To the Desert: Palm Springs

So far the el nino predictions have rung true. Southwestern Utah snowpack is well above normal. This is good for the local communities because we really need the water.

But after endless snow during the holidays and a week when the temperatures bounced between a frigid 3 degrees and a "balmy" 28 degrees, we had had enough. It was time to head downhill to the desert.

I've been e-scouting Palm Springs in southern California for years. Mostly known for its countless golf courses and as the place for celebrities to buy second homes, Palm Springs has a surprisingly amazing hiking scene.

And like any good desert, there are otherworldly oddities like an accidentally created lake lying below sea level, and a hand-crafted technicolor mountain dedicated to Jesus. Yep, only in the desert.

Here are the highlights of our quick trip to Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley, the basement of the Sonoran Desert:

Indian Canyons, administered by the Agua Caliente Band  of the Cahuilla Indians, was our first destination and it did not disappoint. The main attraction at the Indian Canyons are all of the native California fan palms that grow in thick groves wherever perennial water is found. 

The oasis at Andreas Canyon is fed by a small stream originating high in the San Jacinto range.

Lone palm against gneiss in Andreas Canyon.

One of the largest palm forests in California, Palm Canyon was the perfect setting for lunch.

Zoe enters the oasis at Palm Canyon.

We spent a few hours exploring Painted Canyon in the Mecca Hills. The geology there is incredible. Excellent examples of erosion and canyon cutting, unconformities, and sedimentary structures abound. And you cross over from the Pacific continental plate to the North American plate along the way! 

Into the narrows of Painted Canyon.

Ren makes his way down the first of many ladders in Ladder Canyon--an exciting tributary to Painted Canyon.

Sunlight reaches the floor of the Ladder Canyon slot. 

Ladder Canyon is cut into conglomerate of the Palm Springs Formation. Deposited as part of the ancestral Colorado River delta some 700,000 years ago, the conglomerated has since been pressed upward by various strands of the San Andreas fault system.

Exploring Mecca Hills badlands.

Ren leads the way through Ladder Canyon.

The Salton Sea isn't for everyone. The lake was created in 1905 when nearly the entire flow of the Colorado River was accidentally diverted into the Salton basin--the bottom of which is only 8 feet higher than Badwater Basin in Death Valley. For several decades the Salton Sea was a freshwater lake that supported several resort towns, sport fishing, sail boating, and swimming. But increased salinity and pollution from the nearby farming industry have killed just about everything in the lake. The resultant stench of decay and fluctuating lake levels have caused most to stay clear. The eerie remains of resort towns attract mostly photographers today.

1905 photo of levee breach that shifted the Colorado River's flow into the Salton basin. Photo from saltonseamuseum.org.

Hundreds of dead fish dot the shores of North Beach. The kids about gagged when I told them the pretty white "sand" along the beach is actually worn-down bits of bone from 1000s of dead tilapia.

The detectorist. The North Shore Beach and Yacht Club was a happening place in the late 50s and into the 60s. There's not much to see there today, although the yacht club has been recently restored and now houses a museum.

The recently restored North Shore and Yacht Club on the eastern shores of the Salton Sea.

The popular North Shore Beach and Yacht Club on the cover of L.A. Times Magazine in 1962. Photo from saltonseamuseum.org.

Rising water inundates facilities at North Shore Beach and Yacht Club. Photo from saltonseamuseum.org.

The ruins of Bombay Beach on the eastern shores of the Salton Sea.

Our visit to Salvation Mountain almost didn't happen. Susie was not impressed with the dead fish and dilapidated shacks at the Salton Sea. It was getting late and I didn't think I could get Susie excited for a trip to the lawless migrant town of Slab City to see a painted pile of adobe. Just as we were about to head back to Palm Springs, Susie noticed a Facebook feed announcing Coldplay's newest video for "Birds" which just happened to be filmed at some weird place called Salvation Mountain! I couldn't believe the coincidence.  With Susie now on board so she could walk in the footsteps of one of her favorite bands, it was short drive to Salvation Mountain.

Zoe watches the sunset from the summit of Salvation Mountain. Built over a couple of decades by the artist Leonard Knight, Salvation Mountain has no equal. Tons of adobe and straw, and thousands of gallons of paint have been sculpted into an impassioned expression of love that the Folk Art Society of America in 2000 deemed worthy of preservation and protection. 

View of Slab City from the top of Salvation Mountain.

Ava tries to make sense of the interior of Salvation Mountain.

The Jesus wagon at Salvation Mountain.

Thanks C. Martin. If it weren't for the timely release of this video our trip to Salvation Mountain would have never happened.

Salvation Mountain was a funky place with a cool vibe that we all enjoyed. 

Palm Springs is just what we needed. It was tough at the end of our stay to point the car back up the hill toward winter.

On our last day of the trip, I successfully conquered the much-feared Cactus to Clouds climb from downtown Palm Springs to 11,000-ft San Jacinto Peak. That post is next...