Into the Desert

In the early years of the Coachella Valley the first inhabitants moved to the desert for the solitude, sun, and the dry, clean air.

Then what happened?

Golf courses, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Best Buy.

Today we went back to the early days and spent the day in the desert.

We first took a jeep trail in the Painted Canyon, just north of Mecca. The canyon has been formed along a fault line associated with the San Andreas Fault system. Another View.

Later we walked the Cottonwood Oasis trail near the Mecca Mountains north and west of La Quinta in the Joshua Tree National Monument. In the winter, the temperature is 62 degrees F, just right for walking or hiking. It is almost perfectly quiet, only a soft breeze and the crunch of the rocks under your feet breaks the silence. Another View.

I think we need to spend more time in the desert!