Saturday, October 11, 2014

SISTERS VACATION 2014

On September 26th, my sisters and I took a "sisters vacation". The three of us met each other in Palm Springs, California and had a great week together. No, there were no husbands, children, or grandchildren with us...just the 3 sisters for some fun, relaxation and quality time together.  We decided on Palm Springs because none of us had ever been there and we thought it would be a good place to explore together.....and it was!
The three sisters at beautiful Mount San Jacinto

Looking down from Mount San Jacinto - some beautiful views of the Coachella Valley from the elevation of 8,516 feet. We took the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up the mountain to take in the views and do a little hiking on the Desert View Trail.

 
We also went down into San Diego to visit the San Diego Zoo. We could've used more time at the zoo but our day was shortened by the length of time it took to get out of the mountains and down into
San Diego. We did a lot of walking, but taking the tram and going on one of the buses through the zoo helped us to get around quicker and be able to see more than we could by just walking. The zoo closed at 6pm and we had lots we wanted to see.


















I took lots of photos of the beautiful animals at the zoo but these were some of my favorites.....









We also visited the Joshua Tree National Park which was really a great place to explore and hike.  I had never seen a real Joshua Tree....but there were plenty of them here!  This park is HUGE---794,000 acres. Nearly three-quarters of it is designated wilderness where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet.



Within the park, in the Wilson Canyon, is the Cholla Cactus Garden. This is definitely a cactus you wouldn't want to touch or accidentally bump up against!

 I can now say I've also hiked in the Mojave Desert. We hiked the Hidden Valley Trail where these photos were taken. Look at these HUGE rocks! You can barely see Brenda standing by them.  Hidden in the rocks lie red diamond rattlesnakes. They tell you to be very careful around the rocks and where you put your hands.... we were all careful and happy to say we didn't see any live rattlesnakes!


I really thought this rock was cool looking. Doesn't it look like the New England Patriots logo? This huge rock looks as though it has a face on it. How cool is that!!
 
 

After leaving the Mojave Desert, we traveled through Yucca Valley going to Pioneer Town. Many western movies have been filmed here. It was really like being in the wild west.  :)  Afterwards, we went to Pappy and Harriet's for dinner. It was a real laid back little western type place where they even serve the drinks in Mason jars.
 

I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse of the sisters vacation!

3 comments:

http://Cardunow.blogspot.com said...

What great pictures...loved every one of them...tell me about the Bath House .....Love the animals
So glad the 3 of you were able to get together and selected such a great place...Hugs D

Paula said...

WOW! This pics look amazing. It sounds like you and your sisters had a great fun filled vacation. Glad you were able to enjoy yourself. Thanks for posting the amazing pics! (Now I'm even more jealous)

loz said...

Fabulous photos Clara.. LOve the zoo animals and the old house photos look like they were haunted houses..Loz