392 Days After Our 2020 COVID Departure: California Life in 2021

June

After leaving Palm Desert on May 12, 2020, due to the COVID pandemic, it was a long 392 days until we returned on June 8, 2021. There was plenty to do after being away so long, but most importantly we wanted to get back to life in Southern California. We were greeted by 87° temperatures inside the condo and a nonfunctioning AC unit. Fortunately night time temps were in the low 70s, so the condo cooled down that night and we were lucky enough to get the system repaired the next day.

We knew what we were getting into by visiting in July, but even still the temps were pretty wild. Our goal was to get as much done early in the morning before temperature reached the mid 90s.

We knew what to expect by visiting in July, but even still the temperatures were quite extreme. Our objective was to accomplish as much as possible early in the morning before the temperature climbed to the mid-90s.

We noticed some new visitors on our back patio; roadrunners seemed to have made a home in the neighborhood. Aside from being a great 1960s cartoon figure, they are fun birds to observe. Roadrunners also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks; they are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico, usually in the desert. Some have been clocked at 32 km/h (20 mph), while a few have also been clocked up to 43 km/h (27 mph). They generally prefer sprinting to flying, though they will fly to escape predators.

Roadrunners are a large, slender, black-brown and white-streaked ground bird with a distinctive head crest. They have long legs, strong feet, and an oversized dark bill. The tail is broad with white tips on the three outer tail feathers.

Desert flower, bushes, grasses, and cacti have adapted to the extreme temperatures and low rainfall. They continue to bloom in July despite sweltering temperatures in the low 100s.

Lemons and limes were only a month or so away from picking. Unfortunately, we won't be there when this batch is ready to pick.

On the morning of June 13th, we noticed black smoke rising from the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument in the hills above Palm Desert. A wildfire had erupted which involved over 400 acres and required over 400 U.S. Forest Service and Riverside County firefighters to contain. Ten days after the fire was extinguished, we drove through the scorched land on our way to hike Suicide Rock in the Santa Rosa Mountains.

Although the area is not heavily forested there is still an ample supply of brush and other combustible materials to feed a ‘desert wildfire’. This was our first California wildfire even though it was admittedly a distance away. It was an eerie experience driving through the soot covered stretch of desert.

In addition to house maintenance activities, our trip was also about reconnecting with friends we hadn’t seen in over a year. We had several friends over for drinks and dinner including Myles who lives full time in Palm Desert.

The creation of the Cabazon dinosaurs began in the 1960s by Knott's Berry Farm sculptor and portrait artist Claude K. Bell to attract customers to his Wheel Inn Restaurant, which opened in 1958 and closed in 2013. We had driven by the Cabazon Dinosaur Park just off Interstate 10 many times since 2018 but this year we made time to visit the unique attraction.

On an overcast day we headed to the local outlets and when we took the wrong exit, we ended up seeing the Cabazon Dinosaurs. They have long been regarded as one of the most iconic roadside attractions in Southern California. Featured in cult classics movies such as Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure, the dinosaurs have staked a claim in the region's pop culture.

Dinny the Dinosaur is a 150-foot-long brontosaurus created by Bell in 1964 out of spare material salvaged from the construction of nearby Interstate 10 at a cost of $300,000.

Mr. Rex, the 65-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus Rex, was built in 1981. A third woolly mammoth sculpture and a prehistoric garden were drafted but never completed due to Bell's death in 1988.

One of the best locations to get views of Palm Desert and the surrounding area is the Coachella Valley Vista Point located on Highway 74. A 5-mile road that includes a series of never ending hairpin turns bring you to a parking lot some 2,300 feet above the valley floor.

I tried taking a few night photos - it will be a learning experience but hope I get better at it over the coming months. The arc light trails are from cars making their way up and down the switchbacks.

July

After visiting family in Seattle and taking a twelve day journey through Oregon, we returned to Palm Desert to close the condo up until our return in the fall. This time I took advantage of the extra time to appreciate some of the the street art and sculptures in the downtown area.

Ode to Marshmallows

One Another

Palm Desert Window

(unknown)

The Sculpture Garden presented by Melissa Morgan Fine Art is located on a neatly graveled half-acre at El Paseo and San Luis Rey Avenue. Among the works here are the following:

Counterparts, a pair of life-size human figures by Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir,

Ginnetoy, a posed figure rendered in stacked bluestone slabs by Boaz Vaadia

There were a few building murals in the area as well.

What would a stay in Palm Desert be without a photo of the sun setting over the San Gorgonio Pass.

October

What a great feeling returning to California in the fall.

We never miss the Rancho Mirage library book sale. It helps to support the library and this stash of books probably cost less than $5.

The new back patio furniture arrived in time to enjoy it this fall. The 50's retro look was on full display.

Fall is lime season and lime season means mojito time. These limes from our citrus trees are so much better than limes from the local grocery stores.

While hiking with the SoCAL Adaptive Sports group we made a great new hiking buddy, Dr. Gail and her dog Reign.

Chris arrived in late October for a working vacation. We used his visit to test out some new locations that we going to bring friends and family who visit this coming winter.

We were lucky his trip coincided with the annual opening period of Carrizo Canyon (Oct 1 through Jan 1). This canyon accesses an ecological preserve for the endangered Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. One of the steps that has been taken to protect this population is to close Carrizo Canyon and several other area trails during both the spring lambing season and the summer season when it's critical the sheep have unencumbered access to their water sources. Here area few of pics from the hike. Click here for detailed write up of Carrizo Canyon.

We climbed the 20+ feet dry waterfall to access the upper canyon. I can not imagine what this fall looks like during the fall monsoon rains.

At the top of the dry waterfall was the decayed skull of a bighorn sheep. I contacted the Bighorn Sheep Institute and provided photos and geo coordinates. The Institute is dedicated to conservation of the Peninsula bighorn sheep. Researchers monitor sheep on the southern rim of the Coachella Valley from Palm Springs to La Quinta. Their captive breeding program has resulted in the release of over 127 sheep into the wild; these efforts have kept two local herds from disappearing. The photo is a reminder that mountain lions and bobcats also populate these areas.

What an incredible place to explore.

Our second hike was to Pushawalla Palms Oasis. We've done this hike several times and when the stream in the oasis is flowing it becomes a green paradise. Click here for a detailed writeup of hiking to Pushawalla Palms Oasis.

But the water source also attracts rattlesnakes that can easily prey on small mammals. Unfortunately, this Southwestern speckled rattlesnake, that we found in the palms, was on the losing end of a battle with a roadrunner. These birds are quick enough to catch and eat rattlesnakes. They often work in pairs with one bird distracting the snake by jumping and flapping its wings while the second bird sneaks up from behind to pin the snake’s head. The rattlesnake is then smashed against a rock and swallowed whole by the roadrunner. This 12-inch long segment was what the bird left behind. You can see the rattle tucked under the carcass.

Two additional locations we explored with Chris were the Annenberg Estate in Rancho Mirage and several unique spots along the east side of the Salton Sea. Blogs for both of these locations highlight the peculiarities of the Coachella Valley.

Annenberg Estate

Click here to be redirected to Sunnylands: When Money Was No Object to the Annenbergs

Eastern Shores of the Salton Sea

Click here to be redirected to Living Off-the-Grid: Salton Sea's Unique Communities, CA

Chris signed off on these travel recommendations, so blame him if you visit us and don't have a great southern California experience.

October also signaled our return to live theater with 'Girlfriend' performed by Dezart Performance at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater. This was their first in-person production and our first live theater experience since March 2019.

Fire and Ice made their appearance at the Halloween Street Party in Palm Springs.

The Marilyn Monroes take the stage for the costume contest

November

After an absence of 18 months, we finally got to return to our favorite place to hike in Southern California, the Mecca Hills. The Grottos hike we completed did not disappoint. Click here to check our other hikes in Mecca.

Palm Springs PRIDE is a time to celebrate our community and its diversity.

We flew home on November 10th and although we were looking forward to the holidays in NH, our eyes were focused on returning to California in January.