About 7 miles north of us is a hidden gem. The Coachella Valley Preserve. The Coachella Valley Preserve is located on the trace of the San Andreas Fault between the towns of Palm Springs and Indio, California. The main groves of the preserve are called the Thousand Palms Oasis. A visitor center is located in the Paul Wilhelm Grove along Thousand Palms Canyon Road. Springs rising along the Mission Canyon Fault and Banning Fault (parallel strands of the San Andreas Fault System) are the water source for Desert Fan Palms.
Max and I just had to go see a natural Oasis. There are several hiking trails around the preserve but we just had time to go see one of the groves. The Thousand Palms Oasis. It is only a 2 mile hike along the San Andreas Fault. The scenery was nothing but spectacular.
At the trail head and visitor center. These are California Fan Palms.
Inside the palms
Our Oasis in the distance
A spring-fed pond snuggled amongst desert fan palms in the McCallum Grove is a sanctuary to desert pupfish. In local rivers, non-native fish have nearly eliminated the pupfish from their native habitat. The water was so clear, however we did not see any pupfish swimming.
For scale, you can see Max between the palms
Part of the San Andreas Fault. It runs down next to the mountain in center of picture.
We had a great time visiting the Coachella Valley Preserve and definitely need to make a return trip to check out all of the other Oasis’s that are part of the preserve. They have guided hikes that I want to participate with so we can get a good narrative of the history of the area. Put this place on your list.
Sunday, I spent the day washing the rig while Max worked on her cross stitch baby blanket. She is making one for our next grandchild that is due this summer. Hopefully she won’t have to rush like she did on the last one she made. We had just sold our house and was downsizing to go fulltime. She was a busy girl back then. I think she is getting more enjoyment this time.
We are leaving here on Monday morning to head to the Thousand Trails Wilderness Lakes Preserve. Looking at the weather it is a little cooler. The highs in the daytime are right at 70 degrees but the lows at night are around 36 degrees. Still better than snow!
Enjoy Your Day!
1 comment:
We were there justa little while ago and have a picture taken of the two us in the grove as well. We, too will go back to to visit the other oases.
Grrr, now to decipher this two word riddle.
OK 3rd time is a charm!
Post a Comment