Last Friday Alex woke up and suggested we just pack up and go to Palm Springs. I was hesitant because Maayu was a bit sick, but she seemed to be feeling better and I wanted to see some sun. So we packed up and took off.
The drive was great and we got there pretty quickly. It was a whopping 111 degrees! After cooling off in the hotel for a bit (and enjoying some cable tv), we went for a drive to a local toy store. Of course. We picked up some pool toys and a Green Toy Chef Set. I LOVE these toys. I wish we cold buy their whole line. They are sturdy and cute and safe!
Maayu loves them too!
Then it was dinner and pool time for Alex and the boys. It's tradition that Alex and the boys take a night time lizard hunt. This year they spotted many Mediterranean geckos on the walls. In fact, the boys caught 2 and we brought them home in our small plastic terrarium. The boys named them Tack and Wits because they were found on Tahquitz Street.
It's also tradition that Alex and Joshua wake up early the second morning of our trip to explore the Palm Oasis. This time around Christopher got to go. They were up and gone by 5am. They saw 2 wolf-size coyotes, quail, spiny lizards, striped lizards, spiders and bees.
They got back to the hotel by 9am, where the rest of us were still asleep. Even though it was supposed to hit 111 degrees outside, Christopher begged us to take them to The Living Desert. It looked like a great place to visit so we decided to take a chance (and pack lots of water).
I was expecting to take a lot of pictures of cool animals. Instead I got a lot of pictures of us slowing dying in the sun!
If it weren't for the occasional mister and overpriced drinks, we would have died in The Living Desert!
Oh, yeah...and there were animals there, as well. These are the only two we stayed to look at!
The verdict: Save The Living Desert for non-summer months!From the Living Desert we headed to our favorite place for date shakes, Oasis Date Gardens. (Guess what, Silhis? We STILL had a Walker Special and couldn't find the place!!) Alex tried a new shake this time with prickly pear cactus. It was really good! We bought an 11 lb box of medjools and I can't wait to make our own shakes and to try the Gardens Date Bread recipe.
The rest of our time in Palm Springs was pretty chill. I took Joshua and Christopher to see The Last Airbender. Alex and the boys took advantage of the pool. And we all enjoyed cable tv.
When it was time to pack up and check out of the hotel, I asked Alex if we were going straight home. I mean, come on, we NEVER just go straight home! So in keeping with our Walker Adventures, we decided to check out Joshua Tree National Park.
The Park isn't very far from Palm Springs. There are 4 visitor centers and we checked out 2 of them. The Oasis Visitor Center is cool because it used to have natural palm oasis there. We took the small trail around the oasis and saw a jackrabbit, quail and a spiny lizard.
They also have a cool cactus garden outside the visitor center. I never realized how much I could love cactus!
After the visitor center we drove into the park. It was only $15 to get in and the pass lasts for something like 2 weeks!
Our goal was to spot a desert tortoise or a big horn sheep. No such luck. But the Joshua Trees are beautiful and so are the rock formations.
Alex by Split Rock, where you can find tarantulas:
Nathan, the real-life ant bully:
Exploring:
Split Rock again:
Joshua by a Joshua Tree!
Lucky for us there was some kind of fluke and it rained lightly in the park! It was cool with a light breeze. Perfect. A welcomed change from the desert heat! Nathan even wrote a song just for the occasion:It was just about this time when I started to feel unwell. I thought maybe it was carsickness, which I've somehow acquired in my old age. I decided to take a nap to see if that would help. While Maayu and I slept in the truck, Alex and the boys took the 'Boyscout Trail'. Christopher was desperate to see a tortoise, but it never happened.
After a potty break we decided it was time to head home. I was feeling worse and worse by the minute. By the time we hit 101 I had a full blow fever and body aches. I sat in the middle up front and moaned and groaned for 100 miles. I think I hallucinated a few times.
Thank goodness it happened at the end of the trip!
So I wouldn't say it was the best trip I've had to Palm Springs, but it was fun and definitely memorable. And to be honest, after being in the desert atmosphere, both Alex and I are a little more keen on the idea of moving to Hermosillo.
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