{"id":2421,"date":"2022-03-08T00:00:27","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T07:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retirement-rocks.com\/?p=2421"},"modified":"2022-04-23T11:21:35","modified_gmt":"2022-04-23T18:21:35","slug":"rancho-mirage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retirement-rocks.com\/?p=2421","title":{"rendered":"Rancho Mirage"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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March 9, 2022<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Got to Bob and Cheryl’s about 7:00 pm last night.\u00a0 Today Cheryl and I went to the Salton Sea and Salvation Mountain.\u00a0 Got back around 4:00 pm and when Bob was done working for the day we went ot dinner at La Quinta Brewing Co!\u00a0 Sat out on the patio and split an awesome burger and nachos!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Salton Sea is California’s largest lake with a surface area of 343 sq. miles; 110 miles of shoreline and an average depth of 29′.\u00a0 It is at 235′ below sea level and is the home of North Americas largest population of migratory waterfowl outside of the Everglades.\u00a0 It provides a nesting habitat for 2\/3 of the bird species of the US, and lies in the major Pacific Flyway route with over 400 species of birds that have been counted there.<\/p>

The amount of water flowing into the lake is about equal to the amount of water that evaporates and it contains twice the amount of salt of the ocean!\u00a0 But reduced flow of water to the Salton Sea is causing rising salinity and has become an ecological disaster.\u00a0 Foam lies along the shoreline and the water is pretty disgusting!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Then we drove on to Bombay Beach!\u00a0 It was this huge, abandoned beach area with ‘vignettes’ from its previous days as a destination for beach goers.\u00a0 It was a popular getaway for beachgoers until the 1980s, when the draining and increasing salinity of the Salton Sea destroyed the lakes ecosystem and drove businesses and private landowners out of the area, rendering Bombay Beach a ‘ghost town’.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Despite this, by 2018, a number of people had moved into the area, and the town’s many abandoned structures and features from it’s past have drawn visitors back in.\u00a0 It is said that it was “enjoying a rebirth of sorts with an influx of artists, intellectuals and hipsters who have turned it into a bomemian playground.”\u00a0 the Bombay Beach Biennale, an annual Art Festival, is held here.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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From there we drove on to Salvation Mountain.\u00a0 Leonard Knight began creating the mountain in 1984 which was mostly concrete.\u00a0 In 1989 the first mountain collapsed and he began re-building.\u00a0 This time he used adobe clay, straw bales, tree limbs, tires, windows and lots and LOTS of colorful paint!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Knight died in 2014, but Salvation Mountain is now a 501(c)(3) non-profit run by a caretaker, and many volunteers to maintain its upkeep.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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March 10, 2022<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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This morning Cheryl and I left about 7:45 to hike Tahquitz Canyon, a 2-mile loop that took us up to a 60-foot waterfall.\u00a0 We did a ranger-guided tour and he was great!\u00a0 He was so informative!\u00a0 The canyon is a culturally-sensitive area of the Aqua Caliente Indian Reservation.\u00a0 Along with the waterfall, it is home to rock art, ancient irrigation systems, native wildlife and plants.\u00a0 We waw a Bighorn Sheep up on the wall of the rocks.\u00a0 It was a beautiful hike!\u00a0 Great for strengthening the quads, but a little hard on the knees on the way down!!\u00a0 It was a workout, but really, really fun!<\/p>

Our guide. Ralph Chaporosa,\u00a0 was a Native American with such a rich history of the area!\u00a0 Before starting the hike we watched a short video of the legend of the Tahquitz…<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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“Tahquitz was the first shaman created by Murat, the Creator of all things.\u00a0 Tahquitz had much power and in the beginning used this power for the good of all people.\u00a0 But he began to use his power in selfish ways and to harm the Agua Caliente people.\u00a0 The people became angry and banished Tahquitz to this canyon that now bears his name.\u00a0 He made his home in a secret cave below a towering rock.\u00a0 It is said that his spirit still lives in his canyon.\u00a0 He can sometimes be seen as a large green fireball streaking across the night sky.\u00a0 The strange rumblins heard deep within the San Jacinto Mountains, the shaking of the ground, and the crashing of boulders are all attributed to Tahquitz as he stomps around the canyon.”<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Then we headed over to the Palm Springs Arial Tram.\u00a0 It was 29-degrees at the top of the mountain at 8,300 feet.\u00a0 Quite a bit of snow!\u00a0 The views were awesome!\u00a0 Inside the Tram the floor rotates 360-degrees so everyone has a great chance to see from all angles.\u00a0 It’s about a 10-minute ride to the top!\u00a0 We walked around the three floors at the lodge at the top and then had lunch at Peak’s Restaurant overlooking the snow-covered Mountian.\u00a0 SO. MUCH. FUN!!\u00a0 Shortly after that we caught the Tram back down.<\/p>

Coming back to the house we stopped at a couple really fun home stores in Palm Springs!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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