After we got back to the hotel after the river trip last Thursday night - and in the midst of the chaotic organizing of our plethora of possessions - we took a lyft to airport to pick up our rental car, which we had originally planned to get the next morning. However, we decided we wanted to get up early on Friday morning so we could go to a laundromat and wash all of our wet and filthy clothing from the river trip.
On Friday, we loaded up the car, checked out of the hotel, made the first of many stops at Dutch Bros., and went to a laundromat. We were done everything by about 10:00 am, and we went to a Black Bear Diner for a late breakfast before leaving Las Vegas.
On our way out of Nevada, we stopped at Seven Magic Mountains, which is an art installation we've visited before. However, it was fenced off and staff was working on repainting the rocks due to graffiti. What are humans the worst?!?
We drove to California, stopping at Del Taco in Barstow (hitting all of the west coast chains we love in the same day!) and then continued on to Big Bear Lake. We checked in to the Best Western and after exploring the area a bit and grabbing a bite to eat, we called it a night.
took this from the car as we drove past bc there were at least 50 people waiting in line to take pics of it and I had no interest in becoming a part of that insanity
I am obsessed with Dutch Bros. and wish we had them on the east coast
another west coast favorite - Black Bear Diner
this is from 2019 when C and I visited
this is from 2019 when C and I visited
this is now
humans are the worst
On Saturday, we walked over to a local place called the Grind and Grill Cafe for breakfast and then tried to drive to the north side of the lake. Unfortunately, it was closed for a cycling event, so we ended up parking back at the hotel and walking to the lake, which made for a very nice afternoon. The cooler temperatures there were a welcome relief after Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon! On a random note, we happened upon several Peter Pan themed street signs!
On Sunday morning, we had a quick breakfast at hotel before checking out a driving to a wolf sanctuary. We got to meet and interact with two rescued wolves and I was so in love with the big Timberwolf named Cloud Dancer! The black female wolf took an immediate shine to C, but unfortunately, he unexpectedly had a pretty severe allergic reaction - which is typical when he is around cats, but has never happened around dogs (and obviously I know wolves are not the same as dogs, but we were still surprised).
We drove to Palm Springs and check in at the Hilton Garden Inn, where we bagged up all of our clothing that we'd been wearing when we were with the wolves immediately! Despite the allergic reaction, we both loved the time we spent at the sanctuary!
C is the third wheel in this relationship
his name is Cloud Dancer
her name is Waya
she loved C immediately
Big Bear vs. Palm Springs... what a difference a day makes!
We once again got up early on Monday and went to breakfast at a local place called Keedy's before going to The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens. We took a private two-hour tour on golf cart and had a fabulous tour guide who shared incredible information and insight with us. We fed giraffes and of course I cried because I was so happy! I didn't get many pics because the light not great and it was already really hot even though it was early in the day! We saw a great horned owl, emus, wallabys, big horn sheep, a blue heron, a variety of birds and reptiles, a rhino, a zebra, a cheetah, a mountain lion, a jaguar, Mexican wolves, a variety of foxes, camels, warthogs, meerkats, African wild dogs, and a bobcat to name a few! The zoo was established in 1970 and its mission is preserving, conserving, and interpreting the desert in terms of plant and animal life. The only animals on the premises are accustomed to a desert climate and the facility is state of the art. I was very impressed!
The afternoon proved to be a bit exciting when we took the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. It is the world's largest rotating tram car; the base is just over 2600 feet and the top is over 8500 feet. The ride takes about ten minutes and is about 2.5 miles in length. It is a super cool experience; we had tickets for 3:00 pm and when we got to the top and felt like we were in the clouds. We took a few pictures, but within just a few minutes, we went inside to warm up because it was chilly and windy at that elevation. Almost as soon as we went inside (there's a cafe, a bar, a lounge, and a gift shop), it started to rain and then that rain turned into a complete downpour that went on for more than 90 minutes. At that point, everyone came inside, including campers/hikers that were caught out in the storm. Luckily, we had found two seats at one of the bars and were able to wait out the storm!
Once the rain finally stopped, we were planning on heading back down the mountain, but they made an announcement that the road was flooded and impassible. Ummm, what?!? The road to leave was closed?!? They assured everyone that they were working on it, and we ended up waiting another hour before we finally took the tram down at 6:30 pm after they announced that the road had been reopened. Not going to lie...we were extremely relieved and anxious to get back to the car and on our way.
One cute thing was that the tram operator played music on our way down, and he put on "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" by Shania Twain and the tram turned into a bit of a joyful singalong! Everyone was happy to just be getting off the mountain!
When we got down to the bottom and got onto the road that had flooded, the water and debris was pretty shocking - the road had been perfectly dry and clear less than five hours earlier! According to the website, due to ongoing cleanup from the flash flood, the tramway is now closed through Sunday!
What a weird afternoon!
that water wasn't there when we went up a few hours earlier
lots of water on the road
debris
the night ended with a rainbow after that crazy weather
On Tuesday, we finally had a day to sleep in! We went to lunch at local diner, then left Palm Springs and drove to Joshua Tree National Park. On our way, we came across a dinosaur art installation and made a stop at a hotel we'd wanted to stay at but unfortunately could not get a reservation for. I think it's pretty obvious why I wanted to stay there!
After leaving Palm Springs, our plan was to first go to the south entrance and then drive through the park to the north entrance, which was close to our hotel. However, when we arrived at the south entrance, we discovered it was closed (due to those same storms from the previous night). We had to backtrack and drive around the park to get to the north entrance, so we first checked in to the Fairfield Inn before driving through the park from the north entrance to the west entrance, both of which were thankfully open!
someday!
We spent Wednesday at Joshua Tree NP. It is such a beautiful and peaceful place and I will let the photos speak for themselves!
Heart Rock
Arch Rock
a baby Joshua Tree!
Yesterday was the last day of the trip and involved driving back to Las Vegas, returning the car, and flying home. Our flight was scheduled for 5:55 pm, but was didn't actually take off until 8:15 pm, and we finally landed in Baltimore at 3:30 am. The flight was almost completely full and we had terrible boarding positions (C5 and C6), but we lucked out with a window and aisle seat in the very back row and an empty seat between us!
We had left our car at B1 & S1's house for the past few weeks, and they kindly drove it to the airport and left it for us so we wouldn't have to take a lyft to their house in the middle of the night to pick it up. They are the best! We were in the car with our luggage by 4:10 am and were home at 5:30 am!
Between spending a few days in Las Vegas, then going on the river trip, and finally spending these past six days in California, it has been such an incredible trip and an amazing way to wrap up the summer!
It's back to reality and back to school for me on Monday!
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