Dad said he'd like to go to Palm Springs when given many choices. We, of course, went the back way which started us out on the same road as the one we took to Julian where we had apple pie last week. However, instead of heading south to Julian we turned northeast to go over the Santa Rosa mountains on another 2-lane windy road that goes from sea level to nearly 5000 feet pretty quickly. We saw yet another Casino, Cahuilla Casino, in the high desert town of Anza whose reservation is on the southwestern edge of the city of approximately 3000 residents. It's probably one of the smallest true casinos one will see, but it looks very nice from the outside. In the 1500's, this whole area was a body of water larger than the Salton Sea, but it evaporated over time and in the 1800's, families began settling in the area.
Continuing along our drive over the mountain, we stopped for a photo op to get a picture of the Coachella Valley where Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Cathedral City, La Quinta and others reside. The bottom of the mountain landed us in Palm Desert with the temperature about 20 degrees warmer than in Temecula/Murrieta. There are areas of this Valley that are so beautiful; it's no wonder the appeal it had/has to the rich and famous. Then there are areas that make you wonder who would live there in their right mind!
Dad remembers playing golf with Bud and Marcia Watkins many years ago in this valley. So we searched for the golf course he thought he remembered playing at and landed at La Quinta Resort and Club. (We stopped at the local visitor center for a list of courses and this list is very long!) I went into the golf shop and told them about dad and this trip and asked if I could rent a golf cart just to drive the 18 hole Mountain Course (they also have a newer Dunes Course). Because it wasn't too busy and they were heartwarmed by the trip with dad, they said yes. So dad and I drove the 18 holes stopping a few times to enjoy the view or wait for golfers to hit their shots. All in all, it took us a little over an hour and it was gorgeous! The guy in the golf shop was telling me that on certain holes, we'd "hug" the mountain, and he was right. Also, the cart path takes you directly through the sand traps and yes, we just drove through them as instructed! Some of the traps are quite long next to the fairways. Dad said he remembers hitting into a trap and not being able to get out of it. Shoot, that's always the case for me!
Leaving the course, we made our way to Palm Springs and drove by Frank Sinatra's home...now some historical landmark and very unassuming before getting on the 10 Freeway to find our way home. The wind was blowing strong and it was apparent with the hundreds, if not thousands of windmills along this stretch of the freeway. The temperature dropped 20 degrees and the sun got lost under the clouds as we drove. But what a great day! Dad told me before he went to sleep that he was so happy he chose to go today!
The picture below of the very small Catholic church was taken in Anza and the panorama is partially the cities in the Coachella Valley as we were driving down.
No comments:
Post a Comment