Spring Break Part 1: Palm Springs & Joshua Tree

While not completely risk free, we itched to venture out of the city after a long winter of sheltering. After our Christmas plans were ruined twice, we made up by rebooking our camping trip to Death Valley.  But first, sun and drinks poolside in Palm Springs.  We "rented" a full sive SUV from Lolo and left at dawn for the long drive South.

First stop was in Cazadero to see the famous dinosaurs in Valentine's and Easter dress (yup, those are bunny ears on a T-rex.) We also tried their famous Date Shakes.

By later afternoon we drove into the warmth of Palm Springs to spend two glorious nights at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club.

After checking out our digs and slapping on sunblock we head straight for the saltwater pool.   Palm trees and poolside service, beautiful people of every shape and color, we were loving the scene.

The next day we spent exploring the city, wandering the streets to check out mid-century architecture.

The highlight of the walking tour was the Robolights House. Lit up during the holiday season, it's quirky yard with sculptures combining sci-fi & religious holiday themes. The instillations ranged from weird/funny to downright disturbing.

We ended up downtown for lunch and rest-- everyone was overheated and super hungry from walking in the sun. Since Mattias needed new swim trunks we swung by the Gay Mart (like K Mart, but gay) followed by a Dole pineapple whip treat.

Later in the day we were delighted by a visit from Amy, who came from LA to see us.  In our middle age we've all become cactus/succulent obsessed, so we spent some time at the Moorten Botanical garden geeking out.

Amy, Mattias, and I have been friends for so long.  Given all of our isolation and loss it was a huge lift to spend time together.

Continuing onward to the next part of our trip we said goodbye to the Ace Hotel and head into Joshua Tree National Park. 

We didn't have much time since we were en route to Death Valley, so we chose a short but spectacular hike in Hidden Valley.

The "trees" (actually, yucca) were magnificent, and so was the backdrop of rock formations and other plant life. Poor Mattias (avid boulder climber) was longing for his shoes and crash pad, but alas we promised to return another day to climb.