Palm Springs, Again

We never thought Palm Springs would appeal to us, but we've been back 3 times this year.  Wednesday, we had some business to take care of at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, so we decided to stay over in Palm Springs and hike up to the top of San Jacinto Peak on Thursday.

 Outside of Temecula on Highway 79 is Ricardo Breceda's metal sculpture studio.  We stopped to check it out and fantasize about which ones would look good in our yard.

 Gail scale on a grizzly bear.

 A couple of  bad boys.

The reason for our trip was to donate this Jaguar skin to The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens.  Gail's mom had acquired the skin in Panama in the 1950's.  She and Gail had been looking for the right place to donate it for several years.  The place would have to be educational, as Gail and her mom did not want it displayed as a trophy or ornament.  Trade in exotic animals and animal parts, and destruction of habitat are leading to extinction of wildlife, including Jaguars. Gail and Gwen wanted the skin to be used to teach others about the plight of animals worldwide.

When we were in Palm Springs in June, Gail had noticed in a local paper that two Jaguar cubs were born at The Living Desert.  She got in touch with Mike Chedester, Education Director, and arranged the donation.  He was thrilled, Gail and her mom are thrilled, and we had a fun trip in the process.

 Jaguars are more closely related to lions and tigers than mountain lions, as their ancestors came to North America from Asia 1.5 million years ago.  They now only live in the Americas.

The Living Desert has four Jaguars, including the two cubs.

At The Living Desert we admired this great Bald Eagle sculpture.

 We stayed at the Alcazar in Palm Springs.  I should say we stayed in the pool, as the temperature was well over 100.  The water was close to 100 - almost too warm!

 The rooms were in the Mid Century Modern style, so Gail came prepared to match.

 We took the tram 6,000 feet up the mountain to the top of that ridge.  The temperature is 40 degrees cooler when you step out of the tram at the top.

 The tram cars hold up to 75 people and rotate.  The ride takes about 15 minutes - very amazing!

 Looking back down with the desert in the distance.

 The ride gets very vertical towards the top.  The top of the tram is 8,500 feet elevation.  From there, we did the 11 mile round trip hike to the peak for a gain of another 2,334 feet.

 If only this tree could talk!  In an open area near the top of the mountain, we watched dozens of swallows feeding on insects.  While we were watching, what appeared to be a falcon came hurtling through at what seemed an impossible speed.  We were stunned beyond words!

 We were the only people at the top so we took this "selfie".

 Looking east over Palm Springs below.

 That mountain in the distance is the tallest mountain in Southern California at 11,500 feet.

 Along the trail are green meadows and deer - a welcome change from desert and scrub.

While waiting for the tram ride down, we had a spectacular full moon lighting up the mountain.  The ride down was other-worldly.  Not pictured was a 3 hour bike ride at night around very wealthy Palm Springs neighborhoods.  The landscaping and architecture kept us entertained.  We also saw Lesser Nighthawks flying bat-like catching insects around outdoor lighting. It was a long drive home, we got in around 1:00 a.m.