La Quinta California Date with the Desert Thoughts

I arrived early at the Palm Springs International Airport.  It was a smooth sail down the 111.  The car return was quick as was checking in and off loading my luggage to the airlines.  It was nearing noon and already +28C.  What I like most about the Palm Springs airport would be the benches outside in the shade that offer up this view.  I already knew my flight would be late.  The plane was coming from Calgary which was dealing with wild weather.  I sat outside enjoying every last second of +28C as I could because three hours after boarding the plane I would be greeted with -28C when landing in Calgary.  I sat and embraced the weather and the view.

It was by Wednesday when I woke that I felt settled in and relaxed and unwound.  At that point I began to wish my stay was a bit longer.  I forgot that I felt the same in my prior visits to Palm Springs.

I made a list of hikes to choose from to accomplish.  I began opting for others that were not on that list for one reason or another.  My intentions were to include day hikes of sections of the Pacific Crest Trail.  What I had on my list would be hikes that were to add to both ends of the PCT that I have covered so far.  I had success in only adding a few kilometers to the north side of the PCT that I completed from the Mission Creek Preserve area.  This is the full stretch I stitched together that I covered to date.

I have lots of ground to attack.  I would like to connect the dots leading left (south) here to meet up with a portion of the PCT I covered up near Idyllwild.  A part of this goes through the Whitewater Preserve which was closed due to three feral pittbulls in the vacinity.  The Preserve opened two days before my vacation was ending but they believed one dog was still in the area and the others moved on south.  For me on my own, this was a no go.  While hiking the Mission Creek Preseve this time I could have carried on north but used up too much time following an off trail to an overlook area.  I have unfinished business!  I will see what my future holds and if another visit to this area fits in.  

This time I stayed in La Quinta which I truly enjoyed.  I had a sweet suite that came with everything I could possibly want or need.  The views from my balcony were incredible.  Every morning I enjoyed the sunrise with my coffee and every evening I admired the sunset with a beer. 

My dates with the desert showed me a variety of scenery and landscape to hike across.  Some days I came home with my boots full of sand, I got cactus scratches,  plus I got to experience that high I like  to feel from elevation gain.  Some days I owned the areas and other days I politely shared trails with a few others.  I grew up by the ocean, it will always bring me to that feeling of being home and where I belong.  The mountains give me that place to escape from reality and while they look big and rough and rugged and sometimes scary and intimidating, I feel embraced by them which brings comfort.  The desert!  I love it!  I feel a little wild when I play there.  These are some of my favourite photographs and it is sights like this that draw me back down there.

The sun has set on this date with the desert!

I was truly fortunate for my stars to align on this escape and I am thankful for that.  

I came away with many wonderful memories of each date.