Why here? Beautiful scenery. Southern California is one of the few places in which it is possible to catch a shot of tall palm trees with snow capped mountain peaks. I've wanted to get some of those shots for a long time.
2/18- I had to wait until Saturday afternoon to catch my flight because the prices would have been ridiculous otherwise. After a connection in Houston, I landed on time around 9:30 local time and went straight to bed. If possible, I recommend an earlier flight and driving maybe 45 minutes to stay near Joshua Tree NP.
2/19- I was up with the sun and embarked on a 3 mile hike on a trail called 49 Palms. It was an out and back desert trail with some pretty steep climbs that ended with an oasis of palms trees.
From here, I traveled just a few miles to the entrance of Joshua Tree National Park. I wish I had stayed closer the previous night because I'm sure this would have been awesome at sunrise. As it is, it was still pretty cool. Key's Viewpoint is a must see stop and there are several interesting rock formations not to mention the ubiquitous Joshua trees.
From Joshua Tree, it was slightly less than 2 hours to Snow Summit Ski Resort on Big Bear mountain. Yes, that's right. Skiing in Southern California. Many people go skiing and surfing on the same day here. It's referred to as the California Double. As for the skiing, the big lesson learned is that any Western ski resort will be MUCH tougher than those back East. You can expect a LOT longer runs and what would be classified as an Intermediate slope in North Carolina will be considered Beginner terrain here. It proved to be a bit of a disappointment for me but it didn't wreck my trip. I wiped out on my first run then was extra cautious from that point on. Others also commented that the slope was much too steep for a Beginner category. My knee was a little sore the next day but it didn't prevent me from doing more hiking. If I had it to do again, I probably would have skipped the skiing and spent more time at Joshua Tree and Palm Springs itself.
Again, I stayed a few blocks away from the downtown area that night but did go out for a quick drink.
2/20-
A bit more of a chill day. Again, I was up with the sun and caught some more shots of palm trees with snow capped peaks then took the Aerial Tram up to 8500 feet elevation. Here, there was PLENTY of snow on the ground and it usually stays until April. Crazy to go from So-Cal to a Canadian type vibe and alpine climate within just a 15 minute ride on a cable car. Afternoon high temps reached the mid 70s but it was only 40 degrees at the top of the mountain.
From the Aerial Tramway, I headed west on I-10 toward Los Angeles then turned south on State Route 243 then picked up 74 east. It was a scenic and windy mountain road that went back over 6,000 feet elevation and yes, there were some patches of snow on the ground. Back at lower altitude, I picked up some fast food then went back east on I-10 and caught the southern part of Joshua Tree NP. It was almost 5:00 by the time I got back to Palm Springs and tonight, I did stay in the heart of town and enjoyed a night out even though I was quite tired.
2/21- Got up for a sit down breakfast then went for a hike at Indian Canyon trail. This was a FOREST of palm trees with a small creek nearby. I also checked out another desert trail with snow capped peaks but no palms. I caught a 1:30 flight and though it was close, I made my connection in Denver and landed back in Birmingham around 9:00 local time. It was to be either California or Idaho this holiday weekend. Though I could have done a couple things better, I think I made the right call.
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