Palm Springs {Day 4}

For our last breakfast in the desert we headed over to Keedy's, a favorite of Mom's and just a few blocks away from our hotel.  We sat outside enjoying the classic diner fare, then headed back to the motel to lay by the pool and soak up the hottest day of our trip {it was getting in the mid 90's so we stuck to the shade and feet in the water}.  After finally dragging ourselves away, we had a bit of time to spare so we drove up the mountains overlooking Palm Desert to get a breathtaking {and slightly terrifying} view of the area, then made our way back to the Ontario airport to fly home.  We couldn't leave California without a stop at In & Out for lunch, then we said goodbye to the warmth and sun as we flew home to the rain.  It was such a fun and much needed escape and I cannot wait for our next one, wherever it may be!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Palm Springs {Day 3 - part ii}

The next part of our Joshua Tree adventure took us to Skull Rock, which is a giant rock that is shaped like ......yes, you guessed it - a skull!  It's actually pretty cool to see in person {and huge} and we wandered around the rock formations there for a bit before heading on our way.  Our next {and final} stop was Arch Rock, tucked away after a 1 mile {flat} hike through the desert that greets you just as you are expecting to see nothing.  The rock formations there are pretty fascinating and we walked around a bit before heading out of the park via the Twentynine Palms entrance, though we vowed to come back again and explore more.  On our way back to Palm Desert we made a quick pitstop in Pioneertown which I had heard great things about.  The town name is no joke - it really is this tiny, western style, one dirt road town that I'm pretty sure is used as a set for movies.  Surprisingly, the Red Dog Saloon served us up some of the most delicious spicy margaritas, guacamole, and tacos of the trip and it all definitely hit the spot after a long day at the park.  We wandered the town a bit, stopping in a few shops and taking in the scene, then made our way back to Palm Desert before we lost all the sunlight of the day.  We weren't starving after our tacos but wanted a small bite for dinner so we headed down to El Paseo and after walking the entire length of the street we settled on Cafe Des Beaux-Arts for some outdoor appetizers and glasses of wine before heading back to the motel for our final night in the desert.

the walk to arch rock

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Palm Springs {Day 3 - part i}

My most favorite thing we did during our long weekend in the desert was spend the day at Joshua Tree National Park.  I've always heard wonderful things about the park, located about 1.5 hours from where we were staying in Palm Desert, but for some reason had never ventured out there on my previous trips.  We woke up early {we picked Monday for our adventure instead of the weekend correctly assuming it would be less busy} and started the day with a hearty breakfast at Wilma & Freida's on El Paseo, then made our way north to the West Entrance Station to the park {pro tip - prepay the park fee before you go for easy entrance}.  Driving into the park, you are immediately surrounded by vast deserts of Joshua Trees which themselves are surrounded by distant mountains and blue skies {but don't be fooled by those blue skies - it's much chillier and windier in the park than it is back in Palm Springs so layer up!}.  We stopped several times along the road to take pictures {which I'm so glad we did early because the landscape changes a lot throughout the park} before heading on to our first real "hike" of the park, Hidden Valley Nature Trail.  Hidden Valley is a popular park destination {as evidenced by the large, full parking lots at the trailhead} but once you get past the first few steps of the trail you are enveloped in a sort of Mars-like landscape that is both eerily quiet and spectacularly beautiful.  It's hard to explain without being there, but the valley seems to go on forever and we meandered along the trail, stopping to take in the gorgeous views and trying our best not to slip and fall on the sand like rocks.  Hidden Valley was my favorite part of the park and a must visit if you go {don't be thrown off by the word "hike" - the trail was filled with people of all ages and abilities}.  I'll tell you about the rest of our adventure in the park tomorrow - for now enjoy these gorgeous pics!  Can we go back please??

the entrance to hidden valley

xoxo,

stephanie marie