House Near Palm Springs

Palm Springs -- A home on the outskirts of Palm Springs sits on an alluvial fan at the base of the majestic San Jacinto Peak (10,834 ft).

Whitewater Preserve

Palm Springs, CA -- It may be a dry year but most days there is a raging river tumbling down the white rocks of this Southern California desert bed. A short drive north leads any semi-adventurous motorist up a mountain road to the Whitewater Preserve. Check it out on DayTripping.com!

Hadley Fruit Orchards

Banning, CA -- Many who live in Southern California are familiar with Palm Springs. Those who visit Palm Springs regularly definitely know about Hadley's Fruit Orchard off Interstate 10.

The "Hadley" sign looms high above the highway linking LA and Palm Springs, tempting travelers of all ages. I go for the Banana Date Shakes. For less than $5, I can run in, grab a shake, ask the friendly staff of any recent celebrity visits, and be on my way.

While visiting, I met Tracy, Richard and Debra (pictured above). Together, they pointed out the a few movie stars who recently stopped by. Hadley's walls are lined with more than a hundred autographed 8 x 10 photos. Both of the fun-loving ladies say they are sometimes a little shy to ask, but they still manage to get some of the Hollywood stars to autograph their picture and hang it up in the store.

Beep beep!

Palm Springs, CA -- I see roadrunners mostly in parking lots and on the edge of golf courses. This time I found this mid-sized desert dweller on a wall at the Acme Corporation building. I looked around for Mr. Wile E. Coyote but I think he finally gave up and retired in Arizona.

Wind Power

You see these white behemoths while driving out to Palm Springs, or in recent movies depicting a desert drive to Vegas.

Recently, I decided to get a close up look at these "green power" mills and was surprised to see how large they really are. The larger mills, as pictured, are over 20 stories tall and have blades that reach over 150 feet! And there are hundreds of them. It's like a forest of windmills in the desert. In some ways they are an eyesore--at best they are interesting to look at. But as the pressure mounts to produce more clean power, I'm afraid more and more of these windmills will pop up. Here's the good news: One of these wind mills can produce enough electricity in one hour to power up an average home for one month. Not bad….

Whitewater Preserve

Whitewater, CA -- Not far from Los Angeles is the Colorado Desert, or the "low desert." It's elevation hovers anywhere from below sea level to 2,000 ft. The low desert is known for it's intense heat during the summer with normal temperatures in the 100s. Every once in a while I stumble across a gem and wonder why I haven't heard of, or been to these places. As written in yesterday's post, I wondered off the highway outside of Palm Springs and decided to explore. The photo above is only eight minutes north from Interstate 10 in the middle of the desert.

Desert Walk

Palm Springs, CA -- Not far from Palm Springs is a cut-off road that winds up a canyon called Whitewater. Always up for an adventure, I took the five-mile single-lane and came across a most beautiful oasis (featured tomorrow). Beyond the tall cliffs, crystal-blue pools and nature center, is this quaint trail, begging to be walked. I would have but I was only on a lunch break and wearing loafers, wool trousers and a dress shirt. It was 102 degrees too...

VW Arachnid

Palm Springs is best known for it's fair weather, golf courses and desert playground. But did you know that every March around this time, the illusive Beetle Spider emerges from it's hole to terrify innocent tourists as they pass by? And you thought only Texas can boast of "big."

A Throwback To The 60s

Built in 1965, the Palm Springs Visitor Center was once home of the Tramway Gas Station. I drive by this "Desert Modern" architectural masterpiece often but never stopped in until today. The flying angular roof is reminiscent of the Rat Pack guys like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. Bob Hope's house is just a few miles from here too. Those were the days!

The building is also at the turnoff for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The tram was completed in 1963 and whisks tourist up the side of Mt. San Jacinto to over 8,000 feet.

Desert Signs

What's behind a private road? Aren't you a little curious? I am.

When I was a kid, I deliberately crossed the line just to see what all the fuss was about. If Peter Rabbet can trespass Mr. McGregor's garden, why the heck can't I see what's on the other side of the "Do Not Enter" sign?

I wimped out and remained on my side of the sign. Instead I took a few photos while being watched by a maintenance worker.

I was working in Palm Springs yesterday (about 100 miles east of Los Angeles) and on my way home I made a quick detour on one of the service roads to explore. Just as we've seen in Hollywood films, those huge wind mills and lonesome highways really do exist. Although, lonesome can be subjective, most of the roads are fairly driven on, except for this one today.

There is something about driving in the California deserts; everything looks cool, even the road signs.