Monday, January 2, 2017 in Palm Desert, California

Rumour had it that it was snowy and icy in Vancouver but not here in Palm Desert

 The view from our deck this  morning

I went for a walk then an update with member services where I scored some dining discount vouchers

this is was  in the town of Palm Springs

And then we attempted to go up the mountains above Palm Springs on the aerial tramway but we got there and were lined up for awhile and then told it was a three hour wait so we went into the town of Palm Springs and eventually had lunch using a 25 dollar discount so it was a cheap lunch...the Palm Springs film festival has just begun and lots of stars in town but we didn't spot any-Palm Desert is  about half an hour away.  

Next stop was The Living Desert which isn't far from where we were staying-I had enjoyed going there 30 years ago when it was mainly an interpretive centre about North American deserts but it has now really expanded.  Above gives you an idea of the topography.  

There is an African section and here is a Meerkat.

And a zebra…

A cheetah (he was a bit shy).

and a particular favourite of mine- the black footed cat who is Africa's smallest wild cat.  

Now we are back to the desert, American variety, with a type of heron

And this rather tubby badger!

 You can see a short video I took of a jaguar above.   I decided I could capture him more easily that way.  We saw lots more animals but  there is a limit on how much I can bore you!!!

 I think this is a desert sunflower-I have lots more pictures and since I did something like 11000 steps  there was lots to see…

Back at our place, the sun was setting around 5 and temperature dropping and I did manage to get in the hot tub.  The pool seemed a bit cool for me but kids were enjoying it…There are several pools but the near one to us is a family pool and school isn't back yet in some places.  In Palm Springs area it was the last day of holidays here like in BC.

It was a rather nice sunset!

Vancouver to Palm Springs on New Year's Day, 2017

I have had difficulties losing pictures on this blog so had temporarily given up posting, but I think I have found a solution so I am catching up on a few of my trips this year!  In January I had a neat trip to Palm Desert.  It had been about thirty years since I had been in this area so it was fun to rediscover this area.  We had an unusually snowy winter in Vancouver so it was great to escape to California for a few days.  I hope you enjoy reading a bit about this trip!

 

Saturday was a normal day but since community centre was closed, I went to yoga and then met my normal fitness group for coffee and later went to see an excellent movie that I recommend to all, Lion!!! It was really snowing when I got out and my New Year's Eve was spent snow watching etc.

My biggest fear was whether I would have to wear boots as I had to walk a few blocks to the Canada Line station when I left home at 5:45 am  but was okay with my old running shoes.  I met Sandy at the airport with a bit of a missed connection after customs (I have a Nexus pass,,and she doesn't but she ended up on plane before me-long story).  Fortunately, the plane wasn't full and we were able to have a window and aisle seat all to ourselves with no one in the middle.

We arrived around 11:30 am and got our rental car and made it to the resort which is maybe 30 minutes from the airport in Palm Desert-we were early to check in so went off in pursuit of lunch to El Paseo, the main street in  Palm Desert

After exploring, finding a grocery store etc we got back to resort and checked in and this is the view from our balcony which also has a fireplace.  It felt warm in the sun about 17 degrees but rapidly seemed to cool off though it said it was 13 degrees

Our unit is lovely though not as evident in this picture with interesting touches like an outdoor shower but I passed on that...

The picture above is at the adjacent golf course

 

Bougainvillea

Sun setting very early probably 5

Nice Palm trees-we had a quiet evening-we were both tired and Sandy has a cold.  Resort is beautiful and the pools are heated but I wasn't tempted yet...so much to do in the vicinity I can see this short visit will not be enough but I definitely can see returning!!!!  

Ucluelet Day 3 heading home

Our final day in Ucluelet

and it got kind of foggy!

I was really going to miss this view-around 9 pm a large fishing trawler came and docked right in front of our room...

you can see how the fog came in...

Here is a picture of the exterior of Whiskey Landing Lodge.

We went to get coffee and muffins in town

I loved municipal office...

It is charming

and unique

and Zoe's has delicious baked goods!

Next we went for a hike along the Lighthouse Trail

it was still quite overcast as you can see

The Lighthouse is 100 years old and erected due to the number of shipwrecks in the area.

but it is a beautiful hike

and so dramatic...

As you can see as we left Ucluelet the weather cleared up

and was beautiful when we made a stop just before Port Alberni at Drinkwater's Restaurant's waterfront.

Later on we had a short hike at Little Qualicum Falls.

and then we went into Qualicum for a look around and lunch

We had French Press Cafe recommended to us and our lunches were just delicious!

We were a bit surprised to see that the3:10  ferry back to West Vancouver was already full at 2:10

so we had a wait until 5:20 but at least it was a beautiful day and there was ice cream!  

and it was a beautiful ferry ride

and we missed Vancouver's rush hour

a fun get away

and many thanks to Whiskey Landing Lodge for their amazing hospitality and generosity to Room to Read and to us!

Short getaways are such fun especially when the weather is perfect!

A trip to Vancouver Island's West Coast is always delightful!