If you’ve ever wanted to look at endless photos of palm trees, you’ve arrived! We spent some of Thanksgiving week in our favorite place and spent a wonderful morning exploring the Palm tree oasis’ in Indian Canyon. Just south of the city sits not just one, but several, of the largest oasis’ of California Fan Palms (the only native CA palms). How we have never done this, I DON’T KNOW. It was an otherworldly kind of beautiful, if you are into deserts and palms and rocks. Time to do some soul searching if that doesn’t describe you. I can’t put into words, mostly because I’m a blubbering idiot, how magical it is to wander around under 1000’s of palms surrounding a desert stream. It looks fake, like a movie set, and rivals whatever you think is the most beautiful place in the world.We skipped the largest and most crowded oasis, Palm Canyon, though we did peek at it from the parking lot, opting to hike –using that term sooo loosely- the lush and less visited Andreas Canyon instead. The kids did the “hike” literally in the stream and us grown humans followed the trail next to the stream. I’ve discovered that a family hike through water is infinitely more successful than a regular hike on dirt. The morning we visited was high 70’s/early 80’s but, with the water, I can imagine this being the hike to do on those hotter days when you still want to get out in and see the beauty of the desert. Palm tree nerd.The oasis from afar. That up there is the parking lot. I can’t wait to go back. Totally 100% worth the cost of admission and I can’t recommend it enough.

We stayed again at our family favorite, The Twist. I’ve said it before, but the Palm Springs living is easy there when you have kids in tow. We spend hours at the pool, and they couldn’t be more enjoyable. They even had out some Christmas decorations = take my money, I’m moving in.Basically, when can I retire to the desert? And will it be a classy desert retirement in a mid-century jewel box in Palm Springs? Or a more “alternative” desert retirement in an aluminum trailer along the stinking shores of the Salton Sea? I really can’t wait to find out which way life unfolds… xoxo