1000 Palms Canyon

We stayed in yesterday due to the wind and the dust storm it brought to the valley, we drove into Palm Desert to buy groceries but that was it for the day. The wind finally blew itself out last night after a three day blast, we put our slides out again and slept soundly.

Today we drove 20 miles to the Coachella Valley Preserve to do a couple short hikes; the preserve is located on the San Andreas Fault. What we wanted to see were the palm groves. the Thousand Palms Oasis is located at the Visitor Center and the McCallum Grove is located less than a mile from the Visitor Center.

Our first hike took us out to the McCallum Grove, after the short walk to the grove in the hot sun it was amazing how cool it felt to walk around the pond of water under the tall palm trees.

 

The McCallum Grove.

 

The pond, complete with cattails.

 

 

Desert Pupfish were planted in the clear pond as  a refuge, they are nearly extinct in their natural habitat which includes two streams that flow into the Salton Sea.

 

Sandy relaxes in the cool shade, dreaming of a hammock I would guess.

 

We walked around the pond and hiked out of the grove on the Moon Country Trail, our first stop was a vista from which we overlooked the 1000 Palm Canyon. We continued on the Moon Country Trail which is appropriately named for the landscape it took us through. The trail crossed a wash which is also a trail so we turned toward the visitor center; it soon became evident that the wash was not moon country as Sandy started spotting plants that were blooming.

 

The McCallum Grove from the vista overlook.

 

The landscape seems appropriate for the Moon Country Trail.

 

The wash wasn’t moon-like, we found some flowering plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The view as we neared the Visitor Center.

 

After lunch we explored the Thousand Palms Oasis which is located around water that bubbles up through the San Andreas Fault. Some of the oasis was off limits as they were working on the boardwalk so we walked a short distance along the fault which is concealed by water and vegetation; out of sight but not out of mind, we did not want to see the fault in action.

 

The 1000 Palms Oasis.

 

The San Andreas Fault is hidden in the vegetation at right.

 

We returned to the mothership and got a few things ready for our move tomorrow, we then spent some time in the hot tub before going out for supper.