Crossing America...Again.: The Palms

In 34 days I will be 70. That’s bizarre. Maybe 60 or even 63. At 63 I retired and went on my way never looking back. I was full of energy, trim and healthy and ready to go…anywhere. Now I start my seventieth decade, slower, rounder, creakier and cheekier. But here I am, with Michael, moving forward still. I’m so lucky, still riding the highways and looking for adventure. Not bad for almost 70.

We breezed through San Diego…too chaotic!

Ran to the hills in Carlsbad, CA, to a calm, clean and quiet Residence Inn. Ahhhhhhh, I love my Marriotts!

Now, after driving to the other side of California to Palm Desert, we have settled in to a very nice and comfortable Airbnb for a week with outdoor space right on a golf course. We are not golfers but we can count on calm and quiet from those who do play. Notice what we put importance on. (Hmmm, I used to love cities.) The only downside here is that it’s 113 degrees in the middle of the day. DESERT is the operative word but it also comes with NO humidity. 😊 Michael and I find this town very interesting. It’s an attractive town with everything you could want, yet laid out nicely. Except for masks, it feels like it’s in its own little world. Here’s a few pictures.

We are staying in a condo here and YES! it is as lovely as it looks.

Today we will head up to Palm Springs where we spent Christmas while on the road in 2014. We like seeing how places have changed in 7 years. More later!

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Back from Palm Springs. We drove up and down the main streets and some of the housing communities. It was over 100 degrees so we didn’t walk much. Here’s my take on Palm Springs.

Many shops and restaurants have closed down but still lots of construction going on. Mandatory masks in all shops AND proof of vaccine if staying inside a restaurant. It felt like COVID hit it hard and they are trying to recuperate. There were still quite a few people walking around the downtown area and obeying the rules.

Overall it felt tired. I think I can say I was disappointed but now thinking back on it I am more sad for it. Michael and I remember it as such a vibrant and fun place. It is presently working on revitalizing itself to make it the hotspot it used to be. Like a dried up garden it might come back to life with some long term love and care.