Microblog

We have a small box of Coachella Valley dates. Today we snacked on a couple, but we’re reserving most for date ice cream and other goodies. Almost all dates grown in the US are from the Coachella Valley, with seeds originally brought from the Middle East.

Today we flew back and are getting reacquainted with home. “Now, where are the cutting boards?” The next trip was to be to Italy with family but we just learned my SiL busted a knee, so we’re rescheduling to the fall. That was an opportunity to move my fall solo Japan trip. It’ll be too cold to start in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, so while I was flying to Minneapolis, I changed the start city to subtropical Fukuoka, Kyushu, leaving in 12 days.

On our walk, Desert House, commissioned from architect Richard Neutra in 1946 by department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann. The LA Times lists it as one of the ten most important homes in the LA area (stretching it geographically). Kaufmann also commissioned Fallingwater from Frank Lloyd Wright, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. While Desert House was being built, Kaufmann stayed in the much more modest Villa Hermosa, where we’re staying.

Took the bike for a final spin while Dwight cycled to the pool for laps. Renting bikes is expensive–it would’ve been cheaper to buy bikes–so I posted a call for help on Reddit and received many helpful responses. One person offered to lend us his two Treks for a reasonable fee. After checking his previous posts and seeing his good karma rating, we agreed. The proceeds went to his wife’s nursing education fund.

At the peak of the heat, the sun will dip behind the mountains, bringing a marked and comfortable temperature drop. A long, pleasant dusk follows, perfect for sitting outside. Until then, I’ll stretch out on the couch and read a novel.

Cycled down to Moorten Botanical Garden, a family-owned institution since 1938. Their extensive collection showcases plants from deserts worldwide. Dwight’s City Gardener Blog will likely feature some of his photos along with background information. Click through for the link.

At the Palm Springs Art Museum, walked around a retrospective of David Hockney prints. In this gallery, I caught an actual gallery patron (with hat), seated, looking at individual flower prints Hockney created on an iPad. On the opposite wall, a wall-sized print depicts the artist (with cap), seated, looking at the same flower prints.

Another hike on the South Lykken Trail. This will probably be our final foray into the mountains around Palm Springs this trip, with highs in the 90s forecast for the next few days. On the day we leave, the forecast high is 97° compared to a sunny 54° back home in Minneapolis.

On today’s random bike ride, I stumbled upon this adobe art installation, part of this year’s Desert X exhibition. Interestingly, although mud is an ancient building material, this exhibit was created using a modern method: 3D printing. While adobe is a durable material in desert climates, with examples of buildings lasting millennia, this particular structure is temporary and will be removed in May.

We retraced a loop we’d first walked a few days prior. Overnight high winds had stirred up fine particulate matter (we are in a desert), triggering an air quality alert and making the climbs a bit more challenging. Missing a city bus at the end, we summoned a Lyft to a hostelry where reviving beer and nachos awaited. A good day.

You just don’t see graffiti in Palm Springs, except here, on my cycle ride today. This is the site of a now-demolished fashion mall, an improvement and a monument to pragmatism, IMHO. A governing board oversees this site, applying just a few rules. Elsewhere, a call to the city’s graffiti-abatement hotline promptly summons a cleanup crew.

Our Sunday walk included a stop at a brand new museum to learn about the Agua Caliente people who’ve lived here for thousands of years. The galleries took us through their origin story (which is as believable as any other) and up to today. It’s interesting to know they’re the biggest single landowner in Palm Springs, and a lot of properties here are built on their leased land.

Hiked the North Lykken Trail yet again. Each time it seems a little easier. We convinced ourselves we’d climbed the height of two Empire State Buildings, but our devices assured us it was less than one.

A thorn, presumably from a desert plant clipping lying on the road, punctured my inner tube. I found the tiny hole in the tire, but I’d forgotten to include tire levers in the kit I’d brought from home. So, I walked the bike over to a bike shop. I left with a new tube (installed) and these very red tire levers.

Went for a walk between rain showers. Outside the art museum we found another temporary Desert X installation, ‘Alive!’, a repurposed wind turbine blade. Behind it, you can see the permanent installation of architect Albert Frey’s Aluminaire House (America’s first all-metal house, originally shown at an exhibition in New York City in 1931). Later, in 1946, he designed the place where we’re staying.

Hopped on a city bus to a trailhead then hiked Araby, Berns, and Shannon trails for the first time. Gentle climbs with plenty switchbacks, great loop with stunning panoramic views of the valley and mountains. We packed plenty of water in our daypack, carried by Dwight when he took this photo.