The desert is known for many things — sun bathing, little water, golf…but polo? Yes, it is! There is a beautiful and robust polo scene going on just outside Palm Springs in Indio, CA, at the Empire Polo Club.
Tag Archives: desert
Joshua Tree National Park, Hello Crazy Land!
Joshua Tree National Park is a drive into another world. Inside the park’s parameters lies sleepy Skull Rock — one of many interesting finds in this quirky, protected treasure-land. Continue reading
The Way of the Cross – Yarnell, AZ
Holy Week is upon us once again. The stores are filled with decorative Easter bunnies and kids are excited for egg hunts and extra chocolate. With all the commercialization, it has become easy (even convenient) for us to forget what this week gave to us so long ago…freedom. The Way of the Cross at the St. Joseph Shrine of the Mountains in Yarnell, Arizona, is a beautiful, tranquil spot where you can slow down and remember.
Oasis Date Garden
During a recent heat wave in Los Angeles my husband turned to me and said, “Let’s go to Palm Springs!” He said this as if the desert was the most logical place to escape a heat wave. The crazier thing was that I said, “Let’s do it!” I have spent most of my life going down to the desert for weekend get-aways as my grandparents and parents have had vacation homes in the area. Now one of my brothers and his wife have a vacation place there too so it is really fun to get out of the city and have some mini family pow-wows under the desert sky.
Oasis in the Desert, Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve
I again found myself roaming the lonely roads of the California desert “outback” with my husband in search of, well, something. He is a dedicated explorer with an enthusiasm that is addicting so I packed myself into our car, adjusted the air vents so that I was in-line for a continual cool breeze, and off we went…’Mr. Inquisitive’ and his plus one.
Flashes in the Night – It’s a Star Party!
Orion Nebula
In the frosty late night air of Palm Desert (at least in the fall/winter/early spring months) and the sparsely populated town of Mountain Center in the desperately dark Santa Rosa Mountains (utilized in the late spring/summer months), telescopes are set up in dark parking lots and night prowlers roam the grounds looking for the first big, “Wow!”. Red lights blink on and off sporadically to usher groups in the right direction. Sounds like the start of a Hollywood film, right? No! It’s the monthly star party put on by the Astronomical Society of the Desert (ASOD).
The Desert is ‘Sunnylands’ Indeed!
Springtime in the Coachella Valley is, well, gorgeous! I doubt it was quite this beautiful when “discovered” during the westward expansion and travel was by horse drawn wagons with no deodorant nor my beloved air conditioning. However, today it is beautiful. One spot in particular is Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California.
A Prickly Stop in the Desert
Cactus (noun) is defined as “a succulent plant with a thick, fleshy stem that typically bears spines, lacks leaves, and has brilliantly colored flowers” (this sounds strangely similar to some Hollywood characters I have met, but I digress). This definition only scratches the surface of these fascinating plants and lacks the depth of beauty and variety these beautiful, unusual, and quirky plants offer. To experience that, head over to Moorten’s Botanical Garden founded in 1938 in Palm Springs, California.
It’s a date!
Two of my husband’s favorite things are dates (the fruit) and hot weather. Being from Finland, he says his bones are still trying to thaw out. That explains our “exploration” drive through Desert Hot Springs a few months back.
As I smashed my face as close as possible to the cool air shooting from my side of the car’s air conditioning vent, he happily tapped along to the radio and periodically pointed out different vistas in the ever heating desert scape. Suddenly, perhaps because my face was only inches from the windshield or maybe because of my eagle eye for anything food related, I spotted a small sign for dates with an arrow pointing down a quiet road. We decided to explore and how wonderful that we did!
