Rancho Mirage|Palm Springs|Palm Desert
Originally this trip was planned to stay with Cheryl while their desert house was up for sale and have someone to hang with when the realtor was showing the place and she had to leave… CHANGE OF PLANS!!
They got there a few days before my planned trip to get most everything packed up and get it ready to show and totally changed their minds about selling! So… Bob went back to Texas and Cheryl was going to stay for a couple weeks! She went to spend some time with friends in LA for a few days and then I came in to play for a few days!
September 20, 2021
We drove around Palm Desert later in the afternoon and had fun checking out an open-air sculpture gallery! Then we wandered through The Gardens, an outdoor shopping area. It was attached to a hotel, although I can’t remember the name of it! Very modern and minimalist.
The gardens in back had a great Airstream trailer that might serve as a bar in the busier season!
September 21, 2021
Took a drive up to Idyllwild this morning. It’s nestled in the San Jacinto mountains. It’s a magical little town with sweet smelling cedars and tall pines. No chain stores or restaurants here! Everything was local Mom and Pop type shops. It’s peaceful and so very quaint! We wandered through the shops and had lunch at a fun diner! And the views on the way up were awesome!
September 22, 2021
We headed to San Clemente beach today! I was in California… it just seemed right that I was able to walk along a beach! It was about a 2.5 hour drive from the house, but well worth the drive!
The original San Clemente Pier was built in 1928. In 1939 and again in 1983 heavy storms severely damaged the pier and it had to be re-built.
The Pier today is 1,296 feet long and is popular for its surfing, fishing, sunsets and just enjoying the beach.
We walked some of the beach and relaxed under a Palapa! Had lunch at the restaurant overlooking the length of the pier! Beach-side seat and perfect weather. It was a lot of fun! We spent a little time walking up and down the Main Street through town, but most everything was closed during this slower season.
September 23, 2021
We didn’t leave for Palm Springs until early afternoon as Cheryl had picked up tickets for the Palm Springs Museum that evening. Many of the galleries were closed, but we spent the afternoon walking through town, seeing what galleries we could and going through some of the shops.
We stopped for a drink at Tommy Bahama’s ‘Marlin’ Bar…
The Museum was great! Lots of contemporary art. And ‘Marilyn’ has her new permanent home on the walkway up to the museum!
On the way back to the car we stopped for an AWESOME Ice Cream Sundae topped with locally-made Brandini’s Toffee! Yum! At least we split it!
September 24, 2021
We went to the main HQ of Brandini’s Toffee this morning (only about 5 minutes from Cheryl’s house) to watch it being made…but, toffee is only made Monday-Wednesday. Bummer! I think it’s almost as good as Enstroms! Cheryl and I left for Phoenix a couple hours later. She will spend the night and then fly out of Sky Harbor in the morning to head back to Texas! We had a great week!
