A black shiny convertible Camaro parks between the BMW and the Jag on Palm Springs Ave. The resonating motor turns the heads of the sidewalk traffic. One last ROAM!, to proclaim that the big boy has arrived. The driver-side portal opens with a click. A white-haired male hops out, his demeanour appears to be lamentable. He paces around the rear and turns towards the passenger side, then reaches down to unlatch the door. The door springs open and a glorious goddess steps out. Short, long dark hair and her shape is to perfection. Hours of work were put into her complexion. She flicks her hair away from her eyes revealing her annoyance as though to say “What took you so long.” She reaches out her eloquent hand. The Silver Fox takes her lower arm avoiding the well-groomed nails she has so long formulated. They step onto the curb and venture.
Palm Springs wasn’t my first choice for our US visit. But my sister had a timeshare at the Westin Mission Hills resort for a week and she offered it to us. We arrived at the Orange County airport and drove the rental for 3 hours to our accommodation. The rental was a Toyota Corolla cross which is a mix between a normal Corolla hatch and an SUV. What is it with people who want to buy bigger vehicles and pay the extra for petrol (gas)? I’ve owned a Prius since 2009 and fill up my 45-litre tank every 3 weeks, the range is 850kms (530 miles). I’ve even taken it off-road for my orienteering activities. Now, with a new HV Battery, I’ve gotta few more years to go.
Anyway, the resort offers an American-style vacation. Golf courses, pool, scheduled kids activities and large one to two-bedroom apartments. My sister had organised two apartments next to each other with connecting doors. Her husband had to work so it was just the three of us this week.
Our first adventure was to go up to Mt San Jacinto State Park on the rotating aerial tram. You hop on at 800m and level out at 2600m. Quite a climb especially as to realised that in the last 10 minutes, we had risen from the elevation of my house to the top of the tallest mountain in Australia (Mt Kosciusko). In the mountainous park, there are 100 km of trails to take.
We walked the shortest and most popular one called the Desert View trail which took us along the range and every so often, you came to a notch, where you could overlook the Coachella Valley. We came across a couple where the husband is retired and his wife is a younger attractive United Airlines stewardess. Mike and Lou. He was telling me that he was a honeydew retiree. This means when reacting to his wife’s commands “Honey do this” and “Honey do that”. Lol
The views were amazing although not any photo could show the enormous spectacle. Our walk finished back at the tram station and before we entered the aerial unit again you could spy through a window to see the counterweight for the tramway wires. As the tram moves up and down, the weight actively provides the tension. The tramway has two carriages one for going up and the other on the downlink, the system is perfectly balanced for gravity to efficiently pull the other.
Afterwards, we ventured to downtown Palms Springs to experience the best milkshake I’ve ever had. Walking along the iconic avenue, We strolled through the exotic shops. Very tempted to buy although after walking past a Great shakes store a few times, my temptations gave way and I entered. Yum! Yum! I’m converted.
Next up, walking the boulders of the Joshua Tree National Park.
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