Moorten Botanical Garden - Palm Springs, CA

On a low-key vacation day in Palm Springs we went over to the Moorten Botanical Gardens. It was one of the places I had read about but just hadn't made it to before.  

It is tiny, and entry is only $4.00. They have a really diverse collection of cacti and other succulents. Everything is well marked and there are many benches scattered about so that you can just sit and enjoy the gardens. They also have a nursery and just some spectacular specimens for sale.

I was amused by the hairbrush cactus.

Several of the cacti were in bloom.

And luckily I had the What's that App to figure out what this one was:

And some interesting plants in the greenhouse.

They packed in a lot in such a small space.

A bit of history as well.

And some fun garden decor.

Everywhere you looked, something new.

Including outside the restrooms.

There were a few birds in there as well, so we squeezed every dime out of that $4.00 and spent quite a lot of time in what is really a small area.


http://moortenbotanicalgarden.com

University of California Riverside Botanic Gardens

Being in Palm Springs over the Thanksgiving holiday meant that if we wanted to go anywhere west, we needed to consider traffic on I-10.  With that in mind, on Tuesday we headed over to the University of California - Riverside to visit their Botanic Gardens.

Steve wanted to look for a Townsend's Warbler that was being seen (no luck) and I am always happy in any sort of gardens.

Like any gardens, they change with the seasons.  Some things were not in bloom at all (Iris gardens) but there were plenty of other things in bloom (roses!j  There are some pretty steep ascents, so it was also good exercise :-)

I enjoyed their small butterfly garden and the wooden scorpion someone had created.

It's always fun to see citrus ripening.

We scrambled over some rocks, and looked out on mountains.

There was an herb garden that was fun and the jasmine smelled fantastic!

And  flowers just blooming on the side of the path.

A random patch of Canna Lilies was at the base of a grapevine covered stairway.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

On Sunday we decided to head for Anza-Borrego Desert State Park for the day.  After we turned off 86  onto S22, the road turns into a roller coaster.  We were laughing so hard every time we rolled over a dip.  People pay for this stuff at carnivals!  It's like they just slapped down the asphalt wherever.

Then we thought we should warn anyone who got car sick to take care on this stretch of road!

Other than that, what a ride it was.  The terrain changed rapidly as we headed for Borrego Springs.  Just spectacular.

We rounded Christmas Circle (Christmas Circle!  It's like they know me) and continued on to the visitor's center, arriving about 8-8:30.  I pulled out fruit and yogurt and had my breakfast with this view:

Unfortunately Steve's tripod chose that moment to break.  Luckily the park personnel was great and they were able to help him put together a temporary fix (using duct tape of course).

I took the time to explore the gift shop and view a 15 minute video about the park.  I kept thinking I recognized the narrator and finally realized it was Jane Fonda.  The credits rolled, and confirmed that, along with Pat Metheny as the composer, and a famous (but not so famous I can remember his name) director.  

Borrego means big horn sheep, and I loved the door handles to the visitor center:

There were Costa's and Anna's hummingbirds, along with black throated sparrows so Steve shot video while I took walks through the desert.

Just before noon we decided to have our picnic lunch then head out to another part of the park for a hike.

As we headed down Borrego Springs Road a sculpture caught my eye.  They were some of the famed sculptures of Ricardo Breceda.

We decided to continue on, and come back to see more of the sculptures later.

We headed out on California 78 over Yaqui Pass to the Tamarisk Grove Campground.  Driving over the pass brought more incredible views before we descended into the valley.  After parking at the campground ($5) we took the Yaqui Well short 1.5 mile hike.

Parts were rocky, and there were more desert flowers in bloom than I expected to see.  Unfortunately the well was dry :-(

Still, it was beautiful, with a great variety of cactus and shrubs.

We decided to head back into Borrego Springs again, and see more of the Sky Art.  The benefactor is Dennis Avery, and the sculptures are installed on his property.  The Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce Visitors Guide has a free map of scuplture locations.

We only hit a few.

A (locust?) and a scorpion had a standoff.

Although most of the sculptures are animals, or mythical characters, there are some of people, including this one with a section of migrant workers in the vinyards.

I had to take photos of these sloths for a friend.

And the serpent, possibly the most famous and most photographed of the sculptures.  This is just the head, but the body continues for many yards, and ends up with the tail across the road.

After some more walking and birding back around the visitors center, Steve said "How far out of the way would it be to the International Banana Museum?"  and, "I wonder how late they are open?"

And so first I called to see what time they closed, and he said oh, 5-5:30. I looked up the time to get there, and it said 1 hour 5 minutes.

So then we decided to go and I stopped at the side of the road and told him we were coming, don't close! and we would be there in about an hour.

Then I decided to make a "quick" stop at the dollar general at the freeway interchange (I needed a cheap potato masher for the condo in order to make mashed potatoes on Thursday for Thanksgiving). There was one cashier and a massive line. I was committed though, and stuck it out.

So I called him again and told him we were still coming, don't close!

So then I aggressively drove at 5 mph above the speed limit all the way there,almost missed the driveway entrance in the dark and yes, skiddedinto the parking lot.

The Banana Chocolate milkshakes were really good though.

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve - One of my new favorite places

Steve had visited one morning for birding and enjoyed it and it is only 30 minutes from our condo in Palm Springs.  So, one afternoon we decided to make a quick trip up there and take some short hikes.

What a beautiful place.  The subtle shadings of color and diversity of trees, grasses and bushes created a beautiful peaceful vision.

We started out on what is called the Marsh Trail, which is all boardwalk.

From there we looped onto the Mesquite Trail which was marshier than the Marsh trail.

 

Then we turned up the West Canyon Trail.  Wow!  It climbs up to a saddle, then makes a steep descent into the canyon floor.  We have to go back and hike more!  Below looks back on the valley.

From the canyon floor you can see we were in quite a bit of shade now, and could see the moon rising.

Looping back to hook up with the Mesquite Trail and then the Marsh Trail respectively, we continued to be greeted with beautiful views.

There are many more trails to explore, and I am pretty sure we will be back this trip!

http://www.bigmorongo.org

A Return to Joshua Tree National Park

I posted about Joshua Tree back in June, regarding my March visit.  I loved visiting the park, but was uncomfortable taking more than short walks on my own.  It's pretty remote and unforgiving after all.

On this trip (November), Steve is with me and so we took a few short hikes together.  I didn't take many pictures with my phone thought, as I had taken more back in March.  Most of the pics are on my good camera--and I will have to post those after returning home and accessing the PC rather than my iPad.

All that being said, here are a few notes on the visit.

We were up early and at Cottonwood Springs by 7:30 pm.  The first ones in the parking lot, and I took a moment to eat my fruit and yogurt before joining Steve on the trail.

Unfortunately, most of the springs were blocked off and it was a bit of bust for birding for Steve.  After a stop at the Visitor Center to buy an annual national park pass, we headed on to Barker's Dam for a short hike to Barker's Dam and back.

The Dam is manmade, but unfortunately low in water once we got there.  It was a beautiful hike out though, with gorgeous rock formations and all sorts of desert flora.  A few birds made themselves known, but not many.  We also took a slight tour to see some pictographs.  Apparently I took no pictures on my phone!

Next we stopped at Hidden Valley for a picnic lunch and some scrub jays that thought my sandwich looked tasty.

We backtracked a bit from there and went up to Keys View for the, well, view.  And  wow, what a view. The pic below looks out towards Palm Springs, and you can see the San Andreas Fault (well, not in the photo).  Itwas unbelievably windy!

Looking to the south, the whole Coachella Valley is laid out before you, and you can see to the Salton Sea and just beyond to mountains that are on the border to Mexico.  The drive up to Keys View I think is one of the most beautiful ones in terms of driving through the Joshua Tree forest.

We went back to Hidden Valley for a short hike on that trail (about an hour).  The story goes that this rock-rimmed valley was perfect for corralling rustled cattle and horses.  You can also watch rock climbers.

From here were drove to the West Entrance/Exit to the park, and this is where you see the most of the Joshua Trees.

We decided to then drive to the North entrance and re-entered the park there just to see a little different part of the park.  I wanted to take another short walk at White Tank background but missed the turn so we stopped at the Cholla Gardens instead for a much shorter walk.  The picture doesn't do justice to how you feel once you are deep in the garden.  Possibly because I am short, I really felt as if I was in a small forest of the Chollas.

A Desert Getaway - Today, The Salton Sea

I haven't posted since August.  Yikes!  I will come back with updated meanderings, but for now, I'm going to get caught up on the current trip.

We have based ourselves in Palm Springs CA for two weeks.  A week ago we ventured out to the Salton Sea.

A Salton Sea Day

Monday was the coldest day of the week so we wanted to do something where weather didn't matter as much.  I have always been fascinated by the Salton Sea, and Monday turned out to be the day.

The Salton Sea changes year by year, and what was there a few years ago, is gone now, and even more may be gone in the coming years.  So, I am glad we went.

A brief, and incomplete history

If you are unfamiliar with the Salton Sea, it is an inland sea/lake created and impacted by both natural and human actions.   It is an area that once was part of the Gulf of California, but was dry in the 1800s.  

The Imperial Valley of CA was developing, and they needed irrigation for crops and orchards.  Irrigation ditches and canals were built.  Then the Colorado River flooded, the levees were breached and for 16 months the Colorado River poured into the lowest land point, creating the Salton Sea.

In the 50s the place boomed as a recreation area.  In the 70s repeated flooding devastated much of it.  There's no natural outflow point so water that comes in either evaporates or perks through the soil below.  It takes all the agricultural run off from the surrounding area.

The only fish that survive are tilapia (perfectly safe to eat).  The water is higher in salinity than the ocean and often smells.  Fresh water is being diverted to San Diego (I believe that is what I read).  

Still, it is beautiful, and a bit haunting.

The Visitor Center

We started on the northeast section and visited the Visitor Center and walked on the beach.  As we had been told, dead fish littered the shores.  But shorebirds including black necked stilts, several egrets, and pelicans flew about. 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/06/03/history-salton-sea/

Bombay Beach

Next stop was Bombay Beach, once a thriving community on the shores of the lake.  It was more inhabited than I thought it would be, with most of the abandoned residences on the very edge next to the manmade berms to the lake.  There were some fascinating  and beautiful graffiti on many of the buildings.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_Beach,_California

Salvation Mountain

Next we drove on to Niland and headed west to Salvation Mountain.  This is out towards the area known as Slab City, or The Slabs.

You know those big billboards along the highway telling you that Jesus Loves You?  Salvation Mountain is those billboards on steroids.  The creator passed away last year but left behind quite a monument.

He has used clay and straw and paint to build a "mountain" with bible verses, exhortations, and decorative touches.  Don't just view it from the parking lot though.  Wander up and see where he has built alcoves and almost altars of mementos.  Here he also incorporated found objects like car doors.

It's all very colorful, and as one friend said when she saw photos, it looks like claymation.

All about the parking lot are cars, motorcycles, and more, all painted and decorated in the same style.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation_Mountain

Slab City

We then drove on further into Slab City.  These are the old slabs remaining from Marine training grounds.  Now it is a city of squatters with no services and no fees.  There are a few spots where they have put together gathering places for live music, as well as a free library.  

It's not pretty, but it is an interesting part of our culture.

The Sole Tree:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slab_City

Dos Palmas Reserve

This is as far south as we went.  We turned around and headed back to the Visitor Center for a picnic lunch, then headed east up to Dos Palmas Reserve.  We took a short 1.5 mile walk up to a palm oasis.  It was somewhat eerie in among the untrimmed palms.  Light and shadow created interesting and spooky patterns.

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/wildlife/watchable/areas/dospalmas.html

International Banana Museum

Now we were headed back north, and were lucky enough to stop at the International Banana Museum!

Itis only open Friday through Monday. What a hoot. There is a sign outside the door that if you just want to look, you have to pay a $. And of course it isn't a museum at all, but an extensive collection of every imaginable thing you could imagine related to a banana. 

We had chocolate banana milkshakes, made with real ice cream, and they were delicious. You could get banana splits, banana sundaes, and frozen bananas dipped in chocolate. I should have gotten one of those. DH bought a banana soda but I don't know if he drank it yet.

The owner was just quite a character, and his daughter was working the counter too. There are 4 barstools set up like a soda fountain counter. It was never crowded, but there was a prettyregular steady stream of people coming in for banana treats.

Since we stopped there, I did not make DH also stop at the date farm for a dateshake. That will have to wait for another day (Lots of date farms around here, and date shakes are a big deal.  Haven't tried one yet)

http://www.internationalbananamuseum.com