Palm Springs

We really like Palm Springs, as you can probably tell by the number of pages we have dedicated to our visits there. When we first came here we stayed with some friends at their house and have never been able to duplicate that feeling until this trip. A vacation rental is surprisingly affordable, especially because this is the "off" season. The season in Palm Springs is from Thanksgiving to about Easter, that is when the town is really busy with all the people getting away from the cold and snow. So we rented a small "Alexander" in the old part of Palm Springs and are enjoying the sun, the warm air and the ability to totally relax.

	We changed the oil in the Land Yacht, had new brakes put in, and filled it with gas before we left. After dropping Sarah off at school, we pointed the car South and increased our speed a bit. A short while after starting out, the odometer rolled over to 100,000 miles, an event we had to capture! (Yes, we are going over 80 miles per hour, and the engine is only turning 2,500 rpm.)
	We arrived at three in the afternoon, and discovered our little home away from home was cute and ready for us. The San Jacinto Mountains are a dramatic backdrop for the backyard pool.
	Our bedroom is very spacious, the high ceilings make it look larger than it is, the sliding door there has a hot tub right outside. For a cool view, follow this link.
	The front of all these houses are not much to look at, but in the evening with the landscape lights, it looks very neat.
	The chaise lounges by the side of the pool were broken, so we went out to the store and bought new ones after talking with the owners who said they'd reimburse us. While we were out, we had a craving for lunch!
	So what we do all day since we don't play golf or tennis? We hang out in the pool, catch up on our reading, hang out in the pool, have something to eat, hang out in the pool, get a little sun, hang out in the pool, and talk on the phone while we are hanging out in the pool!
	Some days it is too hot, even for us. So we decided to take a drive into the desert to look for the Dutch cheese farm. It was hard to imagine, a Dutch cheese farm in the desert with temperatures well over 100 every day. Berlynn said that it's so hot that the cows are almost beef jerky! I say that is one hecka climate adjustment for a koetje!
	After driving for many miles through rocks and sand and mesquite trees, I thought we would never see lush green pastures and dairy cows - but sure enough, here was an old Dutch farm wagon with a sign! (I think "Jalapeño" means "boerekaas" in Spanish!)
	Hmmm, this is really good. Is this cheese made from desert cows, or dessert cows?
	We bought some cheese for our friends Alex and Jeanette, and some for us, and some for Mom, and some for Becca, and Toni... there was hardly any cheese left when we left!
	Berlynn spent her summers on a farm when she was little so she took some time out to tell me what kind of animals there were out here - I grew up in the city!
	"Berlynn, look at this ugly chicken!"
	Are these the cows that made our cheese?
	Or was it 2259?
	Well, it was a nice drive, but it sure was hot out here. The cheese tastes great, we'll be back, or order from the Internet, since it keeps during shipment. The owner, Jules, tested it last summer by putting a piece on his dashboard for two weeks. (EW!) It was ok the first week, but the second week it was kind of gross. We promise to keep yours in the ice chest on the way home - our dashboard is clean. Let's hurry home, the pool is cool and there are Margaritas in the refrigerator!
	IF there was ever any question about how warm it is, at 2 PM, the inside temperature is a comfortable 84, while the outside is 106.3. What do you do in this kind of heat?
	Why, you put on your floaties and you hang out in the pool! Tomorrow is our last day :(
	It looks like this is our last picture of Palm Springs, since my camera is acting up. :( The blur in the foreground is the result of the wind blowing the palm tree and oleanders around. Of course the bright white dots are Venus and Jupiter in the Western sky. Venus is the brighter one.
	The camera has been shipped off for repair, the car is loaded up and filled with gas, and we're on our way back to our responsibilities. If we leave at noon, drive for 483.7 miles and stop for gas once, we'll be home at 7:20 as our map shows! This has been the best vacation we've ever had! Actually, we left at 10:20 since it was overcast and arrived in San Carlos at 5:20 in the afternoon. No traffic at all!