Palm Springs

Finally…Palm Springs. Many of you will find this post pretty boring. However, I feel it is my duty to report on my travels just in case you ever decide to vacation there. It’s always great to have a few “insider” tips! This was our second annual “take mom somewhere new” trip. Last year, we took her (Jim’s mom) to Scottsdale, this year to Palm Springs. Jim and I have been there several times before and since we are all golfers this was a perfect fit. I hope I am still swinging the club at 81!

Whatever did we do before the internet? I could practically be a travel agent with as much experience as I have at booking trips online. I found a fantastic house to rent through Vacation Rentals. Since we were there for a week, it was cheaper to rent a house than to get two hotel rooms. Not only was is it less expensive, but you won’t believe the fantastic accommodations we had…definitely worth booking trips in the off peak season; more bang for your $$$.

The house was set up to be party central: (although with me, Jim and his 81 year old mom…partying…not so much) three bedrooms, pool, spa, big screen tv, stereo, dvd, pool table, darts, poker table, bar, full kitchen and a fantastically comfortable bed (ever stayed in a Westin Heavenly Bed? MUCH like that…ahhhhh). I guess Jim and I did do a little *partying* before Mom got there. Pool, spa and a 6 foot privacy fence…just use your imagination. Enough said.

Jim and I hiked every morning at the Bear Creek Canyon trail. The area (Santa Rosa Mountains/Foothill) is an important reserve area for Bighorn Sheep. Hiking in the area is restricted at certain times of the year, but we were right on the shoulder season so it was no problem and no, we didn’t see any. There is also a great paved trail that connects to the hiking area with water stops every mile or so…great for running or biking. Just go into La Quinta and head west towards the mountain. The trail is located along Avenida Montezuma and is pretty hard to miss.

Once my mother in law arrived, we decided to check out Joshua Tree National Park…named after the Joshua Tree (duh). It’s about a one hour drive from the La Quinta area. I was lucky enough to have my knitting in the car since the trip was a last minute decision over a snack at Sammy’s (see below) after golf at Landmark (nice course with great off season rates). Of course, I did not knit while we were actually in the park (that would just be wrong with all the beautiful scenery)…but it was great to have on the way to and on the way home.
Like every national park I’ve seen, it is a real treasure. I can’t believe it took us so long to finally visit! Oh, wait a minute…we were always too busy playing golf all day. If nothing else all the surgeries this year have given us more time for other adventures! The park includes both the Mojave and Colorado (which is an extension of the Sonoran desert) deserts, each with its own unique look. There were lots of very cool camping areas and trails…not too easy to do any serious hiking with an 81 year old though, so we stuck to exploring by car only. Boy does all that sightseeing make a person hungry! Soup can’t hold one over forever. (Nice segue, huh?)

Las Casuelas, which serves very tasty Mexican foodat a reasonable price. They also happen to have wine by the carafe (always a good thing). They have a few locations around the desert but we tend to visit the La Quinta location since it is close and has great atmosphere. We also found Sammy’s Pizza on this trip. It’s a California chain with great food and a convenient location on El Paseo…the BEST tomato soup. EVER. It was so good we did a couple repeat visits just to have the soup as a “snack”.