We decided to take a ride up to San Jacinto State Park via the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. We had done this before, maybe 15 years ago, but the tram system has been updated since then. The cars now hold 25 or 30 people and turn as they climb and descend. Actually, the floors of the cars rotate around a small stand that the operator stands at so that your view gradually changes as you go along. There are no bad seats. There are no seats at all. It is standing room only.

The tram travels a route over two miles long and climbs 8,000 feet from the entrance at about 2,800 feet above sea level to the summit at almost 11,000 feet. It is a little scary, especially on the way up when the car passes each tower and sways as a result. It is not as bad on the way down.

Once you get up there you can see the whole Coachella Valley and, on  a clear day (this was one) you can see The Salton Sea. There are two restaurants and a bar at the top, all part of the California San Jacinto State Park.

After some sightseeing and some not so good chili we decided to follow highway 111 through Palm Springs. We visited a store called “Hats Unlimited” and bought Carol a sun hat for walking and hiking in the Arizona sun. We also washed away the taste of the chili with a little dish of ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s on Palm Canyon Drive.

Tonight we picked a Mexican restaurant that TripAdvisor.com rates as the number one restaurant (of all 207 rated) in Palm Desert – Guillermo’s Restaurante. It is not cheap but it is good. When I go to a new Mexican restaurant I try either the chili verde or the chili relleno to see how they do. This time I had chili relleno and it was the best I have ever had anywhere. We talked to the owner, Guillermo, and he said that they roast and peel the chilis in the early afternoon so they can serve them fresh that evening. The sauce was also delicious and I am sure it was freshly made. They served it with rice and a vegetable and cheese mixture that was also very tasty.

Here are some photos from today:

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This is our 51st trip in our GMC since we bought it in November 2006 . We are in our 9th year of ownership. This time our destination is Palm Desert, CA for 7 nights. The first 5 nights are totally wrapped up in the rally and the last two are to “celebrate” my 71st (ouch!) birthday.

The rally really occupies my time while it is going on. I am sure they could get along without me if I am not here but, since I am here, I get involved in lots of things in addition to the two seminars I volunteered to lead. At most rallies (including this one) I am also the sound guy for the club so I set up and operate the audio/video equipment for almost everyone else, and, on one night I am the KJ – karaoke jockey – for our karaoke/singalong sessions. We have a bunch of karaoke music, all searchable on my laptop, and play it with a software package that the club bought. That has been a hit at every rally since we started it about 4 years ago.

I am writing this on Thursday, the fifth day of the rally – going-home day. There is only one other couple out of 43 still left here with us. Everyone else has gone home – mostly to Southern California.

Tomorrow is my 71st birthday so we decided to extend our stay at this really nice park that we have stayed at several times before. They have a really nice pool and spa, great meeting facilities, a large kitchen that we or caterers can use, and nice concrete pads. So far the place is still green – in the middle of the worst drought in California history they are still acting like nothing is wrong – strange. The plan for tomorrow is to take the tram (some sort of cable car) to the top of the mountain in Palm Springs and either take a short hike, have lunch, or both – depending on the weather. It is very cold and windy up there.

Here are some photos of our week so far:

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