Back to the Desert

Before we pulled up stakes on the coast and headed inland we managed one last trip down the Coast Highway to spend some time in La Jolla hanging with the locals.

La Jolla Cove Seals

Western Gull- 1st winter(Sep-May)

A parking lot mural in La Jolla

The San Diego Symphony was staging their “Hearing the Future ” festival while we were there. We attended a chamber music concert- A Brief History of “New Music “.

Matthew Aucoin & Keir GoGwilt performing a 2016 Aucion composition, Violin Sonata: It’s Own Accord. It was a lovely evening of music that also included a stirring rendition of John Adams ‘ Shaker Loops.

The hot water at Sams Family Spa keep drawing us back to Desert Hot Springs. This week clouds and fog greeted us on our return.

What a difference a day makes.

There are two date farms down the road from our campground and we make a point of visiting them to stock up. Last Saturday we met our favorite date farmer, Sam Cobb. He grows good dates that are also available for purchase through his website.

http://www.samcobbfarms.com/

We went date shopping with Shelly’s high school buddies Jim and Suzy and then spent the afternoon checking out some of the other hot springs in the area.

Our location in Desert Hot Springs gives us a lot of options for day trips. We are 30 minutes to Palm Springs with its restaurants, shopping and design shops.

The Aqua Caliente band of Cahuilla Indians own about 31,500 acres in the hills and canyons surrounding Palm Springs. We visited the Indian Canyons section and the second largest stand of California Fan Palms in the State.

There are a lot of hiking options but we chose to explore Andreas Canyon.

Joshua Tree National Park is about 45 minutes from camp. We’ve visited in the past and always enjoy exploring the park. We were unsure if we’d even be able to access the park during the government shutdown but decided to chance it anyway.

The park was open but had far fewer visitors then we expected.

Skull Rock

The Cholla Garden

The park was in surprisingly good shape. People were camping and hiking and enjoying everything the park has to offer. All made possible by a cadre of dedicated volunteers. It’s hard to believe that this effort is sustainable indefinitely. Our National Parks deserve better.