On our final Indian Canyons hike before we give up the car (and easy access to the trailheads) we spotted a line of prison inmates carrying rakes, soon to perform fire mitigation. The training may ease their reintegration into society, possibly including joining a fire department. Meanwhile, we hope they’re receiving fair compensation.
Category: Living
Goodbye Norma Jean
On my cycle ride, stopped to watch workers preparing to move the 17-ton blonde bombshell less than 100 feet. The combined legal and moving fees are reportedly around $1 million. I was only three years old when ‘The Seven Year Itch’ first pushed back on the conservative mores of 1950s America.
Palm trees thriving where tectonic plates collide
Drove across the Coachella Valley to a ridge trail with lovely 360° views looking across the valley. Initially, we hiked directly on the San Andreas Fault. Here, we’re looking down at a line of native California fan palms owing their existence to groundwater pushed up by the collision of the tectonic plates.
An evening with Dianne Reeves
Walked over to the Annenberg Theater in downtown Palm Springs for a concert with jazz singer, Dianne Reeves. We first saw her in Minneapolis at Orchestra Hall, maybe 15 years ago, and we often play her music at home. She has evolved well over the years: more innovative, more energy, and more of an edge, including a political message to hold onto our humanity.
Indian Canyons hike redux
We hiked the exact same loop we did a couple days ago. We love this loop, over the years we’ve hiked it several times. It seemed less strenuous than a couple days ago, as our bodies acclimate. Here, we’re close to the finish line at Palm Canyon, an oft-photographed spot.
Rest day on a bicycle
Dwight went for a jog, I went for a bicycle meander, stopping for coffee and picking up groceries along the way. After yesterday’s somewhat arduous hilly hike, this felt like a rest day.
Indian Canyons hike
Hiked a loop formed from three trails, ascending through desert landscapes and descending into canyons where water sources support thriving California fan palms. The land we walked on belongs to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians which maintains the land and charges a small entry fee.
Accidental tourists: flight or sit tight?
The PowerPoint slide flashed a title we weren’t expecting: “Working in Tranquility: Landscapes, Interiors and the Modernist Corporate Campus.” We’d walked into the wrong lecture. But we shrugged, deciding to stay and see where it led. Later, we had lunch at Blackbook, shown here, where I enjoy spotting the occasional straight couple who’ve wandered in by mistake. Some flee, some stay and relax, others stay and cling closer.
Smoke signals in the desert
Contrails painted the sky as we hiked a trail in Joshua Tree National Park.
The sculptures the city keeps trying to move
On our Sunday morning walk, snow-dusted Mount San Jacinto while it was 70 degrees in the valley. We passed a large residential lot in a quiet neighborhood, overflowing with exuberant sculptures crafted from found objects by the homeowner. The bright colors and fanciful shapes stood in stark contrast to the understated elegance of Twin Palms, the Frank Sinatra house, just a block away.