Just when I think we are fine for going to a favourite restaurant in Palm Springs and get all dolled up for it , we find they changed their day closed from just Monday to Monday and Tuesday-- ah well all good things are worth the wait so its gonna be Friday evening all booked and ready. Mind you the Thai Restaurant in town was pretty good even if there was too much on the plates-- must keep remembering that the portions are huge here.
A big part of our stays in Palm Springs have revolved around our stays at The Royal Sun Inn. Ok, so the Ritz it aint, but when you are looking for a bargain hotel that has all the things you need then this -- in our opinion -- is pretty hard to beat.
We have stayed in the Hilton here 2 years ago but it was so impersonal that we pined for the Royal Sun and when we were doing our bookings for this trip, we thought that the images of the Best Western across the road from the Royal Sun , looked better appointed, got us BW reward points only to find that actually , the room was enclosed and dark, there was no balcony to sit on in the evening and by what we saw, there was unsecured access for anyone off the street to the pool and breakfast areas.
So we stayed for 2 nights in the BW and have since yesterday moved across the road to the Royal Sun and to room 325 which is where we stayed previously with a balcony that is great for sitting out on and getting slaughtered at cards by your wife.
Sorry for the quality of the picture but this is an image of Kaluki -- laid down by the Kaluki Queen -- 3 times she got Kaluki -- and she beat me 6 times out of 9 games -- embarrassing and slaughtered.
Anyway, having made the move over , we decided that this was to be a visit to Joshua Tree National Park , about 50 miles outside Palm Springs for a clear the head stroll at around 5000 feet up and it was another wander down memory lane as this was our third visit there -- the last was with Hugh & Lisa Riley when they came down from Seattle to join us here for a few days.
In Palm Springs you don't go far without seeing a reference to one of the great entertainers in the world in his time -- Lynda made a very valid point , that our children might just have heard the name before but would not necessarily remember anything about him or his work-- ask them who his partner was and I think that there might be some blank stares back -- sad that and the same can be said for the latest generation and there lack of knowledge of history or the fact that they don't teach that anymore in the curriculum.
For me , Joshua is like a moonscape, rock formations that are hard to describe and that defy the laws of engineering-- but more than that , it is a tranquil place that has amazing walks to just marvel at how it looks , at the same time knowing that it contains a myriad of life forms--snakes, little furry critters, scorpions all manner of birds of prey-- so it is never as barren as it seams and remember that this desert scene is at 5000 feet.
Failed miserably to lift this back up
Me capturing the moment that Lynda is capturing the moment
The view below is from a vantage point that looks back towards Palm Springs and to Indian Wells -- have to say that the air pollution appears less than in did some years back.
Philyndas rock formation. I bet it's kicked over by the time we get back to the hotel.
This little place was where we had a great burger after a hard walk with Hugh & Lisa, right out of the last century.
Not sure if this is still going but what a great looking old bus
Lots and lots of these things in palm valley in fact there are thousands-- but also solar farms going in now.
A bit of -- Youv'e been framed
Even with the wind , when your up at 5000 feet overlooking the Palm Springs Valley you have to have a selfie
Oh and if you see a little chipmonk like these two your not supposed to feed them --- Lynda -- even if you do want a picture
They are cute little critters though and not too afraid
So after all that it is back to the Royal Sun and to use your own personal pool -- well , we never seam to have anyone else to share with.
One of the things we get to use is a bar-b-q and I cooked a couple of beautiful steaks for dinner
We put a great meal together washed down by a bottle of very nice Pinot Noir oh and the thrashing at cards that I got.
So that's it for now -- who knows what little treats will come along tomorrow.
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