Mind you, this entire area is right along the San Andreas Fault and I am pretty nervous about "the big one" occuring while we're here. Nevertheless, holding my breath, I'm enjoying the whole experience.
Along the way northwest, we drove through beautiful green rolling mountains and up into what's referred to as "high desert". I saw citrus trees and other agriculture, mountains, desert, palm trees, snow and cactus. What a place!
Our first close look at the snow covered mountains came less than half-way to Palm Springs. |
The desert floor approaching Palm Springs is literally "covered" with wind turbines. There are thousands of these huge propellers that generate power from the wind. |
Okay. We're driving back down from the tram station and that's Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs below. |
Pictures just can't capture the beauty of the area. Another shot coming off the mountain looking across the desert floor. |
A drive along one of the main streets of Palm Springs. It's really ritzy-rich here and the weather is about perfect -- in the 70's. |
This is how the fashionable old people get around in downtown Palm Springs. No plain ole "Rascals" here. I want one -- in red. |
From Palm Springs we drove 10 miles to Desert Hot Springs, a town that is most unimpressive on entry. It is nestled in the foothills of the Little San Bernadino Mountains between Palm Sprinhgs and Joshua Tree National Park. Here's the thing that gives the town it's name: A cold water acquifer that provides delicious, award-winning drinking water and a hot mineral water aquifer for hot springs bathing. There are over 40 spa resorts but all seem to be privately held and there's no place to just "see" or "put your toe in" for curosity seekers. Since we certainly didn't know this and did not bring swimsuits, we did not inquiry as to the hot spring spa hotels.
Looking around the town we found Cabot Museum which was interesting and relaxing for a break -- and Wayne needed a quick nap in the car while Lexie and I toured the property. Seems this fellow, Cabot Zerka, a veteran of the Alaska Gold Mining Rush, settled this property in 1898 and was the first European to find the hot springs. He discovered them while digging his water well by hand in 1933. The existing remains on the property are from his home built in 1944. He died in 1963.
Home of Cabot Zerka, first European to find the hot springs. |
One of the out building on the Cabot Zerka property. |
Yucca Valley was a vibrant little city with every convenience imaginable. The sunshine was still warm and we took our time driving through it. Along this area, we began to notice the famous "Joshua Tree" which is not really a tree at all. It is in the same family as the Yucca plant and the two grow side-by-side in many places and is a good indicator that you're in the Mojave Desert but it does also grow in the Sonoran Desert and alongside pines in the San Bernadino Mountains.
The Joshua Tree got it's name from Mormon immigrants who made their way west. Legend says they named the tree after Joshua in the Bible after seeing the limbs of the tree seemingly guiding them westward. Trunks and limbs of the Joshua tree were used in early settler days for fencing and corrals. They were also used for fuel.
A bunch of Joshua Trees |
Awesome pictures! I think you are a great blogger. Love u pictures!
ReplyDeleteI like the pics it is really beautiful.Thanks for sharing.
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