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

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.

Wrapping up Palm Springs, March 2015

What else did I do in Palm Springs?  I lounged in the spa or poolside, read books, went hiking, and went out to eat.

Indian Canyons

This is such an incredible place in the desert, and tons of hiking available for all levels.  A friend joined me on Thursday morning for a short hike down into Palm Canyons.  I was happy with the trekking poles I bought prior to the trip as they helped me keep my balance going downill as well as over some rocky bits.

http://www.indian-canyons.com

Thai Smile

I went to Thai Smile for a lunch and another day for a dinner.  The meals and the cocktails were delicious.

It was a nice winter interlude, and then I had to say good-bye.

More Adventures in Palm Springs - Village Fest

I certainly have a lot of catching up to do!  I never finished this visit, and since then have had a few other adventures.  First, let's finish up Palm Springs.

Village Fest

You might know about Village Fest.  Every Thursday night in old Palm Springs there is a big street fair.  A street fair on steroids.

http://villagefest.org

There's a small Farmers Market side street where an old retired couple elbowed me out of way to get to the free tapanade samples.  I think it was their dinner.  Eventually it was fun to talk to the farmer, the daughter in the Farmers Daughter Olive Oil.  All organic.  The oils were really good and it was fun to taste them.  Visit her in Palm Springs or a the San Diego farmers market, or order from her here:

http://www.farmersdaughteroliveoil.com

I was pleased to see that the Ask a Rabbi booth was still there, but couldn't think of anything to ask!  

All I  could think of was the Lucy booth in the Charlie Brown comics.

And there was a Carriage Horse rescue operation.  We fed carrots, stroked noses, and dropped $20 in the bucket.

After selecting from the food booth options (paella and more!) we found a concrete wall to sit on,ate dinner, and headed for home.

The Villa Royale, Palm Springs CA

I stayed a few days after attending a conference in Palm Springs.  I specifically wanted to stay in a place where if I wanted to do nothing but hang out at the hotel, I would enjoy it.  I also had a car this time and so location was not as important as prior times when I wanted to stay in a place that was walking distance to most things.

The entrance to the inn and restaurant was a sign of things to come.

The grounds are a series of courtyards and secret places.  Lots of blooming bougainvillea, lemon trees, palm trees, and tropical foliage.  Fountains, streams, and seating areas abound.  Everything felt very private, even with plenty of people there.

A path through a rose garden leads to a hot tub that is private and separate from the pools.

There are two pools, one unheated in the third courtyard and much more private than the main pool.  My room was in the far corner.

The main pool is larger and heated.  It is in the first courtyard outside the bar and restaurant area.  The bar is not normally open in the daytime but on Saturday they decided to open it up and serve a light lunch.  I didnt have time for the lunch, but spent my last two hours before heading to the airport sitting at poolside drinking a salty dog.

It wasn't perfect.  The rooms could use some tender loving care and my patio could have used a power wash.  But I left there relaxed and happy, and I think that's the most important thing for an inn like this.