A place for my photos and thoughts and stuff.
Well, they do.
Note: This was essentially the end of the trip, as soon after, K came down with a norovirus, and I followed shortly after.
What transpired the next morning was the longest, most intense 100 miles of driving we’ve ever endured. And yes, there was traffic.
Someone donated a few dozen statues representing the life of Christ. Shields re-did their garden to house them. And they did a really nice job. Here are a few of my favorites.
OK, not Palm Springs. It’s in Indio.
Another classic roadside attraction: Shields Date Garden!
Tragically, the theatre was closed that day.
It’s like an oasis in the desert.
They have this giant Marilyn Monroe downtown.
There were too many homeless people around so we didn’t linger. We hit the road to the next stop of the day.
This is a famous art installation in the swanky “Movie Colony” neighborhood. This somewhat loopy guy inherited a fancy estate from his parents, then proceeded to fill it with garbage…I mean repurposed items…that is lit up with a massive number of lights.
These creations stay up all year and fill the entire property. The guy almost bankrupted himself with his light bills, and there have been lots of lawsuits from neighbors.
Not hard to see why, but it was kind of fun to see it.
Pricey but tasty!
Their pastrami was marvelous.
However, there would be certain…unpleasant associations with the stuff later on. It was not the fault of the deli, but the association is nonetheless present and is likely lasting.
Want to take a virtual ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway?
There was snow at the top. Look at all of it!
The San Andreas Fault runs across the bottom of those hills on the opposite side of the valley.
That’s Palm Springs down there.
On a clear day, you can see the mountains just outside of Las Vegas. Is that them way over there? I have no idea. Let’s pretend that it’s true!
There’s supposed to be lots of these guys around, but very well-behaved fellow in the lobby was the only one that we saw.
The tram takes you to Mountain Station on Mt. San Jacinto. Lots of people were on the little paved trail. They were having a great time going down, but a hell of a time coming back up. The air is thin at 8,500 feet.
This is the sight that greets you as you head down. Somehow the downhill journey is more troubling than the uphill ride.
For realz!
This is the Palm Springs Tourist Office. But it used to be a gas station. I mean, look at it. It’s a hell of a thing.
“Hyperbolic paraboloid” seems an appropriately grand description.
This is the view from the parking lot. How beautiful is that? Look at the colors!
Yeah, we’ll be going up to the top of one of those peaks on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which I remembered being insanely steep and close to some craggy cliff faces. I remembered correctly.