From minus 26C to plus 26C

We finally decided to follow the 'snowbirds' (retirees who leave the cold of Canada and travel south to the warmth of the USA) in search of some warmth. This winter has been very different from the previous one: we have had snowstorms lasting a week or so with cold temperatures, snow flurries (intermittent snow) which fell for days on end and more cold temperatures and greyness. Okay so we have had more Chinook winds that have raised temperatures from minus 30C to plus 3 all in an afternoon. Last winter we don't recall having a Chinook at all! Temperatures last winter (2009/10) were low, in fact we didn't see minus 5C for over 30 days, but then the skies were blue and the sun shone.

We shouldn't grumble after all we live at over 3,300 feet.

We spent a few days in the warmth of Palm Springs, California. On board the aircraft the pilot told us that we were leaving a chilly Calgary (minus 26C) and that temperatures for noon in Palm Springs would be plus 26C ....... say no more.

As usual we strolled through downtown Palm Springs, window shopping. This is the sort of shopping Bill likes as there is no need to enter shops at all unless they are bookstores, museums or places offering refreshments. We had decided quite early on that golf was not on the agenda for this trip and therefore I would forgo my spa day (not quite sure why, as he could always read a book or newspaper over coffee somewhere in the shade).

We visited the Indian Canyons on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. The Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians settled in the Palm Springs area many centuries ago. They developed complex communities in the Canyons where there was abundant water, plants and animals. They grew crops (melons, squash, beans and corn), gathered seeds for food, medicines and basket weaving. The baskets were beautiful and depicted the life of the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians. They believed that this productive land of their ancestors would always be theirs; just how wrong could they be? In 1876 the US Federal Government deeded in trust 32,000 acres to the Agua Caliente people and at the same time they gave the Southern Californian Railroad ten miles of odd sections of land to induce the company to build the railroad. Of the reservation's 32,000 acres, 6,700 lie within the Palm Springs city limits and the rest fans out across the desert and mountains in a checkerboard pattern.

We had three Canyons to choose from: Palm, Andreas and Murray. We opted for Palm Canyon, which is 15 miles long and is considered one of the areas of great beauty in western USA. We began our hike at the Palm Canyon parking lot and descended into the Canyon. Our trail took us through the lush vegetation, mostly palm trees, cacti and ferns, as we strolled beside running water shimmering in the sunlight. The palm trees provided shade from the already warm sun.

In 1994 a fire had severely burned the area and we could see evidence of the fire and now lots of new growth. Our route took us up and out of the Canyon, and away from everyone else who opted for much shorter routes, and out onto the back country high desert plateau. Once out on the plateau we were able to pick out the Santa Rosa Mountains and the snow covered San Jocintos Mountains. We certainly enjoyed our 8 1/2 mile hike and found time to visit the Trading Post before heading back to Palm Springs.

We also visited Joshua Tree National Park. The area had been a National Monument since 1936 (President Franklin D. Roosevelt) but in 1994 (President Bill Clinton) as part of the California Desert Protection Act, Congress renamed the area Joshua Tree National Park and also added more land so that the Park now protects 794,000 acres, nearly 3/4 of which are designated as wilderness, where the Mojave and Colorado deserts converge. The Joshua tree, Yucca brevifolia, is a member of the Agave family and is a good indicator that you are in the Mojave desert. The Joshua tree was recognised by American Indians for many useful properties: its tough leaves were worked into baskets and sandals, the flower buds made a tasty addition to their diet. By the mid 19th Century, Mormon immigrants had made their way across the Colorado river. Legend has it that pioneers named the tree after Joshua as they saw the limbs of the tree outstretched in supplication guiding the travellers westward. At the same time ranchers and miners arrived in the high desert in high hopes of raising cattle and finding gold. These homesteaders used the limbs and trunks of the Joshua tree for fencing and corrals. Miners found a source of fuel for the steam engines used in processing ore. The Park is a Geographers dream with granite outcrops which began life as batholiths beneath the surface. We were able to find gneiss outcrops, one of the oldest rocks known to man.

Our hike took us to the top of Ryan Mountain, where we were offered some scenic views of the Park. From the top (at 5458ft) we were able to see, even if it was a little murky, the Peaks of San Jocinto and San Giorgonio and were able to look into the Pinto Basin, Lost Horse Valley, the Wonderland of Rocks and the San Bernandino Mountains which form the northern border of the Coachella Valley. We enjoyed our views and we were quite alone having passed three groups descending and as we headed down we passed three more groups going up. We decided that this was area we would like to visit again; the scenery, with its granite Tors, was very lunar.

As we headed down to Palm Springs the warmth of the Valley hit us, we marvelled at the wind turbines all along the Coachella Valley all turning, all producing power for California.

We had plenty of time for R + R as well as reading our books - sheer pleasure in the warm sunshine with clear blue skies. We returned to Calgary to temperatures of 0C, so warmer than when we had departed but a lot colder than Palm Springs.

We would certainly return to Palm Springs as there is so much more to do than just golf and the casinos!