As I type today’s date in the title,
it reminds me that 22 years ago today,
my daughter was born.
Happy Birthday Jess!
What makes this week more of a vacation mode is the RV park we are staying in. Well, actually, first of all, we are staying in the Palm Springs area, so it just sounds like a ritzy vacation, right off the bat. As we travel, we usually try to stay in State parks. Not to save money, because a lot of times, the state parks are actually more money than the commercial parks, but more to support the park systems, so they will be able to stay open, and also because we don’t really need all the amenities the other parks offer. But this week we are staying in a park with 2 pools, 4 hot tubs, tennis courts etc etc. The water for the hot tubs is taken from a hot spring and continuously moves slowly from one spa to the next, as it cools, so each spa is a different temperature. They do the same with the pools. At one end of a pool the water enters and as it cools it is pushed to the other pool, so they are also two different temperatures, and the water is always fresh.
The weather here has been hot for this time of year, so we took off for the San Jacinto mountains and the small town of Idyllwild. The temperature difference was awesome, making the day perfect for exploring and shopping. Even though there was a lot of snow on the ground, the weather was perfect for a picnic. It wasn’t great for hiking though, so we didn’t get to do any of that.
Idyllwild seems like a typical mountain chalet town with a lot of places to stay, small shops and restaurants, and an active town center area.
The views from the top gave us a great overview of how the nearby Palm Springs area is nestled among all the surrounding mountain peaks.
Yesterday we headed for the hills again, but this time we took the Palm Springs aerial tram, and we were accompanied by Paul’s brother and sister-in-law, and their friend Chris. Each tram holds up to 80 people and I was definitely jostling for a good position so I could get some pictures.
The floor of the tram actually rotates so by the time the 10 minute ride to the top was over, I was able to see a full 360 degrees around me. Pretty cool. There are two trams that run at the same time, one going up while the other is coming down, so they counter-balance each other.
Once we got to the top there was plenty to do. There are several restaurant options, hiking trails, and sledding opportunities for the kids. We walked for a bit on one of the trails but mostly they were snowy and icy, so we didn’t go too far. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen people actually hike with snow shoes.
Of course a few snow balls were thrown, but mostly at the trees.
Before saying goodbye, we all went back to the trailer for Enchiladas (and possibly some Margaritas).
