Palm Springs

We had always talked about it as something we wanted to do, but you know how it goes – you just never seem to get around to actually pulling the trigger and doing it. Well, this year is seeing us pulling a few triggers - now we are heading to the desert to take in the big spring tennis matches in Indian Wells California. We know that all the big names in tennis play here each year, and we hope to get a chance to see a few of them during our visit.

We are staying with our good friends Ron and Teresa at the Emerald Desert RV Resort in Palm Desert. It’s a very upscale resort with lots to do, and puts us in a really good location near the tennis matches, near the Woman’s cousin Craig and Mary Fran’s winter digs here, and near all the things that the Palm Springs area has to offer.

The valley that all these desert towns along the I-10 rest in is a fold between two mountain ranges that brings both mild winter weather and dramatic views of towering peaks from the valley floor. Today we headed to where Palm Springs nestles up against the mountains to a portion of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation known as Indian Canyon. Within this part of the Reservation lies the world’s two largest California Palm oases.

As we neared our destination, it looked not unlike what we experienced when we hiked to the 49 Palms oasis within Joshua Tree National Park – palm frond heads of trees sticking out from the fissure heading up the mountain – but it was massive. And, rather than just being a pocket of palm trees, it stretched a long way up the side of the mountain.

Our first hike we set out on was Palm Canyon, the largest California Palm oasis in the world. Unlike the 49 Palm oasis which just had damp soil around the base of the trees, there was a flowing stream running through Palm Canyon with a considerable amount of water volume. They even had their own waterfall near the base!

We started at the lowest point and hiked through the shade of the massive California Palm grove. The ranger had told us the loop hike was a little over 3 miles, so the length of the Palm oasis here must be nearly 1½ miles – by comparison, I would estimate that the 49 Palms oasis maybe covered something like an acre. All the while we hiked in the shade of the palms we listened to the babbling of the stream, took in the beauty, and imagined what a refuge this area provided to its earliest inhabitants long before any services were available to make this wasteland habitable.

As we were enjoying ourselves amid the shade and the sounds of water, we noticed our friend Ron on his knees poking around at the ground. He told us that the depressions we saw in the sand were traps made by Ant Lions. Ant Lions are small creatures that look a bit like tiny crabs with massive (for their size) claws. They build depressions and bury themselves at the bottom, wait for an unsuspecting ant to slip into their trap, and then hurriedly grab the ant with their claws and hold on until the ant dies from exhaustion. It is kind of interesting to watch, because when the ant falls in and the Ant Lion attacks, a plum of sand flies up letting you know the game is on!

As we reached the top of the stretch of palms, the trail headed steeply up. One side of the crevice that the oasis rests in is not very steep – that is the side of the stream we mostly hiked on as we ascended through the oasis. But the other side of the crevice was a very steep craggy wall, and we were pleased to see that the return part of the loop took us up along that ridge line.

So, our pathway up had us hiking amidst the palms. Our pathway back had us soring high over the tops of the palms with continuous overlooks from above into the wonder of the largest California Palm oasis in the world. It seemed to us like every 20 steps we took there was another to-die-for view that we had to stop and take advantage of. Without the shade from the palms, the return route had us in the direct heat of the sun, but a pretty much constant wind up the valley managed to keep us mostly comfortable.

After enjoying the treasures of Palm Canyon, including its really cute and authentic trading post, we headed to Andreas Canyon. The second largest California Palm oasis in the world is maybe only 2 or 3 miles away from the largest, nestled in another crevice in the mountainside heading in a slightly different direction.

The scene was similar when we arrived at the base – massive palm grove with running water. As expected, this oasis is not as huge as Palm Canyon – the loop hike is just over a mile, so the Andreas Canyon oasis must only be about a half mile long. But there was maybe double the volume of water rushing through the stream that constantly feeds this massive oasis. The sounds of the water echoed everywhere as we hiked.

As in Palm Canyon, on the leg up we enjoyed the shade of the palms, hugging the stream all the way. But the return on the loop was a nice new perspective. The high craggy wall along one side of the oasis was more like a canyon wall with spectacular peaks – no way to hike that. So we were hiking, again above the oasis, but looking down on the oasis with this shear rock shelf behind it. While it is smaller than the Palm Canyon oasis, this unique rock feature makes it perhaps even more beautiful.

Not terribly far from the oases is the Scena Golf Club. We ended up golfing there with Ron and Teresa and two other couples they are good friends with. The setting again was spectacular, the golf challenging, the food and drink in the clubhouse was yummy, and the camaraderie with our golfing partners was engaging. It was a very nice visit all in all.

Talk to you soon!