Desert images

For our last day in Palm Desert, we decided to return to two favourite spots for desert walks. We started at a preserve south of the city where we ate our lunch on the patio and did some bird watching - a steady stream of hummingbirds and some cactus wrens hung out in the bushes and trees in front of us.
I love the subtle colours of the desert. The smoke tree on the right looks like its name. The palo verde on the left is the tree of choice in shopping centres and boulevards, and in town where water is more plentiful, is bright green (bark included) and covered with yellow flowers. Here in the wild, the colour is fading and I imagine will turn pretty grey with the heat that is coming.

After lunch, we returned to the Coachella Valley Preserve north of Palm Desert to walk the trail to the oasis again. There was still a strong wind but it was a much cooler day - high 60's - so seemed a good day to walk in the desert. We hoped to see some more fringed lizards and desert rabbits but soon found that it was much too cool for them - not a living thing in sight. We enjoyed the walk although the wind was really strong and actually cool walking out - much better returning.

It is an eery feeling walking on the San Andreas fault line like this - you can't help but think about just where you'd take cover if the big one starts....

I didn't make it to this beautiful oasis the first time - was glad we came back today to see it.

It was cool enough to wear jackets - but perfect for walking.

Strong winds blowing

It sounds like our unit is being blown apart right now - there are very strong winds blowing furniture around outside and the occasional gust moves the room we are sitting in! This wind was predicted for today but took its time arriving. It was calm all day but by dinnertime, the wind was strong enough that Bill couldn't keep the BBQ lit. It has increased since then but apparently is supposed to end by midnight.
It was cooler today - probably high 70's and predicted to be the same tomorrow but then the temperature is going up and is supposed to hit 100 by Sunday. Yesterday it hit the high 80's and felt like opening the oven door when we stepped outside.
We had a busy day today checking off our list of things we still wanted to do - mostly sightseeing and some shopping. Tonight we are hunkered down and especially glad not to be on Highway 10 where gusts like this are known to cause all sorts of trouble.

Sunset in Joshua Tree

We made our last trip up to Joshua Tree Park tonight - our seven day pass expires today. Decided to try again for sunset views and sightings of creatures - hoped to hear coyotes. We heard many Gambel's quail and one mockingbird on the trip up to the viewpoint. We decided that quail sound and act like life is one long panic station (which it probably is!). They scurry in one direction then another madly chattering to one another across the path as we walked along. In the meantime, the mockingbird sings fifteen different songs a minute - Bill catches about 1/4 of them when the bird hits the low notes.

We made it up to the top of the ridge in time to watch the sun go down (you can see the path down below). Then, for one scary moment, just as the last bit of light was disappearing, we debated which path was the right trail to get us back down the other side of the steep ridge. We made it down before the first stars came out and as we walked back to the car an owl flew silently over our heads and landed in a nearby Joshua Tree. It was too dark to see what kind. No sound of coyotes but still a fabulous way to end a day.

Easter in the desert

Well, that was a pretty good day....
Happy Easter to my four chicks and all others reading. We thought about you today.

Started the day at La Quinta farmers market to pick up our final week's fresh vegetables, cheese and bread. Stopped for a latte at the coffee shop on La Quinta Main Street where we could people and dog-watch.

Then after a lazy day of watching the Masters, reading books, and suntanning by the pool, we packed up a picnic lunch and drove back up to Joshua Tree National Park to see the sunset. The colours of the desert were bright in the lower light and the temperature was actually cool after a day of 85 plus. Bill coaxed me to the top of a pile of giant granite boulders to sit for our picnic and to watch the sunset. We didn't see much wildlife - two kangaroo rats, a pair of cactus wrens, and a tiny bat but the light was gorgeous and the air perfect.

Luxurious day in the sun

We've had a lovely, luxurious day in the sun today - started out at the College of the Desert street fair - open every Saturday and Sunday in the parking lot of the College. Shuttle buses bring you from parking lots far away on the campus and once there, the hundreds of people have room to spread out. Everything imagineable is for sale from flip flops and T-shirts - 3 for $10.00, to garden art, thousands of hats, golf clubs and bags, and clothing and jewellery. Farmers market booths sell the usual - it is strawberry and asparagus time but avacado and artichokes are plentiful with dates, apricots and pastel-coloured licorice displayed in colourful rows.
There are also food stalls and by noon, the smell of hot dogs, hamburgers and Mexican fried treats attracted us. We sat at tables with four snowbirds talking about when they were going home (not until the weather looks better...) and listened to a Latin American band while eating our lunch and sipping fresh lemonade.
This afternoon we sat at home, immersed in our books, before eventually grabbing our beach towels and suits and heading to the pool for an hour's blazing sun. There is a warm wind blowing again today but it cooled us off as we baked. The wind blowing through the date palms sounds like a heavy rain shower - the first night I heard it, I expected to get up to pools of water everywhere. There is no sign of rain - the clouds retreated in the night to hug the mountains.

Day of shopping and exploring.

Woke up to clouds and really cool weather so decided to head out again and see what we could see. We had heard that there was a Swiss-like town called Idyllwild not far from here so decided to go see it.
We stopped at El Paseo Drive on the way out of town - a gorgeous street with Art Galleries, high-end clothing stores, flower shops and restaurants. Street art down the median and gorgeous store fronts makes even window shopping fun but I ducked into a few shops while Bill sat patiently in the chair at the door.

Tilting at windmills

As we drove out of town on the dreaded I-10 highway, we passed through the windiest place I've ever been - the San Gorgonio Pass. The wind flows all the way from the ocean off Los Angeles through the narrow pass in the San Berardino Mountains. According to the description we read at Joshua National Park, it brings baggage in the way of pollution from the factories, industries and vehicles of Los Angeles. This causes frequent air quality issues that affect the park and Palm Springs area in many significant ways. The plus side of this constant wind is the availability of wind energy which has been harnessed big-time. Coming around a corner on the highway you are suddenly faced with miles of windmills growing out of the valley floor and up the hills like graves at a war memorial. Some huge, some small, some with three spokes, some with two, some spinning and others still, it is an amazing sight. Today's wind was extreme enough that the larger windmills were turned off and turned out of the direct wind - a posture I should have taken while snapping pictures!