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!
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