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The snow atop the mountains is quite beautiful
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We're quite glad it's up there and we're down here, but it's still nice to look at
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There are over 800 very tall palm trees in the RV park
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Art Under the Umbrellas is held several times each winter in Old Town La Quinta
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We like to watch potters . . .he's making little pots
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He calls them Drunken Shots. Looks like they hold more than a shot . . . .
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There were many breakable objects d'art about. But it was WARM
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This is art ON the umbrellas . . . .
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And as it was Valentine's Day, many hearts . . .
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The glass works were very nice - this is a $420 cactus blossom
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Where we had lunch. Trendy eateries in the Palm Springs area can be spendy . . .
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Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church. That's the sanctuary . . .
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We scanned this image of the sanctuary's spectacular stained glass window from a bulletin
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The old Plaza Theatre has been restored to house the Palm Springs Follies
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This year's show had a Route 66 theme
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From any other angle, this sculpture looks like a random bunch of rusty pieces of metal
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We like this bus stop outside a preschool
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The Golden Twins entertained one afternoon at the RV park
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These ladies are remarkably flexible for people of any age
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We speculate they are probably around 80
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They probably weigh about 150 pounds combined. They have no body mass
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Most amazing, considering their apparent age
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But they've obviously learned how to play to a crowd
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Show's end. We hope they had as much fun as we did
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We like the sun shade these folks had. Those are South Dakota ham radio plates
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Now we're at the Living Desert, scouting the lunch opportunities
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The Living Desert focuses on animals that live in the desert - thus lots of tortoises
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The zoo features assorted snakes as well
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These guys didn't like the camera's flash. Notice the scowl . . .
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Talk about red eye. This burrowing owl could get a day job as a traffic light
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Gila Monster. Didn't look all that monster-ish to us
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These little tortoises were quite active . . .
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The Living Desert provides habitat for many spectacular cactus plants
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Lots of bees are attracted to this flowering desert plant
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The paths through the landscaping were easy to navigate
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We liked this sculpture
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These owls kept one eye on us, sleeping with the other eye
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There were many types of cactus planted in the gardens
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We think it's a hummingbird's nest. There were lots of hummingbirds around
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A replica of an Indian housing unit . . .
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Lots of volunteers were working on the grounds
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That's an Organ Pipe cactus - you can tell how it got named
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The skirts on these palms are impressive
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Not easy to get a picture of a roadrunner. They don't sit around much
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This fella's serious about feeding time - looks pretty yucky to us
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The Night Heron is the only heron without a long, flexible neck
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Beautiful bird
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There are many sculptures of residents at the Living Desert
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The ancestor of the chihuahua might have been a coyote.
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Bronzed coyote with shiny nose.
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There's something exotic about cactus plans
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Even if this oasis isn't natural, it still looks refreshing
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These tropical frogs are fascinating....and poisonous
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The colors are remarkable.
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The business end of a Gila Monster
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Lazy Lynx . . .
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Like all cats, Bobcats do a lot of grooming
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A very good friend of Mr Toad is the Badger
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The Javelina is technically a peccary, not a pig . . . a moot point if he's rooting in your garden
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Not officially a resident of the zoo . . . .
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He keeps looking, but we suspect there are very few fish in his pond
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A turtle came out for some sun
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The young lady is a keeper & cage cleaner for the Golden Eagles
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The zoo has two Golden Eagles. The female (above) wants to nest. The male isn't interested.
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The very rare Mexican Wolf is a sub-species of the not quite so rare Grey Wolf
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They are beautiful animals in a sinister sort of way
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Some of the desert plants are almost other-worldly
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We thought these twins were quite cute in their protective helmets
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Largest of all cacti is the Saguaro, often tree-sized.
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The butterfly & hummingbird habitat had relatively few of either visible, but really neat benches
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This youngster was more interested in the splashy stuff
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Lunch time!
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We like butterflies - maybe it's the sense of freedom they evoke
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Bighorn sheep - a younger male. You can tell by the horns, among other appendanges
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It's almost like he poses for these pictures
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They are extremely sure-footed and seemingly never look down to see where they're stepping
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The horns on the females don't curl as much as on the males
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We presume he's the dominant male - had the biggest horns, anyway
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A truly magnificent animal . . .
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It's fascinating to watch them scampering around those rocky places
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Up the path is a very informative exhibit and viewing point, and you can see the fault from there
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The African Hornbill has what looks like an air scoop topside. This one's the female
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The male Hornbill is a bit larger, and has a red wattle
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Meercats are fun to watch - at least one is always on lookout duty
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The Arabian Oryx was once extinct in the wild, but has recently been reintroduced
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The horns are fascinating, but relatively fragile
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Some say the legend of the Unicorn is based on the Oryx. Others point out the TWO horns - Duh!
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The model trains layout at The Living Desert is absolutely spectacular
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Yep, that's the Grand Canyon. The details are amazing
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In this dry climate, the outdoor layout holds up very well
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There's even a wrecked train at the bottom of the trestle
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The freight train rumbles past Mount Rushmore, complete with the new visitor's center
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Running water adds a nice touch of realism
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Takes one fulltime employee and 25 volunteers to maintain the layout and equipment
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Max is the tortoise mascot of The Living Desert.
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They said this is a Leopard Tortoise. Very active little guy, about 6 inches long
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Outside the Palm Springs Air Museum
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Most of the planes inside are of WWII vintage
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We always like the nose art on these planes
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How to keep moisture (and birds) out of the exhausts? Corks, of course
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Fully restored, an original Indian army bike
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All but two of these planes are airworthy, with current certification
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There was generally at least one pretty good artist in every squadron
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These planes are occasionally flown to air shows, and most have been in at least one movie
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There were also a few vintage automobiles displayed
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We liked this one
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The B-17 is one a just a handful in existance, and one of the very few that still flies
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The Kid's Korner shows why you shouldn't let kids paint aircraft
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Some impressive art is on the planes' tails
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This one used to be the pace car for the Reno Air Races
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There's an impressive display of models of every plane that flew in WW-II - ours and theirs - all to the same scale
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A tribute to the local boy who entertained so many
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Those folding wings for the carrier-based planes are so impressive
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The mural on the wall features the plane in the foreground
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It's amazing how many planes were built for WW-II and how relatively few survive
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This C-47 (or DC-3) is being recertified. Nice place for a mechanic to sit!
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That's just plane nice
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The volunteers who host here are justifiably pround of this collection
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The tabletop display shows how the wing is built - wood and fabric
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Compared to the others, this Piper engine is very small
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Grrreat!
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Bob's Bear looks more like a bloodhound . . .
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On the way to the Indian Canyons, located south-west of Palm Springs
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It's neat to stay warm down in the valley and still have the views of snow up there
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From up the canyon, looking back down
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Some of the trails have head-bangers strategically located
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The Desert Fan Palm (aka Washingtonia Filifera) is the only palm native to the Western United States
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This is a genuine oasis, where the palms grow naturally
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At the end of one easy trail, the stream seemingly flows from the mountain
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It's mostly all snow melt, and the waterfall is best viewed from this cave
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Water does interesting things to rocks over time
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If it hadn't been for the hope of gold, early white man would probably never have settled around here
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But the early natives thrived by settling into these canyons, complete with running water
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And it's at least 10 degrees cooler in there
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Occasionally, a fire comes through and burns off those skirts. The trees themselves are naturally fire-resistant
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That's the foot bridge you cross to get to the waterfall
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You can tell the area's been geologically active
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The trees are opportunistic, and relatively scarce
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Surprising there's no foolhardy folks up there . . .
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There's really a surprising amount of green in this desert scene
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There are several adjacent canyons, each with their own stream and trees
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We decided against going down there, mostly because we knew we'd have to climb back up
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The Indian Trading Post had some very nice things for sale
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Finally, the main reason they don't encourage tour buses up here . . . .