More desert adventure, to Tues, 1/17/23

 

The Coachella Valley encompasses the greater Palm Springs area, which (I think) includes where we're staying in Desert Hot Springs.  It's considered an arid rift valley in the Colorado Desert of Southern California.  It's surrounded by gorgeous mountains, and it's hotter'n blue blazes in summer ... but fairly pleasant in winter.  That being said, we've had our share of gray and rainy days this week, like most of California:  No sun on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Bad storms hit the mountains and passes.  Guess what happens when it rains at higher elevations?  Water flows downhill.  And floods the washes and streets.

In between, Jimmy and I took our E-bikes out for a spin, not a long ride, less than 20 miles on local roads out in the desert.  This area is prone to BIG winds, and even with a battery boost, we had to work those pedals.  Plus, we were either going uphill or downhill.  Yeehaw!

End of a long dusty road.  Jimmy's green riding shirt stands out amid the mousy gray/brown soil/sand in this area.

At the end of that road was a "forest" of Cholla cactus.  If you look closely at the top left picture, you'll notice a slew of "babies" on the ground below the "parent."  I didn't collect any -- those things have killer thorns!  Baby Chollas have also landed near the Beavertail Cactus, bottom right.

I had to look them up.  They're called Coyote Melons, a member of the squash family (Cucurbitaceae), and can thrive in the desert with surprisingly low rainfall.  We saw a pile of them roadside when in the car, but got up close while on the bikes (top).  The small fruits are striped green and white while growing, fading to tan once dried.  They're quite bitter, but the large, pale seeds are apparently nutritious.  You see I picked one, and Jimmy wrestled one open with a large serrated knife, and, nope, we didn't keep the melon or the seeds.  Just thought it all interesting.

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What's a person to do when the weather outside doesn't warrant being outside?  Go to the movies again!  We drove to Mary Pickford is D'Place (that's the theater's name!) in Cathedral City to see the new Tom Hanks flic, "A Man Called Otto," sitting in recliners more comfortable than the one in our living room, haha.  Really enjoyed the movie, although the last two available seats were in the FRONT ROW, and consumed a large box of popcorn.  Check out the mural alongside the theater, below:

We enjoyed a delightful swim when we returned to Tergel.

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Look at 11,503' San Gorgonio after those storms!

Heavy snowfall has covered the mountain!

I took the above pic as Jimmy and I were setting out this morning (Tuesday) for Tahquitz Canyon (tah-quits) for a hike to the 60' waterfall.  It's a seasonal waterfall, but we knew the water would be pouring today!  Our friends, Sue and Mo, left this morning, aiming for Anza Borrego St Pk, which is already showing a blush of wildflowers.  We'll miss them.

Believe it or not, we've never been to Tahquitz Canyon.  "It's one of the most beautiful and culturally sensitive areas of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Reservation."  A fee is charged, which we paid gladly.  Jimmy is indicating we'll climb "up there!"  Look at all the green due to the rain.  The trail is a two-mile looping trail, beginning at the Visitor Center at 516' elevation and climbing to 867' at the falls, a 351' gain.  Up to the falls, down to the VC!

Boulders?  Oh yeah.  Massive rocks.  The trail itself is steep and rocky with lots of rock steps to climb.  We thought about taking our walking sticks, but decided against them.  Some of the steps were 12 to 15 inches high, so we could've used them.  Never mind, we did okay.

The canyon is at the base of Mt San Jacinto, which is topped with snow, so while Tahquitz Creek may be seasonal, snowmelt sustains the waterfall most of the year.  It's what I would call "high flow" right now.  The trail was closed yesterday as water was covering parts of the trail, but receded enough to reopen today.

And the view!  Down below is the City of Palm Springs with mountains beyond.  The creek is visible center of the photo.  Look at that blue sky!

No soaker at this stone bridge, but the water was gushing!

This is a popular hike and we encountered lots of people, stepping aside to let others pass if they wanted to go faster than us.  It's still early for wildflowers, but the season is coming.  Chuparosa, with its red tube flowers, was the first to bloom, and we saw a number of them.  In a couple of weeks, the hillside will be ablaze with color.  Regardless, this was still a pretty day to be Out and About on the trail.

The first cascade.

Not necessarily easy at times.

A selfie at the falls, standing on stones in the middle of the creek!

Below the falls, by the plunge pool, are mature endemic Sycamore trees, stately beauties!  Dormant in winter, I'm sure they're a stunning addition to the falls area in summer.

The trail returns to the VC on the other side of the creek, the shady side (mostly), plus the sun was dipping below the mountain.  Too warm on the sun side, kinda cool on the shade side.  Such a lament!

The caption at this spot is "piled boulders," which you can see is true!

The desert can be surprise, dry to the extreme, but then you might discover an oasis or a hidden waterfall.  We like the desert!  Tahquitz Canyon was just what I hoped.  The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians built complex communities in these canyons -- they grew crops of melons, squash, beans and corn, gathered plants and seeds for food, medicines and basket weaving.  We saw remnants of an irrigation ditch and dam today, but missed the rock art.  The reservation was established in 1876.  The Tribe is steward to more than 31,500 acres in a checkerboard pattern in three cities and into the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains.  I copied this last from their brochure:  Walk in the footsteps of our ancestors.  I owe them this mention at least, not just the $15 admission each.

Driving back to the RV was a mess.  Palm Springs lies low in the valley and what did I say initially?  Water flows downhill?  A few of their major arteries flood every time it rains and drivers have to find alternative routes.  And they all flock to one or two ways out of town.  You'd think, wouldn't you, that the city fathers would fix the problem after all these years?  I guess they don't think like us.

We're looking forward to the next few days, full of sunshine and no wind.