Palm Springs – Miami

Arrival

After 11 hour flight we landed at just after 5 local time (1am UK time). Temperature was a nice 18 degrees and very foggy. It took an hour to clear customs, we picked up bags then bus to car rental, by this time it was dark. A short drive to hotel, then one beer and bed, by this time we’re awake 24 hours.
Tomorrow and early start and we guess it will be easy to get up as our body clock will be on UK time.
Car looks nice, see how the drive goes tomorrow, we penciled in a stop for lunch in San Diego on our way to Palm Springs.

LA to Diago Drive

Drove from Los Angeles to San Diego, about 2 hours, had lunch and a walk around San Diego for a few hours, then we set on our way for the 3 hour drive to Palm Springs.

Joshua Tree national park

Another early breakfast (toast or fancy waffles) and then we were off for a drive to the Joshua Tree national park. The drive to the entrances was just about an hour, but we stopped at the entrances for an early lunch at the Crossroads’s cafe ( there is nowhere in the park to get food or drink). The temperature by this time was about 39C, but we had gallons of water with us. The park is a meeting between two deserts with different ecosystem in each. Entering the park we saw lots of the Joshua trees which give the park its name. We stopped several times to photograph some of the amazing rock formations. We were gradually gaining height all the time. We made another stop to walk one of the many trails in the park to visit the lost valley. This was hidden until someone blasted through the rocks to form the entrance which we used. The trail was only about a mile in length but took an hour because of the heat and the frequent stops for water, photography stops and scrambling between the rocks.

Back to the car and gaining height all the time until we reached one of the high points, Keys view (5185 ft). Here we got some spectacular views (although hazy at that time in the afternoon) down into the valley and across to Palm Springs. We could also trace the path of the San Andreas fault. The drive from here on took us into the Mohave desert portion of the park crossing a flat plateau with a different landscape. We stopped to photograph the skull rock formation and the started a long descent towards the valley. A final stop was to see the Cholla Cactus garden. Once we got back to the valley floor we crossed the San Andreas fault and arrive back in Palm Springs just as it was getting dark. Would have been nice to have camped in the park overnight as it is an amazing place to see the stars in the clear desert air.

Cactus Garden

Easy day today, a couple of miles short drive to a cactus garden, then onto lunch and an ice cream. It was so hot, so back to resort and lay in shade beside pool, not like us but was 36 degrees. Sorry ti have to show more blue sky pictures.

Easy Day

Not many pictures today, we were supposed to visit the art museum today but it was closed. So just a few pictures of a massive Marilyn Monroe. Then lunch and brought back cake for another lazy afternoon at the pool. (We’re getting so lazy)

Air Museum

As the museum was closed, we decided to go to the air museum, we’re not plane spotters but it was quite good and most of it indoors.

Gallery Museum

A cooler day today, only 26 degrees. We finally got to the art gallery museum. Then lunch and another lazy day at the pool with margaritas.

Return Drive to LA

Today was our day for driving back to Los Angeles, but we went via a nice French patisserie and had a delicious eclair. Then onto our planned day to visit the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, this is the world’s largest rotating floor tramcar, 2 miles long and took 10 minutes, duration the ride the car rotated giving everyone a view as we climbed. We had lunch, then did a small trek round the Mount San Jacinto Park. Then back down and our 3 hour drive to Los Angeles to an airport hotel, ready for an early flight to Miami.

Flight to Miami

Got up at 4:30 to return car and catch early flight to Miami , clear skies meant nice pictures while in flight, arrived late afternoon, picked up another car. Weather is hot and dry but humid, had lunch and a cake already, again being lazy and not doing too much.

Checkout

11am at the moment, just about to checkout, then lunch, a drive to Miami, return car and head to airport for an 11pm late flight overnight to London. Phew, deep breath, let’s go

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Hologram

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