A few years ago I had the pleasure of going to Los Angeles for work. I was working on a condo, and the developers flew me to LA to look at places there that they liked. They were from Pasadena. It was such an awesome trip. I had never been to LA. They also took me to Pasadena and Palm Springs. Palm Springs was an amazing place. If you have never been, it is quite the sight to see. It is in the middle of the desert,but everything is so lush and green. I am used to being hot, but it is like an oven in Palm Springs. It was so dry my skin was literally flaking off....disgusting right! Downtown Palm Springs had misting fans mounted everywhere, they list you as you walk around to cool you down. Most places close during the middle of the day, which is the hottest part. There was so much construction going on, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the workers that were working in 110 degree heat. The landscaping was very neat. Everything must be very drought tolerant...obviously since they are in a desert! I was amazed at the ways they landscaped.
Most places do not have grass, they use pebbles and plant cacti.
A view of Palm Springs from one of the higher points if the city. Actually this is the mountain that Bob Hopes house was on!!! The security didn't like us being up there taking photos...but oh well...I got my photos!
The misting fans in downtown, boy they sure felt good. I just wanted to sit under them for hours!
This is someones front yard!! Big difference from what I see at home! They used the water all througout the front and back gardens. It ran through the front yard around to the pool area.
Here is a shot of another pool. Very lovely. It was so hot! The owners dog kept jumping in and out, and his wet paw prints would dry on the concrete within seconds. Poor little guy...I know he was hot. Most people keep their pets inside....I can see why! Do you see the fire pit over to the right? Hard to believe it can reach over 100 degrees here during the day, and then drop in the low 20's-30's at night! The owners use their fire pit at night to stay warm....that is just nuts to me!
This is a street view of one of the neighborhoods I visited.
How great are those landscaped walls!
Coming back from Palm Springs you get to see the thousands of wind mills that generate energy for several counties. It was truly amazing to see. I think every state should have these. We would all be much better off.
Windmills for as far as you can see
You can almost see the heat!
But look on top of that mountain...SNOW!!!!!!!!!!
Hard to believe at the base of the mountain you are about to pass out from heat exhaustion, but on top of the mountain it is freezing
We stopped at Newport Beach on the way back to LA for lunch at this nice little place. It was a beautiful day.
And heading back to Alabama, I took this shot out of the plane. Not really sure where I was at, at this point....but nice shot anyway.
Most places do not have grass, they use pebbles and plant cacti.
A view of Palm Springs from one of the higher points if the city. Actually this is the mountain that Bob Hopes house was on!!! The security didn't like us being up there taking photos...but oh well...I got my photos!
The misting fans in downtown, boy they sure felt good. I just wanted to sit under them for hours!
This is someones front yard!! Big difference from what I see at home! They used the water all througout the front and back gardens. It ran through the front yard around to the pool area.
Here is a shot of another pool. Very lovely. It was so hot! The owners dog kept jumping in and out, and his wet paw prints would dry on the concrete within seconds. Poor little guy...I know he was hot. Most people keep their pets inside....I can see why! Do you see the fire pit over to the right? Hard to believe it can reach over 100 degrees here during the day, and then drop in the low 20's-30's at night! The owners use their fire pit at night to stay warm....that is just nuts to me!
This is a street view of one of the neighborhoods I visited.
How great are those landscaped walls!
Coming back from Palm Springs you get to see the thousands of wind mills that generate energy for several counties. It was truly amazing to see. I think every state should have these. We would all be much better off.
Windmills for as far as you can see
You can almost see the heat!
But look on top of that mountain...SNOW!!!!!!!!!!
Hard to believe at the base of the mountain you are about to pass out from heat exhaustion, but on top of the mountain it is freezing
We stopped at Newport Beach on the way back to LA for lunch at this nice little place. It was a beautiful day.
And heading back to Alabama, I took this shot out of the plane. Not really sure where I was at, at this point....but nice shot anyway.
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15 comments:
It sure is different looking there! Nice though, I need to see lots of green around me..
Haven't been to Palm Springs, but it looks great. Love all the windmills. We should all have them.
110°! I won't be complaining about our temps anytime soon! Glad you enjoyed your trip and I agree with you about the windmills.--Randy
Darla - I don't think I could live there. There is not enough Jergens lotion in the world to keep my skin hydrated. And I couldn't see myself getting overly excited about a cactus bloom as I do an iris...LOL!
K&V - We do need them. Think of all they energy they could produce for us. Let me know when Bilbo arrives :)
J&R - Yep thats what I said! On the flip side they don't have mosquitos. That heat would fry them, but they have very poisonous scorpions!
Oh and Randy...see if you can find the state about 2,000 acres up in Pratville to put us some windmills on. I have some connection in Montgomery...we can work on that. There is plenty of farm land in Lowndes county for a few thousand windmills :)
What a fascinating post. This is what I come to the web to see - it puts my home area into context very well. Thank you!
Emily - I am amazed at how different things are in various climates. I can honestly say that most of my favorite blogs are in other countries. I think it is because of the fascination of what others are able to grow. Majority of the plants I am not familiar with...but I am still amazed by them
Well worth the visit just to see that wallscape. I won't rant but that's a lot of water to use in an arid landscape.
But it's dry heat. Yep, you roast instead of boil. ..and you were directly over the center of the earth when you took the last photo.
W - I agree. But I came to the conclusion that the people in Palm Springs had more money that most everyone I know combined...so whats a little water to them
Hello DP, I finally visited Palm Springs last year for the first time. Enjoyed traveling along with you to see the sights and recall the stirring landscapes. Alice
I love to see new things that I don't get to see very often! Those same kind of windmills were erected near Livermore, CA some years ago. Millions of dollars spent putting them up. No one checked to see if they were in a migratory bird path. Duh. Not one is ever turning when I have passed by. Crazy waste of money, at least there they were. Interesting nonetheless. My mind only remembers the very random facts.
We have family that lives in the area- fabulous during spring break when it is raining here, and NICE there! They will get to 118 degrees or more at times in the summer- you can take that! YIKES! We once went to the "Living Desert Museum" (all the desert plants ) in the beginning of April, and my poor fair skinned family felt like we were in HELL!
Alice Joy - I love traveling with you every day you post :)
Heather - Thats too bad. They can be a great asset if properly used and researched. Maybe they can dig them all up and move them to Alabama!! Maybe it will be in a migratory mosquito path
Heather F1 - Yes...if one ever wonders what hell must be like...visit Palm Springs in the summer and imagine it being a million times hotter!
Heather F1 - Do you have a blog? I went to your profile but your blog wasn't listed. I wanted to come visit you. Can you send me your blog link please :)
Sounds like a great trip! For those of us raised in the South, it is hard to get used to that dry heat. I just got back from Napa/Sonoma for a week (blog posts coming soon) -- not nearly as dry as Palm Springs -- and I felt like I had to apply lotion 5 times a day. My skin is still not back to normal.
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