March 22. 2014
What a month...so far. sadly we had to make a difficult decision and said good bye to Stewie, our little Yorkie cross. Unfortunately he developed kidney disease at an early age and it didn't reveal itself until his last few weeks of his life. You will be missed but never forgotten.
On the bright side, we were blessed to have Y.I. come and visit us for a couple weeks. Y.I. came and stayed with us for her grade 11 year a few years ago. It was wonderful to have her here even for a short time. She went skating on Lake Louise and made a road trip to Vancouver BC and Victoria BC to visit her Canadian friends. She was indeed, a ray of sunshine at a rather bleak time in our home.
Since it is March, and it has been a rather brutal winter here in Alberta, it was time for a re-set. We flew into L.A. and after a brutal 2 hour wait for a rental car, and a short sleep at the hotel we left the hustle of L.A. for the calm of the Coachella Valley, collectively referred to Palm Springs. Of course the valley has many communities including Palm Desert, Cathedral City, Indian Springs, La Quinta, Indio etc.
We spent the few days we had touring Joshua Tree National Park, golfing and walking around San Jacinto Mtn. We were fortunate to see Ocatillo trees in bloom as well as other cactus starting to bloom.
A quick drive around 29 Palms, revealed a character...I'm not sure how to describe its character actually. It is a place where, to the new, uninitiated visitor, it appears the tattoo parlors out-number restaurants. Seriously, it is like Starbucks in Seattle. There is one on just about every corner. My guess is the members of the Marine base keep the ink artists in business. If you're looking for more of a western flair, Joshua Tree, Ca. is a short drive west of 29 Palms.
The next day was reserved for a day of golf in Borrego Springs. Since my father in law had not been to the Salton Sea, I took a quick side trip to show him the community of Salton Sea Beach. Now I admit, I have a bit of a fascination of the history and the plight of the communities on the banks of the Salton Sea. I've spent some time reading about it on the web. But he had not seen it and was surprised to see a beach community in such decline. Hopefully more intelligent people than I can figure a good way to save the sea. Most certainly a challenge given it has no out flow and is reportedly 25% more salty than the ocean.
I also took the opportunity to show my father in law Fonts Point near Borrego Springs. A 4 mile drive up a sandy wash takes you to what could be described as a moonscape.
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| Fonts Point |
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| Bottom of Fonts Point, very dry. |
I'm sure E wondered if we were going to get out let alone get in to the viewpoint. However, the rented Camry handled the off highway excursion just fine.
A nice visit with my parents and a relaxing round of golf at Borrego Springs...yes golf can be relaxing if you put away the score card. Some great shots were made like the one that landed 8" from the water hazard, or a fantastic 40' putt by yours truly, and some not so great shots like the one that went 50 yards up and 50 yards to the right and about 25 yards out. All in all, it was a fun day for me.
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| In the right light, a golfer appears on the mountain. |
So, what to do the next day?
How about the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway? This little gem of a tourist attraction carries you from the valley to 8,100' above sea level on San Jacinto Mtn. The cars hold up to 60 people, carry water in the belly tanks, food and supplies up the mountain to the station on top. A cool feature of the half million dollar cars is the floor rotates as the car moves. Everyone gets to enjoy the views during the ascent and descent. And the views on the way up and from the top are amazing.
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| Johnson Falls |
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| Local Resident |
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| Going up, towers and footings installed with aid of helicopters |
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| Tree Hugger |
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| Salton Sea in the distance |
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| Coachella Valley |
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| Somewhere out there in the haze is Mt Charleston, Las Vegas |
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| Palm Springs |
All in all a great way to re-set for the spring season in Alberta. Unfortunately spring is looking a heck of a lot like winter did. Perhaps, a return trip is necessary?
How about the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway? This little gem of a tourist attraction carries you from the valley to 8,100' above sea level on San Jacinto Mtn. The cars hold up to 60 people, carry water in the belly tanks, food and supplies up the mountain to the station on top. A cool feature of the half million dollar cars is the floor rotates as the car moves. Everyone gets to enjoy the views during the ascent and descent. And the views on the way up and from the top are amazing.
All in all a great way to re-set for the spring season in Alberta. Unfortunately spring is looking a heck of a lot like winter did. Perhaps, a return trip is necessary?
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