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!

Who really needs this kind of outlet?

Once through the pass we made a turn into a large outlet mall. I had it on good authority that the Coldwater Creek Outlet store was worth a stop. Once off the highway we found out where everyone was! The enormous, mile-long parking lot was full! Bill dropped me off and went looking for a spot. By the time he found one and came to meet me, I had checked out the whole store, a few more, and was ready to leave. What a cheap date I am! Outlet stores have changed since the day we found the Esprit outlet more than 20 years ago. No longer bins of real bargains with women grabbing a pile and throwing their clothes off right there to try them on (remember Christie?), the shops are now rows of neat "bargains" straight off the boat with every size available and prices higher than the "real" store on El Paseo. Let me out of there!

26 miles and 6000 feet later....

We left the highway to start the drive to Idyllwild. It turns out that while the road is only 26 miles long, it winds up 6000 feet! So we were soon in the clouds and passing snow on the side of the road. The little town is a pretty mountain village and is just coming awake again after the winter trade has gone. It must be a wonderful relief for people to come up here from the desert in the summer. There are lots of cabins available and trails for hiking. We found a cozy coffee house and had fresh white chocolate-raspberry scones and steaming coffee. It was lightly snowing as we drove back down through the clouds but by 3000 feet we were pealing off layers and preparing for the desert. The weather is predicted to go back up to the mid-80's again tomorrow.

Day off

We decided to slow our pace and spend the day here relaxing. It is cooler today - high 70's and was nice outside all day although still hot in the direct sun. This afternoon, we sat and roasted 20 minutes a side beside the pool. Bill did a few laps and otherwise we read our books and visited with neighbours.

Good morning in fifty languages...

This lovely little mocking bird says good night and good morning in as many bird languages as he can muster every day. He usually sits in a palm tree outside our unit and sings from sunrise to sunset. You'd think you had a choir of soloists until you look closely and find out it is all coming from him.

Chuckwalla and vistas of 49 Palms Hike

This fat chuckwalla was waiting for us to pass so he could go to other side of the path - yellow flowers, his favourite -waited for him over there. He is a strict vegetarian but seems to be thriving on that diet.

Rocky hillside typical of this part of the park. Red barrel cactus sticks out part way up the slope.

Looking north to the largest air/ground combat centre in the world. A few clouds formed this day - first we've seen since we arrived.

Palm Oasis peaking out of the deep rocky canyon. There have been fires in the oasis since the 40's so the palm trees don't have the full frond "skirts" anymore. But the palms apparently become healthier and more productive because smaller plants killed in the fire no longer compete with them for water.

Are you sure you can see the top??

Where's my stroller when I need it?

Out the door at 9:00 to head back up to Joshua Tree National Park to explore the top end more closely. A ranger suggested the best hike right now is the 49 Palms Oasis - most wildflowers in evidence and fabulous views. All this was right but the hike involved climbing up, up, up to the top of a rise, winding around several craggy hills then down, down, down to the Oasis. Now anyone who hikes knows that down, down, down means up, up, up later on! The amazing thing is that we followed a big family who decided to take their toddler in a stroller! The climb involved foot-high and higher steps carved in the rock, with winding, rocky pathways and many narrow spots. We found the stroller abandoned on the side of a hill about 1/3 of the way up - amazed it took that long to make the decision!
I took 100 pictures on the way to the Oasis so that allowed me to catch my breath. I really hate hills but the view was stunning - first to the north as the cars in the parking lot became matchbox toys and the world's largest air-ground combat base - a white blotch on the horizon. The hills were covered with blooming wild flowers and spots of cactus showing off their stunning pink blossoms or bright red thorns.
After an hour or more we could see the dark green patch of palm trees poking up from a valley. This was the oasis - formed on the fault line when water was cut off below the surface. We were both thinking about this being a very unfortunate place to be if there were an earthquake - craggy hills hanging over us with many loose boulders..... We sat drinking water in the cool of the oasis along with the stroller family. They showed no interest in starting back up and I could hardly blame them. Bill offered to carry my backpack and camera which sped our return back - we did it in half the time but with double the complaining!

Jumping teddy bears!

This is the Cholla Cactus. It is also known as the jumping cactus or teddy bear cactus. Three feet along the path, my hat blew off in the wind and when Bill rescued it for me, he turned it over to find a part attached - they are tricky little suckers and even after that hitchhiker was shaken off, I had to carefully pick out dozens of thorns.

This huge field of cholla was tantalizing - blooming and glistening in the bright sun - but we were all walking very carefully and never backed up while leaning over for a closer shot!

They continue to stand even when dead and dark brown - kind of do look like many-armed teddy bears.

Joshua Trees

The Joshua Trees had many suggested names (including Cabbage head) but the Mormons passing through the desert on their way to their promised land thought they looked like the biblical Joshua pointing out the way and that name stuck. They start out growing straight but when the top gets frozen, it blooms and then sends out two branches. They grow five inches in the first five years then 1/2 inch a year after that. That makes many of them hundreds of years old. They are the best indicator that you are in the Mojave.

A walk in the Mojave - cactus tales

We spent the day in Joshua Tree National Park today. Its boundaries include the Mojave and the Colorado Desert. We drove the park to get our bearings and found incredible variety from 3000 foot altitude desert at the top end down to a blisteringly hot basin at the bottom. A strong, dry, hot wind blew all day and we happily retreated to the car after short walks. We're going back tomorrow to look more closely at the top end - it is going to be much cooler but the wind is expected to continue. The desert is still blooming at the top end.

I took over 100 pictures - all cactus! We did see one Jack Rabbit - racing zigzag across in front of us - I've never seen anything move so fast. We stepped carefully and avoided all the rattlesnakes, taratulas and scorpions....

This first cactus is a Beavertail. They show up like beacons with their spectacular pink blooms.

Creatures of the desert

We met a lot of great little creatures on our walk in the desert. The little desert cotton-tail rabbit really did not want to be seen and disappeared in a hurry but the fringe lizards didn't believe we could see them and would stop and wait until we left them alone no matter how close we got.

The lizards are threatened because they only live in sand dunes which are disappearing. They have little ear and eye flaps to let them go below the surface to cool off and fringes on their feet to keep them up above the surface (a warm version of snowshoes). They also like to lift their feet, tail and body when standing still to keep the sand from burning.

Do I feel the ground moving?

We were informed our first night that we are sitting on the San Andreas fault and that just over a week ago there was a flurry of earthquakes in the 4.5 range. So we figured we better head to the fault itself and have a closer look. The Coachella Valley Preserve is a large parcel of desert preserve with sand dunes and shrubby desert plants and the occasional oasis. It turns out that the oases(?) are signs of the fault - At the visitor centre where we had an explanation, we were standing on the North American plate. Not far across over a field was the Pacific Plate. Between is the shifting earth that gets pushed around in an earthquake. An oasis shows up when the earth shifts and a layer of water far below the surface is cut in half leaving nowhere for the water to go but slowly up to the surface. The clue is a grove of Californian Fan Palms crowded around the water.

We went for a mile-long walk through desert stopping at the oases - amazing cool places in the mid-day heat (88 degrees today).

We were told that the scientists now agree that within the next 30 years the big one is going to happen. It is now 100 years overdue. I'm going to avoid high-rises during our stay.

Or try grasses

We turned a corner and another alternative is presented - Mexican feather grass in amongst the palm trees.

Most gardens in our resort have no grass and use rock and succulents instead. Many owners seem to like kitchy garden ornaments too. Some boulevards alongside some of the resorts still have lots of grass - even petunias and geraniums! But the most gorgeous and higher-end resorts we found have very large, very exotic succulents and native desert plants. They are less colourful but the subtle colours are my favourites.

Succulent pizzas Palm Springs style

We spent more time wandering through a demonstration garden newly planted to show use of low-water plants. The first part was the succulent section - geometric but beautiful, I think. The landscape designer used different ground covers (crushed rock of different colour and grade) as backdrop. All the plants will grow much bigger.

Beaked yuka, agave and spring vegetables

I'm still moving pretty slow but since there is lots happening on a Sunday we headed out to the La Quinta Farmers Market in La Quinta Old Town. We wandered through enthusiastic farmers' stalls offering mostly organic fresh vegetables. We watched a cooking demonstration of Pasta Primavera and after samples, we filled our bags with enough vegetables and herbs to repeat the process at home.
Our next stop was the visitor information centre in Palm Desert. We registered for the fourth Annual Spring Desert Garden Tour - it started at the centre where there is a four-year-old demonstration garden of native plants. The point is to encourage locals to plant more drought-resistant plants and this garden shows how beautiful the results can be. A date palm seedling was given out to all the participants. If I had been able to take it home, in a decade or so, it could have been a twin of yours, Lillian.
The other two gardens are at commercial sites with gardens designed by desert horticulturalists and landscape designers. All three gardens also emphasize plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. The little Anna Hummingbirds that decided to give Victoria a miss this winter were everwhere.
By mid-afternoon, it was about 85 degrees and time for a siesta.