5 Weeks in Palm Springs

Palm Springs Oasis

Mama hummingbird built a nest in a cat wind chime at the church

For the last 2 years, since I bought my truck and trailer, I've been coming to the Coachella Valley to visit dear friends and also hoping to go to a tennis tournament. Indian Wells is one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world and the very best players, men and women, attend. Before I bought my truck and trailer, I was always traveling out of the country and my yearly return to the US wasn't until the middle of May which prevented me from going to the tournament. And then Covid shut the tournament down for 2 years. Finally, on my 3rd attempt to see the tennis I was successful. My friend Joni, who also rides a trike, is the priest of a Catholic Church in Bermuda Dunes and she, graciously, lets me park and stay in my trailer. Her church is walking distance to the tennis garden. I have water and electricity for the trailer and can use the church bathroom. It's a great set-up for me and very comfortable. I walked to the tennis every day and even went a few days before it started to watch qualifying matches. I only bought a grounds pass every day and enjoyed watching the players walk the grounds, practice and play matches on the outer courts. The winners of the tournament, Taylor Fritz and Iga Swiatek, each earned over a million dollars in prize money. This is big time tennis. I loved it every day and can't wait to go back next year. 

Carlos Alcaraz

Coco Gauff and Katie McNally playing doubles

Iga Swiatek serving

Sushi at Nobu. A quintessential Indian Wells experience.

Cheers with Diane at Nobu

My friend Dave, who lives close by, invited me on a jeep tour of the San Andreas fault with his family. This was a fantastic trip and super interesting. The Jeep company actually owns all the land they toured through. We were deep in desert canyons, along a river and we even got to explore a natural oasis. 

Drone shot of the oasis

Driving through canyons

Jeep tour

Dramatic scenery

Geologic formation

While I was staying in the desert, one of my solar panels was stolen right off the roof of my trailer. This was just the strangest thing. I posted about it on Facebook and everyone was convinced the panel had blown off the roof while I was driving. This really scared me. I drove on 4 Los Angeles freeways at 55+ mph from the last place I knew the panel was still on the roof. This could have been devastating. I wasn't aware that solar panels can fly off a rv roof and I immediately made an appointment with a RV service center to assess what happened. The RV guy went on the roof and was confident that the solar panel was stolen. He said it is happening more and more often. The thieves drive their van next to the trailer, hop on the roof of the van and then on the roof of the trailer. They have the tools and know how. He explained he couldn't see any damage to the roof or anything on the roof and, to him, it was obvious the panels had been meticulously removed. The thieves took all the mounts and even all the screws. Nothing was left behind. The big question, that will never be answered, is why take only one panel? I ordered a new panel ($600) and the RV guy suggested he use extra mounts to make stealing more difficult. He also used extra goop over the mounts to make sure the panel is very secure. Since I had electricity at the church, I waited until I was ready to leave before replacing it. I also purchased a trail cam that I can set up any time I leave the trailer. I can set it to motion activate so anytime anyone comes around my trailer while the camera is on I'll have video and sound. I've had the trailer for over 2 years and this is the 1st time anything of value has been stolen. 

RV service guy, Alan, preparing the new panel for installation

Alan added extra mounts for security

Alan finishing the job

I also did a number of rides with my friend Dave, who is a triker, and also the Trike Squadron. Of course, I made videos of those rides. I love riding with groups and it is especially nice to ride with people who know where they are going.

Palm Springs Trike Ride

Trike Squadron Velomobile

Jim fixing a flat

Trikes Gathering

Big ride with the Trike Squadron

A horse eyes Myrtle

Bathroom Break

Trike Squadron Norco Ride

One thing that is fun about being somewhere stationary for a few weeks is having an address. I was able to order things and have them safely delivered. I took care of all kinds of things while I was in the desert including a Covid booster shot.  I bought a Garmin Edge cycling computer with Varia safety light, put the finishing touches on my new helmet and I also bought a new Panasonic GH6 mft camera. I'm especially excited about the camera and looking forward to learning to use it for better video, wildlife, landscape and astrophotography.

New helmet

New Camera and lens

From here, I'm heading to Tucson to camp in the Saguaro National Park. I had visited Tucson just before coming to Palm Springs and, at the time, it was such an active Covid hotspot I couldn't visit some good friends. I also fell in love with the Saguaro National Park and really wanted to camp there. I have a reservation at Gilbert Ray campground for 4 nights. I'm hoping to do some cycling and exploring while I'm there. Then, I'll slowly make my way to Las Vegas for a college reunion. I went to a very small liberal arts school in Vermont but Vegas is a cheaper and easier place for everyone to get to. This will be the 4th reunion that the alumni has put together in the last 10 years. 

The heat is really turning up in the desert and, after the reunion, I'll be going north through Utah and Idaho to Portland to hang out with my tennis and triking tribes. I've got a big summer of travel already taking shape and lots of fun to look forward to.