Palm Springs: Top 10 U.S. Places to Travel
May 29, 2017 14 Comments
Greater Palm Springs was voted one of the top ten places to travel in the United States by Lonely Planet in 2017. We visited in early spring and loved it as usual!
Nature Photography by Pam & Richard
May 29, 2017 14 Comments
Greater Palm Springs was voted one of the top ten places to travel in the United States by Lonely Planet in 2017. We visited in early spring and loved it as usual!
April 6, 2017 2 Comments
The San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs is one of the windiest places in California. The area is famous for its huge wind farms containing over 4,000 wind turbines. The largest blades measure half the length of a football field. Currently engineers are working on a prototype that would have blades twice the length of a football field mounted on a tower taller than the Empire State Building! Another post is at: https://naturetime.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/california-palm-springs-wind-turbines/
April 3, 2017 Leave a comment
Recently we enjoyed seeing some of the Desert X art installations on view throughout the Coachella Valley in Palm Springs, California (https://www.desertx.org/). Overall the exhibition runs February 25 – April 20, 2017, but this exhibit will remain open until October 31st.
Artist Doug Aitken created this mirrored home of polished steel called “Mirage”. Environment and home are blended together in this unique kaleidoscopic structure. The view is said to be especially stunning at sunset and in moonlight. This was a favorite and a real treat to see on the last day of our trip!
April 1, 2017 2 Comments
When we visited Palm Springs recently, we were happy to see some of the Desert X art installations on view throughout the Coachella Valley (https://www.desertx.org/). The exhibition runs February 25 – April 20, 2017.
These pictures show a ring of mirrored pillars called “The Circle of Land and Sky” by artist Phillip K. Smith III. I think it would be fun to have a couple of mirrored pillars at home in the flower garden!
June 22, 2015 4 Comments
We always enjoy visiting the Palm Springs Art Museum in Southern California. There is a wonderful variety of items on display, and it is delightful dining outside beside cacti and hummingbirds. Info about visiting the museum is at: http://www.psmuseum.org/
June 14, 2015 10 Comments
We always enjoying visiting Joshua Tree National Park in the Mojave Desert of California – it is one of our favorites!
The spiny Cholla Cactus Garden is a wonderful place to take a careful walk (no sandals or flip-flops allowed). We got extra lucky when we visited because a sun ring formed in the sky above us – amazing! More info on how sun halos form is at: http://earthsky.org/space/what-makes-a-halo-around-the-moon
Joshua trees are fun to see because they come in so many shapes and sizes as a result of the environment. They are a member of the lily family. The rocky landscape is quite scenic, and is criss-crossed by multiple earthquake faults. The San Andreas Fault forms the southern boundary of the park. More info about these faults is at: http://www.nps.gov/jotr/learn/nature/faults.htm More info about visiting Joshua Tree National Park is at: http://www.joshuatree.org/
May 23, 2015 9 Comments
Every time we visit Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California, we always make time to see more of Ricardo Breceda’s metalwork creations at Galleta Meadows. He carefully considers the placement of each statue in the landscape for best effect. New “Sky Art” is constantly being added to the desert plain.
A simple driving tour map is pictured above, and a detailed interactive Google map is at: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1Eh2KAR81FCa5sgPDCaGwoPcF-8g&hl=en_US&ll=33.255457461934164%2C-116.35907649993896&z=12 Maps are also available around town in Borrego Springs. An interesting article is at http://www.desertusa.com/borrego/bs-art.html
All posts about the sculptures are at: https://naturetime.wordpress.com/?s=galleta
Desert wildflower blooms are usually best during an El nino year because rain comes to the desert. The best desert wildflowers we’ve ever seen was the Palm Springs bloom of 1998.
June 30, 2014 10 Comments
Joshua Tree is one of our favorite national parks (near Twentynine Palms, California). The trees are giant members of the Yucca family. The largest tree in the park is 42 feet tall, 34 feet wide, and has a trunk 9 feet around. Although trees start off growth as a single stalk, each one quickly develops its own unique shape due to damage to the growing tips. Joshua trees have a very important role in the Mojave High Desert ecosystem. This beautiful landscape has been featured in many movies and TV shows. More info is at: http://www.nps.gov/jotr/naturescience/jtrees.htm A previous post is at: https://naturetime.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/joshua-tree-national-park/
June 14, 2014 3 Comments
The southern region of Anza Borrego Desert State Park contains many treasures. We especially enjoyed hiking on Mountain Palm Springs trail, which leads to several native palm oases. The oases here form where groundwater seeps up to the surface along the Elsinore fault zone. The trail begins up a dry wash leading past cholla and barrel cactus. The landscape’s white granite rock contains mica that sparkles in the sun. The first group of palms encountered along the trail is the Pygmy Grove. The “skirts” of dead fronds on the palms provide shelter to owls, bats, snakes, and many other creatures. In Fall and early winter, animals feast on the palms’ sweet sticky dates.
A little further south is a spectacular vista overlooking the Carizzo Badlands. As you look out at the Coyote Mountains, you are looking at the active San Jacinto earthquake fault zone. These mountains are rich in fossils of mastodons, camels, zebras, and sabertooth tigers from a million years ago. What was really amazing was that no one else was around when we visited – the only sound we could hear was the wind. Not a car, not a plane, only silence. It was magical. More info about the geology and natural history of Anza Borrego is at: http://www.abdnha.org/anza-borrego-desert-geology.htm
June 7, 2014 6 Comments
Visitors at Anza Borrego State Park, California, can’t miss the metal sculptures at Galleta Meadows. Over 100 statues by Ricardo Breceda dot the desert landscape. Some statues are based on local fossils found in the area, and others are more fanciful. All are fun to see!
A simple driving tour map is pictured above, and a detailed interactive Google map is at: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1Eh2KAR81FCa5sgPDCaGwoPcF-8g&hl=en_US&ll=33.255457461934164%2C-116.35907649993896&z=12 Maps are also available around town in Borrego Springs. An interesting article is at http://www.desertusa.com/borrego/bs-art.html
All sculpture posts are at: https://naturetime.wordpress.com/?s=galleta
June 5, 2014 5 Comments
Palm Springs, California, has one of the largest concentrations of Mid-Century Modern architecture in America. The Desert Modernism style combines sleek lines and modern materials with desert living. Important elements of design include color, lighting, and texture. Windows are placed to overlook the desert landscape. Many Desert Modernism style homes built in the 1950s and 1960s are now in top demand as chic retro-style housing. Shops in town specialize in matching atomic/space age furniture. This architecture is so popular that tourists flock to Palm Springs every year for Modernism Week (http://www.modernismweek.com/). Popular architectural landmarks are detailed in do-it-yourself driving tours: (http://www.visitpalmsprings.com/page/mid-century-modern-architecture/8185). More info is at: (http://www.oldhouseonline.com/mid-century-modern-houses-in-palm-springs/)
May 30, 2014 6 Comments
Palm Springs, California, is home to the oldest wind farm in the United States. Visitors can’t miss the wind turbines – it is surreal driving on Highway 10 among them. The oldest wind turbines were built in the 1980s and stand 65 feet tall, with 15 foot blades, rotating up to 700 times per minute. Newer models stand 300 feet tall, with blades half the length of a football field, rotating up to 45 times per minute. Thousands of these wind turbines line the San Gorgonio Pass, producing electricity for the Coachella Valley. This area has abundant wind energy because the air funnels through the mountain pass between the cool ocean and hot desert – sometimes reaching 80 mph! There are even special dune buggy tours among the wind turbines. A fun television episode of California’s Gold includes a visit by Huell Howser to the top of a wind turbine and can be viewed here: https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2001/01/08/windmills-californias-gold-3012/
May 27, 2014 7 Comments
One of our favorite things to do in Palm Springs, California, is to ride the aerial tram car up to Mountain Station near the top of Mount San Jacinto (8,516 feet). The distance between the mountaintop and the desert floor is over 2 miles one way, and the journey takes about 15 minutes. The circular rotating tram cars are state-of-the-art and were built by Switzerland. The temperature difference between the top and bottom is quite dramatic. There aren’t many places where you can hike beside cactus and play in the winter snow – all in the same afternoon! More info is at: https://www.pstramway.com/about-us/history/ A previous post from 2012 is at: https://naturetime.wordpress.com/2012/03/18/palm-springs-aerial-tramway/
March 24, 2012 2 Comments
Cacti are adapted to life in the desert. They can survive temperature extremes with very little water. Spines protect them from hungry animals. If the rains come, they bloom in spring. Mojave Desert cacti flowers are very colorful!
March 23, 2012 2 Comments
You feel like you’ve stepped back in time when you see the prehistoric metalworks creatures on the desert plain at Anza Borrego Springs. All of the animals roamed the area millions of years ago.
Ricardo Breceda positions each piece of his Sky Art carefully at Galleta Meadows for realism. Breceda hopes that his Sky Art creates a sense of fun and whimsy, and connection to the landscape. Apparently it does, because people have weekly picnics by the sculptures, and decorate them for the holidays!
A simple driving tour map is pictured above, and a detailed interactive Google map is at: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1Eh2KAR81FCa5sgPDCaGwoPcF-8g&hl=en_US&ll=33.255457461934164%2C-116.35907649993896&z=12 Maps are also available around town in Borrego Springs. An interesting article is at http://www.desertusa.com/borrego/bs-art.html
All metal sculpture posts are at: https://naturetime.wordpress.com/?s=galleta
March 22, 2012 Leave a comment
Although the Mojave Desert has been dry in 2012 and the wildflower season is minimal, other years have been spectacular! Keep up with current wildflower reports at: http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/ca.html. When the rains come and the flowers bloom, you don’t want to miss it!
March 21, 2012 2 Comments
Anza Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California is a World Biosphere Reserve, and National Natural Landmark. Borrego is Spanish for bighorn sheep. It is the largest desert park in the United States! More than 650,000 acres have been set aside for future generations. More information for visitors is at: http://www.abdsp.org/ and http://theabf.org/
March 20, 2012 Leave a comment
You must walk very carefully on the Cholla Gardens Trail at Joshua Tree National Park. Teddy bear cholla cacti are far from cuddly! The cacti are so spiny and sticky that small animals use them for defense around their burrows.
March 19, 2012 7 Comments
Joshua Tree is one of our nation’s newest national parks. Joshua trees are giant yucca plants that survive extreme heat and cold in California’s Mojave desert. The park’s classic Western landscape has been filmed extensively for movies and television. The desert scenery is spectacular!
March 18, 2012 5 Comments
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway transports the world’s largest rotating tram cars up the steepest mountain in North America. The tram cars are attached to steel cables that carry them over 2 1/2 miles from the desert floor to Mountain Station at 8,516 feet. The cars pass through 5 plant and animal life zones – the equivalent of traveling from Mexico to Alaska in 15 minutes! The tram was such a challenge to build that it is considered an historic civil engineering landmark. Popular TV shows filmed at the tram include Columbo (1972 episode “Short Fuse”); Mission Impossible (1971 episode, “The Tram”); and Dirty Jobs (2008, season 4, episode 12, “Aerial Tram Greaser”). The view from the top of San Jacinto Mountain is spectacular! A 2014 post is at: https://naturetime.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/california-return-to-palm-springs-aerial-tramway/
March 18, 2012 Leave a comment
Palm Springs was named for the palm trees growing around the bubbling springs in town. Street names reflect famous people who lived there – Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Gene Autry, and Gerald Ford. Sonny Bono was the town’s mayor in the 1980s. Palm Springs is surrounded by the Mojave Desert and San Jacinto mountains. This dramatic landscape allows you to enjoy a green oasis, play in the snow on a mountaintop, and hike in the desert – all in one day! The bighorn sheep statues displayed around town were painted by local artists. Bighorn sheep have eyesight similar to 8 x 10 binoculars!