Here We Come - Desert Hot Springs

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With our unexpected stop in El Cajon coming to an end, it's time for us to head north and east a bit to Desert Hot Springs. The drive will take us right past the starting point of the Lilac Fire. Fortunately, I-15 is now fully open through this area. Not that I wanted to see devastation as we drove by, but I at least expected to see some signs of a recent fire. I suppose cruising by at highway speeds didn't help to identify burned areas, but if we hadn't known a fire had this whole area closed down a week or so ago, I doubt we would have even commented on it. The drive is a relatively easy 150 mile jaunt and there was not too much traffic along the way.

We had read about Sam's Family Spa from another couple's blog posts. They have stayed here several times over the years and it sounded like a good spot to settle down for a while. There are quite a few things to see and do as day trips from this location. It is practically in the shadow of Joshua Tree National Park and about a 20 minute drive to the ritzy Palm Springs. The monthly rate is $575 plus electricity. We have only ever stayed at one other place long enough to be charged for electricity. At that stop, we used about $1.70 per day. That was with our other motorhome so it will be interesting to see what this all electric coach consumes.

Sam's does not take reservations for monthly stays so we were coming in with some uncertainty but we had been told that coming in this early in December would likely be fine. We pulled in, unhitched the car and drove around the section where extended stays are permitted (there is another section without electric meters that may only be used at the daily or weekly rates). There were quite a few spots open so then it was a matter of figuring out what orientation we would prefer. We pick a spot that will place our nose facing east. That will keep the afternoon sun from heating up the rig through the windshield plus our awning will be facing south in case we want to use it to provide some shade. All the sites have a slight slope and in our case it means the rear is low. We pull out all the leveling blocks we have and find we can get leveled without issue. We do see many rigs that have the from tires lifted off the ground. In our book, that is a "no no". But I don't have enough hard facts to argue this point with others, so I keep this opinion to myself and let them do their thing. Before we get setup, we ask if it would be okay to wash the rig and they say fine just don't waste the water. With the sun setting so early, we are out in the dark finishing up the washing. I guess we will see in the morning how well we did.

Our Spot at Sam's for Five Weeks

We hope to stay here about five weeks before heading into the desert in Quartzsite Arizona. If we make it that long, it will nearly double our record of 16 nights in Benson Arizona last March and April. This should give us plenty of time to see nearly all the things there are to see in the area. On our first day, we head to the Palm Springs Visitor Center and pick up all sorts of info and talk to one worker about the types of things we like to do so she can offer recommendations that might work out for us. I think she really liked the fact we were asking what can we do for the next 5 weeks instead of what can we see in two or three days like most others coming here for info.

Next we head over east of town closer to the town of Indio to go to Holland RV. They are a Newmar dealer and if their website is up to date, they have two new motorhomes we have been wanting to see in person for some time now. The first is the New Aire. On paper, this is THE rig we would have been looking for had it been available when we were in the market for a motorhome. Coming in at just under 34 feet in length, it would have the advantage of being able to fit in so many more spots than our current 38 footer Dutch Star. It has many new features that aren't even available on the Dutch Star models. The basement storage is quite impressive although at the expense of some tanks capacities. We have watched numerous YouTube videos giving detailed tours of the New Aire but we needed to see it in person to see how it "feels". We go in to get a salesperson and we explain what we were there for. He takes us out and starts to go over the features but quickly realizes that as two former engineers that have been full timing for about 18 months, we are not the casual customer. He heads in to get another sales guy more familiar with this particular model. After spending close to an hour looking this one over, we concluded the inside storage, specifically the kitchen, seemed to be lacking. The overhead compartments are quite a bit shorter in height meaning lots of things we have and use wouldn't fit. The basement storage might need to be used to store some things and that just seems like a clumsy way to live.

Next we went to look at a brand new floor plan in the Dutch Star lineup. The 3718 would be the same length as our current rig but have an improved chassis and higher horsepower. When we saw this floor plan on paper, there were many things we liked about it. In person, it was a very nice rig, but it too seemed to suffer from smaller interior cabinets. We would need to drastically change our "stuff" in order to get things to fit. It also didn't seem like a better rig than the one we are now fully adjusted to even though it would be 6 years newer. I suppose the best news is that we won't need to spend a bunch of money to buy a new coach!

One of the nice perks associated with staying at Sam's are their hot mineral spring pools. They do have the typical chlorinated swimming pool which is nice but a short distance from the pool is a large covered area with 4 hot pools. Each one is kept at a slightly different temperature in the 99 to 108 degree range. Each night the pools are emptied and cleaned and then refilled in the morning from the hot mineral springs. We have found it quite relaxing to come over and soak for a half hour or so. Supposedly the total capacity of the pools is 75 people but I doubt there have been more than a couple dozen people anytime we have tried them out. They also have a nice pond with all sorts of ducks, an aggressive black swan, egrets and herons. They also have several large screened pens with doves, peacocks and other birds. It is nice to take a break from soaking and walk around the peaceful setting they have created here before heading back to relax in the water.

Swimming Pool Area

Hot Mineral Spring Pools

Black Swan Senses Food

Cascading Falls

Heron Poses

Pond Area at Sam's

Peacocks

There are quite a large number of geocaches hidden in the area. There are over 100 caches all along Dillon Road in both directions from the campgrounds. Generally this type of "power trail" would consist of lame caches under a pile of sticks or in this area, a pile of rocks. But many of these caches are quite creative hides or unique containers. I have had Chris drive me 10 miles down the road and I would bike back geocaching along the way. There are also some large desert areas where the cache owner has created "geo-art". We spent one morning doing a series of 22 caches hidden in the shape of a heart. Since the area is mostly flat with minimal bushes and other vegetation. It is relatively easy to walk from one cache to the next.

Heart Shaped Geo-Art

Each Thursday evening, Palm Springs closes about half a mile of Palm Canyon Drive and has Villagefest. Over 100 vendors set up booths on both side of the street selling all sorts of food and crafts. Most of the businesses and restaurants along the event are open as well. On the first Thursday we are in the area, there was an additional event going on. Walk of the Inns is an annual event where a dozen or so of the unique inns located in Palm Springs open their doors and allow visitors to wander through the grounds and tour the rooms inside. We got a late start so by the time we got to Palm Springs, the streets were already swamped with cars and people. We eventually lucked into a parking spot along the road and were able to visit five or six of the inns before the event was over. The ones we toured were quite nice. One of them is situated in the side of a hill with tiered terraces giving great views of the city. Chris was particularly fond of this one since it was furnished in mission style furniture and lighting. 

Water Feature at Inn

Pool in Central Courtyard

Nicely Landscaped

Great View of Palm Springs at Night

Mission Style Lighting the Pathway

Before heading over to the Villagefest, there was a 15 minute fireworks show that we weren't expecting. It was fun to walk up and down the street checking out all the crafts at Villagefest. For the most part, the crafts were produced by very gifted artists. But that also meant that they carried high price tags. Maybe not unexpected in an affluent town like Palm Springs.

Fireworks Over Palm Springs

Glowing Artwork for Sale

Crowds Shopping at Villagefest

Xmas Decorations

Joshua Tree National Park is just to the northeast of our campground. In fact the hills we see in that direction, which are about 3 miles away, are part of the park. Unfortunately the three entrances into the park are not that convenient. The closest one is about an hours drive in the town of Joshua Tree. We stop at the visitor's center there to get a bit more information before heading into the park. Obviously we were not the only ones with this idea since we waited over 10 minutes to get through the entrance station. Rather than picking a long hike, we opt for a couple of shorter ones. The Wall Street Mill trail starts at the Barker Dam parking lot. It is only about a mile out to the remnants of the old mill which was built in the 1930's. There are numerous old vehicles and buildings as well as the remains of the mill itself. The hike is completely flat with the only issue being much of the trail is in deep sand which makes for slow going. The dry desert conditions allow the metal of the cars, trucks and mill to age very slowly. It is interesting to imagine what life must have been like working in a desolate area like this. Besides the numerous Joshua trees, there are very interesting rock formations that add to the beauty of the area.

Part of Wall Street Mill

Truck Needing TLC

Old Windmill and Joshua Tree

Rock Formation

Dried Yucca Flower

After we get back to the parking lot and eat lunch, we decide it makes sense to check out the Barker Dam loop trail. This loop is just over a mile long and indeed takes you out to the dam which to our amazement was still in good shape and holding a small pond of water behind it. There were lots of people out enjoying the area as were a bunch of ducks. We still have some daylight left so we stop at a few more pull outs as we head to the Twentynine Palms entrance. Hall of Horrors sounded like an interesting spot. Apparently it is a favorite spot for rock climbers but there were none out this late in the day. Skull Rock also piqued our interest. There are many interesting rock formations at JTNP and with a little imagination, one could be convinced that this one looks like a skull.

Pond Behind Barker Dam

Barker Dam Still Standing

Balanced Rock

Nice View

Skull Rock

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in nearby Palm Desert sounded like an interesting spot to check out. During the holiday season, the place is decorated with millions of lights and other decorations and they open up in the evenings for visitors to come and enjoy. They call this evening event Wild Lights and it sounded like a better way to experience this place. If it turned out to be really fantastic, we could always come back during the day for another visit. We arrive after dark but 10 minutes before they officially open the doors. There is a geocache at the very back of the parking lot that looked to be mostly deserted at this point. As we head back to ground zero and begin our search with our flashlights in hand, we hear a voice from the darkness telling us to look over by the side of another building. We weren't expecting anybody to be back here. He didn't know exactly what was back there, but he said generally people that come this direction are looking for something and he knew where it was. We appreciated the help even if it was just a bit spooky.

Entrance to Wild Lights

 There was a short line of people waiting to get in but it wasn't too bad. It was a cool evening (for this region) so that may have kept some of the locals at home not wanting to don their winter coats and hats. We on the other hand, survived the cold with a simple sweatshirt! They definitely go overboard with the lighting. There is a humongous model train setup that seemed to just keep going and going. There is a reindeer feeding area with a couple of them anxiously waiting for the next visitor that comes in with food. I suspect they are not part of the zoo at times other than this time of the year. Many of the animal holding areas are open and quite a few of them are up and about. The most interesting ones were the giraffes. Their large outdoor area was pretty well lit with flood lights. I was able to see about a dozen of them, but they were being shy and didn't come close for a photograph.

Model Train

Trolley

Merry Go Round

Reindeer Says "Feed Me!"

Real Giraffe

There were quite a few large animal decorations along the various pathways. Some were inflatable with internal lights while others were metal sculptures. The merry go round was drawing a steady crowd of people. One of the most popular displays was a tunnel of lights. It was probably 60 feet long and 15 feet wide and constructed with dozens of strings of lights over some sort of hoop frame. The lights were synchronized with the holiday music that was playing. I put together a short video of the lights.

Inflated Giraffes

Cheetah Ready to Pounce on Zebra

Lots of Lights

Dino on the Loose