Go Sky Clad in Palm Springs California

Go Sky Clad in Palm Springs
by Lin Stone

What's to do in Palm Springs? Palm Springs dot com mentions: "The brainstorm of the late Sonny Bono, the Palm Springs Villagefest is held year-round every Thursday evening from 6 - 10pm. From Amado Road to Baristo, Palm Canyon Drive is sealed off to traffic and becomes a walker's paradise of fresh fruit stands, local restaurant samplings, live music and the best of Palm Spring's artists & craftsmen. The visitors come here for the fantastic deals that are reminiscent of a 1950's flea market...the natives come here to say "Hello" to each other."

Fifteen miles long, Palm Canyon is one of the great beauty spots in Western North America. Its indigenous flora and fauna are breathtaking contrasts to the stark, rocky gorges and barren desert lands beyond. Palm Canyon Drive is a goldmine of shops, restaurants, art galleries, pubs and every kind of boutique! Palm Springs, California is a two-hour drive approximately 100 miles east of the city of Los Angeles in beautiful Riverside County. First inhabited by the Cahill Indians, the name Palm Springs comes from the Indian phrase meaning “The Palm Of God’s Hand”. By 1950, Palm Springs became a getaway resort for the rich and famous.

The Annenberg Theater is found at 101 Museum Drive (Phone 760.325.4490) The Annenberg is: a state-of-the-art 433-seat theater with continental seating and nearly perfect acoustics, home to vibrant performances of jazz, dance, comedy, classical and contemporary vocal groups, chamber ensembles and ...more, much more.

The Joshua Tree National Park has nearly 800,000 acre park encompassing some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California's deserts. Arroyos, playas, alluvial fans, bajadas, pediments, desert varnish, granites, aplite, and gneiss interact to form a giant desert mosaic of immense beauty and complexity.

"Two deserts, two large ecosystems whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation, come together at Joshua Tree National Park. Below 3,000 feet, the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park also includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California’s deserts. Five fan palm oases also dot the park, indicating those few areas where water occurs naturally and wildlife abounds."

The Living Desert is like a zoo, only better. First of all, they have magnificent cats, and howling wolves. Then there are the breathtaking botanical gardens. The Living Desert invites you to stroll, hike, dine and shop amid 1200 acres of scenic trails and exhibits. This truly is an unforgettable desert experience for the entire family.

The 80 passenger Palm Springs TRAM lets you ascend 8,000 feet in the world's largest rotating tramcars. Dress warmly. Remember, it is forty degrees colder at the top and and way up there you will find a completely different world (more like the Smokey Mountains) than Palm Springs below. Great hiking and, of course, incredible views! Let's put this into perspective here... You're going to travel just about 12,800 feet -- with a vertical ascent of 5,873 -- And it will only take you 15 minutes travel time one way. This is a scenic view, with a view worth viewing. The car revolves to give everyone an equal opportunity of seeing the great sights along the way. Just the bare facts behind this amazing trip are fascinating: "Five towers support four 1-7/8" steel cables as well as four hauling cables, two auxiliary cables and a communications cable. The first tower is the tallest at 214' high; Tower Number Four is the shortest at 56 1/2' high. The weight of steel in the five towers totals 263 tons; the weight of the 11 cables totals 330 tons. The maximum span between towers is 3,455' between Towers 3 and 4."

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