly longer and a little bit slower route  through Yucca Valley, north on Highway 247 to Barstow, before intersecting I-40 West.  As we drove through the wide open desert, through what Mo called “A whole lotta nothing”, I basked in that whole lotta nothing.  It is why we love the desert, and this last nostalgic drive north on 247 is a fitting leave-taking of Southern California.

We are timing the trip north to slip between storms, with good forecasts for the next two days as we travel home to Grants Pass.  We also decided to try something different this time, and we will take the old route 99 toward Lodi instead of the wide and incredibly bumpy Interstate 5.  I’ll let you know how that goes.

The title of this blog post is also the title of a great little book that I found at the Indian Canyons visitor center a few days ago when we hiked Palm Canyon.  Wonders of the Coachella Valley, by James W. Cornett, is a lovely small guide to ten of the best natural places to visit in the area.  After 7 annual visits to this area, we are still finding new places to explore.  Finally, after our hike yesterday, we have been to all ten written about in this great book about some of the local natural history. 

Taquitz Canyon is one more treasure, another beautiful canyon at the edge of Palm Springs.  It is owned by the Aqua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla Indians, as are the Indian Canyons we visited previously.  This canyon, however, has a separate visitor center and a separate entrance.  The cost to hike the 2 mile trail is $12.50 per person and worth every penny.  There are no senior discounts, but it is free to folks with a military ID, either active or retired.

The history of the canyon goes back at least 2,000 years, with evidence of humans occupying the area at that time, traveling to the Ancient Lake Cahuilla for fish, and building materials for their homes, and returning to the lands near the canyon for other plant and animal food sources.  Included with the entrance fee is the opportunity to view the short film about the legend of Taquitz, and the reason that no Native Americans have chosen to live within the canyon itself.

More recent history of the canyon is interesting, with hippies living in caves during the 60’s, and vagrants and trespassers ignoring the no trespassing signs.  Even though it belonged to the tribe, they didn’t have the resources to maintain the trails and keep out the vagrants.  We read several newspaper articles displayed from the last few decades that document the problems in the canyon, and the eventual successful restoration of this magical place.  The tribal people have cleaned it up, kept it clean and free of scary squatters, and allow us to walk the beautifully maintained trails to one of the loveliest waterfalls I have seen in this part of the world. 

There are lots of stone steps leading up the canyon, and the small stone bridges crossing the active creek are works of art.  I love a loop trail, and this one follows both sides of the creek to the falls, so there are options to go in either direction.  I think we picked the best, staying toward the right as we left the visitor center.  I don’t mind climbing up all the steps, with a knee that likes ups much more than downs, and I think there were fewer steps on the other side of the creek on our route downhill.

Even on a sunny Saturday around 11 there weren’t so many people on the trail that it was uncomfortable.  It is a hike that can be completed by just about anyone willing to climb the steps and we saw families with kids, runners in bright shoes, and old people with walking sticks enjoying the trail. 

The falls is enclosed in shadow, and judging from the high walls surrounding the cascade, I would imagine that the sun never shines in that alcove.  The sound was beautiful, but even with only a few people on the trail, it felt as though it would be hogging the scene to hang around too long.  Everyone wanted their photo right in front of the falls, and it was only fair to take turns.

With the dark shadows and dim light it was difficult to capture the beauty of the white bark of the huge old sycamores that thrive in the moist soils of the canyon floor and at the base of the falls.  With the brilliant yellow brittlebush that covers the hillsides not yet blooming, our only spot of color was Justica californica, Chuparosa, with a salvia type flower that was brilliant red.  Chuparosa is a colloquial Spanish word for hummingbird bush, and I did see a hummingbird hanging around in the lower part of the canyon.

Our hike was a perfect finale to the 11 days we spent in the Coachella Valley, finally visiting a beautiful place that no one should miss when traveling to this area. We now have seen all ten places listed in the book, and yet there are many more trails to explore within each of those sites. 

I know we will come back.  Whether for a day or a few, this valley is on our way to whatever desert we chose to explore.  No matter the shifts and changes at Catalina Spa, I am reasonably certain we will park there again as well.  Who knows what we will find the next time we come.  I still miss the “lower” pool, and the bigger one in the upper park is a substitute.  But it worked, I still was able to swim in the middle of the night or at sunrise, and had the pool to myself.  That is still the best part of Catalina Spa for me.

For Mattie, I think the dog park is fun, but the best part for her is the open desert to the north of the park, filled with debris from park cleanups, but also filled with rabbit smells and open space where she can run off leash a bit.  Mo and I like walking out there as well, watching whatever lightshow appears for us on the distant mountains.

I do feel incredibly lucky to have the chance to escape to the deserts, no matter how long or how short the trip may be.  There was a time, as my daughter reminded me on the phone today, when February would put me in a dark place. I don’t take for granted the shifts in my life that allow me the freedom to roam, to wander, to swim at dawn or hike on a weekday, or sit in a fabulous movie theater on a rainy afternoon.  Retirement really is incredible.

Ships Passing in the Night…errr….Evening

If some of these photos look a bit familiar to you, it might be because Mo and I decided to end our Desert Hot Springs trip with a visit to the Palm Springs Thursday Night Street Fair.  Today while catching up on blogs as we drove north on I-5, I saw Rick’s post about attending the same street fair.  In fact, he even took a photo of the restaurant where we were having dinner!  Unlike Rick, I was too overwhelmed with the crowds and the shops and the booths and the smells to remember to take many photos. I can’t believe we didn’t run into each other there, but then again, there were a LOT of people, and lots of doggies as well.

Our trip was a whirlwind, spent mostly driving back desert roads, and we didn’t decide until yesterday that it might be a good idea to eat Mexican one more time before packing up the rig for our early morning departure today.  I also wanted to see the Marilyn Monroe statue that has been highlighted on more than a few blogs lately.  We parked and walked and finally found it, right downtown in the very middle of the street fair.

In the past, we have had great meals at two Mexican Restaurants on this main drag, so decided to try Macarena’s for something new. Even though we were told it would be a half hour wait, within minutes my phone rang and our outside table was ready.  It was great having good food, a happy hour marguerita, and a good people watching spot in the middle of all the action.

In addition to all our desert drives, we managed a bit of relaxation while in the desert, and I swam and soaked in the pools every single day but one.  Love those pools.  We also walked the park, walked the surrounding desert a bit, and drove to La Quinta so that I could spend some time in a great quilt store, Monica’s Quilt.  Of course, I came out with a bag of gorgeous fabric and some new patterns.  I also got directions to the Quilter’s Faire in Palm Desert, hidden in an industrial area behind Wal-Mart and came away with another bag of fabric and a couple of good looking patterns.  Ah, Stash!  gotta love it.

We decided to just make a beeline for home with only a one night stay in Lodi at the Flag City RV Resort.  This meant leaving this morning at 6:30 so that we could travel the lovely sunrise route north on Highway 247 to Barstow before turning east to cross the Tehachapis on Highway 58 to Bakersfield.

I was a bit bummed about not having time to stay one more night at the Orange Grove RV Park because I finished the last of my tree ripened oranges a few days ago.  I decided to take a chance and call the park, and sure enough the owners were friendly and wonderful and said, “Sure, just come on in and get a picker and pick yourself a bag.  No Charge”.  How is that for good advertising!  We pulled into the park and spent just half an hour picking another big bag of the incredibly sweet juicy oranges to take home with us.  Ahhhh.

Driving into Bakersfield was dramatic as usual.  Looking down on the smog line from the elevation of the pass was intense, and once down in the valley the smog didn’t let up, ever.  We drove a good 250 miles through dingy smoggy air, all the way from Bakersfield to Lodi.  I had to go digging for eye drops.  I drove the first half of the trip through gorgeous, empty, clear desert, and Mo got the second half up the Five.  I think I got the better end of that deal!  We covered 496 miles today and settled into our spot here in Lodi just after five pm, in plenty of time to warm up the leftovers from last night’s great dinner at Macarena’s.

Tomorrow just under 400 miles and we will spend the night back in the Grants Pass Cottage.  Both of us are excited to see the new roof that was completed while we were gone, but neither of us is particularly excited about returning to cold weather.  It has been a great reprieve, and a wonderful two weeks of mostly warmth and sunshine.  Lucky Us!

 

12-23-2010 A Sunny Day in the Desert

 

Finally! When the sun does come out, it is as though I can breathe the light.  I am a light addict, I know.  Mo says often, “Quit worrying about it, you can’t change it”.  I want blue skies, maybe a few puffy whites around, and 75 to 80 degrees or so.  Isn’t that why we have an RV?? I am certainly not complaining about our gorgeous day today, however, not one bit.  We started out with a swim around 4:30 am in the 24/7 hot spring pool.  If you can’t sleep in this park, just go swimming.  Funny thing, by 5:30 there were some other folks showing up.  Crazy, I know, but it sure felt good on the bones that are tired of all the rain.

Today instead of hiking, we decided to try out the Palm Springs Aerial Tram. Knowing how quickly after a rain the skies can get hazy, I was glad that we left early in the morning  and beat the crowds. 

We heard many languages spoken on the tram and in the visitor’s centers, and even had a great conversation with a local Palm Springs resident who was sharing the great tourist attraction with visiting relatives.  I think I’ll just link to the tram information since the hour is late and I am a bit worn.  Lazy? Maybe, but why rewrite it all?  Sometimes people tend to avoid touristy attractions, but often they are attractions for a good reason.

The quick, slick, smooth ride from the desert to the snowy mountaintop was breathtaking, and worth every single penny.  Maybe it isn’t something you have to do more than once, but I wouldn’t have missed it.

We capped off the tram ride with a great long walk through some wide open desert along the flooding wash north of Palm Springs.  Sadly, almost all of the nice hiking trails in this area are not dog friendly, with even leashed dogs prohibited from the trails.

We wandered off into the desert toward the huge windmills that fill the valley, unencumbered by rules, people, or anything else to bother us except the ever present desert garbage. 

I just don’t get the garbage thing, but it seems to be strewn everywhere, huge piles of household trash, shoes, books, hangars.  Abby didn’t care, and we didn’t either as long as we just kept looking up to the gorgeous skies and brilliantly shadowed mountains capped with fresh snow.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful walk.

  The garbage of humankind can be ignored I guess, if you try hard enough. Is it somewhat strange that all this garbage and all this opulence are just a few hundred yards apart?

After our walk, we wandered around the back streets of north Palm Springs, checking out Elvis Presley’s honeymoon house and other idyllic homes on soft quiet streets. In spite of all the road closures, we managed to find a route west of the valley that took us through open countryside and avoided another tiresome stop and go run down busy highway 111 through the palm towns. I took a ton of photos today, tried to delete as many as possible, but just couldn’t resist the magnificent vistas of desert sky and mountains. 

12-19-2010 Desert Modernism in Palm Springs

I suppose that our foray to the local Wal-Mart in Palm Springs shouldn’t quality as a step into Desert Modernism, a new phrase that I just found to describe all the flat, square buildings around here.  I kept saying to Mo, “This reminds me so much of my ugly, cement childhood in the suburbs of LA. Lots of flagstone, flat roofs, square facades, dull colors.  The worst of Frank Lloyd Wright on steroids, surrounded by graceful palms.  As we drove down Gene Autry Trail I kept wondering why everything looked this way, why it all looked like we had stepped back into the 50’s.  The more we drove, the more I realized that all this squareness was actually on purpose.  Even new buildings, new apartments, had that “look”.  Hmmm.  Later, hunting desperately for a dog-friendly hiking trail in Palm Springs I happened on the phrase: “Desert Modernism”.  It’s real, and Palm Springs and the surrounding towns are very proud of it.  Palm Springs has the largest concentration of mid-century modern architecture in the country. I guess that explains it.  Maybe my escape from mid-century LA basin life many years ago to the rich northwest world of Craftsman and cabins ruined me for appreciating this particular style.

But back to Wal-Mart. All I can say is “Ugh”!! The store here is so huge I couldn’t find the exits and the bathrooms were horrendous.  It’s sometimes really easy to catch the mixed up lists of needs at a superstore, but maybe not quite worth it.  Somehow I expected better in this upscale area.  The Wal-Mart we visited in Minnesota was pretty darn nice, and almost as big.  We won’t go to this one again, that is for sure. After adding to our supplies at this scary place, we continued driving along HWY 111, the main route through the desert towns here in the Coachella Valley.  Upscale is definitely an understatement here, and the El Paseo shopping area was not exactly the place I wanted to be in my denim shorts and Keen sandals.  As we sat in traffic among the Mercedes, Jaguars, BMW’s, Mo suddenly said, “What in the world is THAT car?”.  Turns out it was a Maseratti.  I don’t think I saw one in real life before.  We were glad we had at least washed the Tracker before coming to town. The rain held off all day but the skies were threatening, and our plan for the day was to explore the area, check things out, get our bearings. 

Home at Catalina RV Park and Spa looked tremendously welcoming when we finally arrived, still frustrated with no internet connections, but at least Mo had the news and I decided to try out the swimming pool.  Our park has a truly wonderful pool, large and crystal clear, with a hot spa adjacent that is probably close to 104 degrees.  The night was chilly, with wild white clouds obscuring the moon and revealing it in turn, but I thought maybe the pool would be warm enough to swim, since it appeared that steam was rising from the water.  Ahhh!!  I was enveloped by a balmy 93 degrees of pure mineral spring water that is pumped from the parks own well at 130 degrees and cooled with fresh water to a safe level.  The large swimming pool has no chemicals, and neither does the spa.  All the water is naturally changed several times a day by the influx of fresh water.  Unlike many hot springs, this water is full of minerals but has no sulphur, another great thing since there is no bad smell at all.  I floated on my back and watched the moon and stars come and go amidst the clouds and let all the frustrations of the last couple of days slip away.

This morning we woke to more heavy clouds, and threatening rain.  Reading about the Street Fair at the College of the Desert was interesting, so we took off to try out the local fairs.  By the time we got there, the rain was a bit heavier, but not so much that we couldn’t walk without umbrellas.  However, many of the vendors were giving up.  It wasn’t such a bad thing since the fair turned out to be just a tacky as many flea markets, and our only purchase was some great lettuce for tonight’s salad and some dates. By the time we got back home the rain was coming down hard in Palm Springs, but once again it was dry where we are camped. 

The park here is quite nice except for the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity. We paid the fee to supposedly connect, but the only time I have been able to actually get to the internet was before 6am this morning.  After six, all came to a screeching halt.  You all know how frustrating that can be!  Instead, as darkness falls, Mo and I are sitting here at the Starbucks in Desert Hot Springs, listening to Christmas music and trying to catch up on all things internet.  I am still searching for dog friendly hikes and Christmas lights.  Tomorrow evening is a real treat, when we will meet Laurie and Odel for dinner at the Fisherman’s Market in La Quinta.  The sun will come out eventually, I am sure, eventually.  In the mean time, all I can say is that I am glad I am not camping in a tent.

3 comments:

1. 

   RickDecember 19, 2010 at 8:54 PM

   Sorry to hear the weather is so lousy down there in our favorite haunt! I know the WalMart you are talking about and it is a bit of a dump. There is a much nicer one over across from the Costco on Monterey Ave.
   I've also been to the Starbucks you mentioned so it was neat to read about all those places.
   Say hi to Laurie and Odel!

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2. 

   Karen and AlDecember 20, 2010 at 5:14 AM

   How nice it sounds to float in the warm water and look at the moon.

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3. 

   pidgeDecember 20, 2010 at 12:51 PM

   I have run into a few Wal * Marts like yours. It always surprises me, because most are very clean, and very well kept. Have fun down there.

   ReplyDelete