February 18 – 21, 2011
I took a mini trip to Palm Springs this past President’s Day weekend – not to golf or go shopping but to take a break from ‘The Grey’ (weather), sightsee, and take pictures (naturally).
What did I do while I was there? I visited…
Salton Sea – the extent of my knowledge of this place was from the movie starring Val Kilmer – although I honestly don’t remember much about the storyline. What sticks out most for me was that he was playing a trumpet in the midst of a burning room at the beginning and end of the movie…
All I can say is wow – what a bizarre and interesting place! I’ve never seen so many trashed, deserted buildings and trailers in my life – it looked like a hurricane had hit a portion of each of the cities around the lake – accompanied by a strong smell of salt and dead fish. It’s a great place for birders though – there was lots of birdwatching to be had.
![Trailers](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/Trailers.jpg)
![_MG_0222](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/MG_0222.jpg)
![Salton Sea 2](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/Salton-Sea-2.jpg)
Moored boat; south shore of the Sea
Leonard Knight’s Salvation Mountain – another interesting place. Basically, the mountain is painted stacks of hay bales, adobe clay, and other materials, conveying the message that God is
![_MG_0267](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/MG_0267.jpg)
![Salvation mountain](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/Salvation-mountain.jpg)
![Chuck](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/Chuck.jpg)
The picture on the right was in one of the trailers – doesn’t he look like Chuck?! Freaky…
Slab City – lots of characters lurking about this place…
![Slab city](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/Slab-city.jpg)
A Slab City welcome; I could have spent all day exploring this ‘City’
Anza Borrego Desert State Park – the drive through this park was fun. It had rained a considerable amount the day and night prior so there was a lot of flooding on the roads as well as warnings of flash floods. I crossed my fingers numerous times while driving my rental Hyundai through ‘water over roadway’. It was also fun spinning out and speeding through unpaved, sandy roads – if I would have slowed down, I would have gotten stuck for sure.
![Anza Borrego](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/Anza-Borrego.jpg)
Greeted by metal elephants; the long straight road
![_MG_0180](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/MG_0180.jpg)
Sinking sand – not the most ideal driving conditions for the Hyundai…
Joshua Tree National Park – this was my 2nd visit; my initial visit was a hot (100+ degrees) camping trip several years ago with Sarah. I sure do love those Joshua Trees – reminds me of Dr Seuss books.
![Josh tree](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/Josh-tree1.jpg)
![Sun - Joshua Tree](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/Sun-Joshua-Tree.jpg)
Sunflare
![Self-timer](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/Self-timer.jpg)
To prove that I was really there – my self-timer shot for the trip. Don’t you love my ‘pose’?
![Sunset](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/Sunset.jpg)
Dusk in the Park
Just some floral photos –
![_MG_0111](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/MG_0111.jpg)
I love tropical flowers – bird of paradise
![blogboard3](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/blogboard3.jpg)
Tropical green
Where I stayed:
Livin’ it up at the Hotel California – yes, the Hotel California that the Eagles sang about. Just kidding. I think that there are several hotels with that name, none of which are what the lyrics are referring to.
It was a great place and I highly recommend it – tropical-like setting, relaxing atmosphere, incredibly friendly staff, and affordable – such a lovely place.
Where I ate/drank:![_MG_9995](https://jamievphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/25990/2011/02/MG_9995.jpg)
Koffi – I was a frequent guest – they had the best sugarfree soy mochas EVER.
In-N-Out Burger – yes, I know that it’s hard to believe but this was my 1st visit to an In-N-Out Burger. I’m not a fast foodie but I had to try it while I was in CA – as they say, ‘when in Rome’… After waiting in the longest fast food drive-up line ever, I misinterpreted the cheap prices to mean smaller portions (like Dick’s Drive-In) so I ordered 2 cheeseburgers “Animal Style” (from their ‘secret menu‘ online – where would I be without my iPhone?), an order of fries, and a neapolitan milkshake (another secret menu option). It was very tasty but I ate way too much and it will be some time before I eat fast food again.
Las Casuelas Terraza – FANTASTIC pork carnitas – and a large enough portion for lunch (and dinner) the following day.
Some images available for purchase here.
WOW! Can’t say anything else but WOW! So impressive Jamie. So impressive.
[…] been 2 years since my last solo photo trip to Palm Springs. The criteria for my February destination was pretty much the same – sunshine, preferably […]