Memorial Day 2010 - Palm Springs

We went to the Palm Springs Air Museum Annual Memorial Day Flower Drop. A vintage B-25 Mitchell Bomber dropped 3,000 red and white carnations from the sky in memory of the veterans who gave their lives to protect our freedom. The above movie shows several video snippets of our day at this event.

We browsed around and looked at several vintage aircraft and displays of World War II history. Inside a vintage tent I was fascinated looking at some very old telecommunications equipment that was used back then.

While walking inside a vintage helicopter I thought of my dad, a World War II veteran, who was a Crew Chief for the P-51 Mustang and Sikorsky Helicopters.

The Palm Springs Air Museum was one of my dad's favorite place to visit when he was alive. In memory of my father we dedicated his name on the Walk of Honor.

We all anticipated and waited for the moment when the vintage B-25 Bomber dropped 3,000 carnations from the sky. The wind blew most of the flowers away in a different location. Unfortunately, we didn't get a single carnation, however, I was able to capture the moment in my video (see above movie).

We enjoyed our visit at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Memorial Day. There is so much history of World War II, that it keeps us coming back for more, even when it's not on a holiday.

Garstin Trail Hike - Palm Springs

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Originally we planned to hike the Murray Canyon Trail located on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservations in south Palm Springs, however, it didn't happen. The Indian Reservations opens at 8 AM and we were there at 7:30 AM. Instead of waiting, we found a nearby trail to hike called the Garstin Trail. We're so glad we stumbled on this jewel of a hike!

The Garstin Trail is a moderate hike that's all uphill and has several switch backs. The elevation is close to 1,000 feet. It has beautiful panoramic views of Palm Springs, Cathedral City and east Coachella Valley.

We continued to hike on the trail until we saw Bob Hope's House from a distance (see video). Then we headed back which was all down hill. It can be a little slippery on the dirt trail so we took our time to prevent us from rolling down hill.

This is another good hike we all enjoyed!

Garstin Trail, Palm Springs, CA at EveryTrail


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96 Years Young!

Today is my beautiful friend Mary Mealey's 96th birthday! I will never forget the look on her face when everyone yelled "SURPRISE" on Mary's 95th Birthday. It's hard to believe another year has past and she keeps looking younger!

Mary, you are ageless! Wishing you a wonderful day on your 96th! I heard you bought yourself a new Buick! Congratulations!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY! WE LOVE YOU!

Whitewater Preserve Hike

The Whitewater Preserve was on our list to hike and we finally accomplished it today. It was an easy 4.5 mile hike with pretty scenic views. It's located between the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains. Exit north from the I-10 then turn left on the Whitewater Canyon Road (about 5 miles). The Preserve is at the end of the road. There you will see a historic lodge of the former trout farm and is now used as a visitor and ranger station. Picnic area and ponds with fish surround this area. See above video and pictures below.

We started our hike by first signing in and then following a rock lined trail that led us to a wash. I thought it was pretty cool walking through the streams. At least we got our dusty hiking boots washed and air-dried (very windy there) for free! LOL!

This hike felt like a "walk in a park." We are so use to more challenging hikes then this one. It was definitely different, however, I enjoyed the leisurely walk and taking pictures of the wash and the surrounding area. We saw several shrubs lined up on the side of the trail that looked just like poison oak that had very shiny leaves. We stayed clear from those plants, just in case they were poison oak!

While hiking back, we ended up walking on an open highway back to the lodge. That's when I noticed a bright orange butterfly on the side of a mountain. When I zoomed in for a close up from my camcorder, I found out it wasn't a butterfly. It was a beautiful bright orange bird. It looked more like an Oriole but not really sure (see bird in above video).



The above video was made for Leo (our hiking buddy who is gone for the season). I told Leo last week that I have so much more energy and stamina since sprinkling Chia Seeds on my breakfast. I forgot to give him the web site on where I order my seeds.

So Leo, Click Here for the web site where you can order the Chia Seeds. Don't blame me if you sprout any green fuzz on the top of your head! LOL! Just kidding! We miss you Leo!

A special thank you to my uncle Vinny from Connecticut who told me about these miracle seeds! Either the chia seeds work or it might be psychosomatic but I feel energized. I even cleaned my closet out when I got back from my hike.

Hiking 1st Grotto - Mecca Hills, CA

We wanted to do one more hike in the low desert before it got too hot. So this Thursday we elected to take a hike in the Mecca Hills Wilderness.

We have heard a lot of interesting things about the Grottos and wanted to see it first hand. We brought our flashlights to go through the pitch-black caves (very spooky). The only thing I regret, I should have worn long pants. Leo scuffed his knees working his way through some tight crawl spaces and commented he wished he brought his knee pads, LOL!


The trailhead is just off of Box Canyon Road near Mecca, California. This hike was moderate to difficult. The hiking book stated it was a five mile hike. Based on our effort and time it took us to make this hike, we believe it was closer to seven miles. Unfortunately, Jim, our pedometeter tracker was unable to be with us on this hike.

There was a lot of steep and narrow trails. Plenty of sand to shake out of my hiking boots and enough caves and crawl spaces to bring the child out of me. This was one of my favorite hikes so far!

Happy Mother's Day

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day. The above video was taken last year of a mother hummingbird feeding her babies. Enjoy!

A Hike at Joshua Tree National Park

This Thursday's hike we went to Lost Palms Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park. We started at Cottonwood Spring near the visitor center just north of I10. The trail to Lost Palms was mostly flat and open desert. In some sections we came across huge boulders, plateaus, and canyons where the ground was covered by coarse whitish sand. This hike was more remote and at a higher elevation than our previous hikes. It was a moderate 7.5 mile hike out and back.

We saw many desert creatures and I was able to capture video of a few varieties of lizards. At one point I thought I saw a squirrel or bird in a bush, but was shocked to see it was a huge lizard!

We really enjoyed this hike and we highly recommend it! Leo said it was the best hike so far, however, he says that on all our hikes. LOL!

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo - 2010

We had a great time at our friends, Art and Nadene's, Cinco de Mayo party. They really know how to throw a big party in style. The tacos, tamales and all the goodies that went with it were so yummy. We heard the margaritas were fantastic too!

A big "THANK YOU" to the Sugitan's! They're the best!