Monday, October 22, 2012

Palm Springs and future plans…

image

As the sun set on our stay in the San Diego area it was very hard to leave as the imageweather there is always absolutely perfect.  There also is just so many things that we love to do available in that area. Another reason leaving Mission Bay RV Park was done with a bit of sadness was the fact we made some great new friends in the park. However the downside in San Diego is that it is a very expensive place to stay very long and to keep our budget happy we felt it was time to move on.  However we definitely will return to San Diego imagesomeday. If we had the monetary means to do so this would likely be a great place for our RV exit strategy to take place.

So begins our slow crawl back east. First on the list of stops is Desert Hot Springs as we found a fantastic promotion for four nights for $45 at Catalina Spa and RV Resort that we took advantage of. The catch was we had to listen to a one hour sales pitch on RPI memberships. We took this offer since we were thinking of staying in this area for a month.  The online reviews imageregarding the parks we could afford were all over the place so we thought staying at this place would afford us the opportunity to drive around and check out all the other parks to see if we wanted to stay longer at one of them.

Well we visited several parks all over the Palm Springs area and concluded that this just not a place we wanted to stay for a month.  Not only did none of the parks have any WOW factor, we realized there just isn't that much to do around here. However, that didn’t mean we couldn’t enjoy our stay while we were here, or could it? The wind in this area is relentless!!! I had read that the wind doesn’t blow on the south side of Interstate 10 and blew hard north of it. They were spot on… as there is a 10,000 foot mountain near Palm Springs that blocks the wind. The rest of the area north of the highway is seriously windy and littered with large wind mills generating tons of electricity.

During one of our jaunts to check out rv parks, Sharon spied a small deli and imagegrocery store advertising the best date milkshakes in the desert.  She just had to try one so we pulled over to get one.  I waited outside while Sharon ordered our shake.  While the young lady was making her shake, the owner happened in from the kitchen area asking where she was from and how she heard about his store. Sharon told him an RV friend told her she had to try a date shake when in Desert Hot Springs. He told her she had come to the right place as he is the only one who uses fresh dates rather than dried and uses ice cream rather than ice milk.  He explained that otherwise the shakes are just too icky sweet.  Next he proudly showed her a framed Sunset Magazine article confirming his was the best date shake in the State of California!  What a lucky sighting it was.  As for the date shake, I am glad we tried it since it was interesting and good, but not sure I'd order another....

Iimagen order to avoid the gusty wind the next day we took a tour of downtown Palm Springs only to discover a huge biker rally was happening in town. We parked (free parking in town) to explore the town and to stroll through the biker rally festival. Near the middle of town was a 26 foot tall statue of Marilyn Monroe. Read an interesting story on how it got here if you click the link above. Of course we had to stop and take a photo while I checked out the artful scenery… Upon returning to our park we went to the Spring-fed pool and hot tub at the lower clubhouse.  Sharon had never had the experience of enjoying the warm spring water and was excited to see if she could feel any therapeutic benefit.  On the wall by the hot tub it was explained our pool was fed by the onsite 130 degree F well. Interestingly their well is free of the foul smelling imagesulfides normally associated with hot spring water.  They were quick to mention also that the presence of sulfides are of no therapeutic benefit.  The warm relaxing water has been another highlight of the trip here.

Palm Spring is a pretty neat little town and just walking along the sidewalks you can read the names of stars that are etched on tiles embedded in the concrete to see who made an impact in this area. Besides Marilyn there was Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and many other notables immortalized in the their own way The vistas are also very striking in every direction with the palm imagetree-lined streets contrasting the large surrounding mountains and blue skies. Heading homeward back across I-10 we hit the 30+ mile per hour winds again.  We enjoy driving with windows down whereupon at one point we were hit with a huge gust of wind and got completely sandblasted.  So then and there we decided we were going to move on. Where to? Well we think we would like to spend the winter in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. We don’t know where yet and have lots of park reviews to read before we know where we will stay but at least we now have some winter plans…

21 comments:

  1. Thanks for the information about the Palm Springs area, good thing you didn't make a reservation for a month before you checked things out. I will be volunteering/workamping at the Visitors Center of the Laguna Atascosa NWR November 4 through and December 31, then I have to find an RV park in the area for a few more months after that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We noticed that same thing with the wind. I will say that the wind does blow a lot of the time in the Rio Grande Valley also but not as hard.
    Good luck with your search for the right park for you in the RGV.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been watching blogs and the wind seems to be a big issue in the west. I think I prefer wintering in Florida...but I'll be interested in your opinion of Texas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We like Florida as well, but San Diego will stay on top of our list as well...

      Delete
  4. It always seems like such a long drive to the RGV, but I always enjoyed getting there. Of course my two winters there were also spent at Laguna Atascosa NWR. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. We love the Palm Springs area and for the last couple of years have spent 3 weeks each year in the late fall. We found there are so many places to go and so many places to see. However, by the time our 3 weeks have been up we've been ready to move along. San Diego is one of our most favorite places too! If we ever win the lottery, we'll move there. I guess that means we need to start buying tickets though so maybe it won't work out.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The best park in the Rio Grande Valley (IMHO) is Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort in Mission. It's also possible to rent owner-owned lots here at Retama Village next door, where we winter. Retama Village has a "Discover Retama" program where you can stay free for a few nights to check it out. The crowd here and at next-door Bentsen Palm Village is younger and more active than many. Windy, yes, but not quite as bad as closer to the Gulf. Bentsen Palm Village is difficult to get into because it's so popular, but you might get lucky. A lot of the same folks return year after year, so sometimes it's hard to get a reservation. Here's a link, if you're at all interested: http://www.bentsenpalm.com/contact-us/?utm_source=October+2012+Newsletter+Template&utm_campaign=Retama+Prospects+April+2012+News&utm_medium=email We stayed at Bentsen Palm Village our first visit to the RGV and liked it so much we bought our lot next door at Retama. Love it here!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort keeps coming up on our list, now all we have to do is figure out when we will get there...

      Delete
    2. A little more information.... I am pretty sure that the website for locating monthly rental sites at Retama Village is retamarentals.com. If not, you can google it. Retama Village is a good mix of site owners and people who rent sites for the winter. The sites are all paved with patio areas (concrete). All of them have coach houses (12 x 20 or 12 x24. Some of the coach houses are just shells. Many of them are finished, some are also furnished. Lots of activities and friendly neighbors.

      Delete
  7. We usually stay a week at Catalina in January, get a 6 day deal with our PPA discount. Wondering if that has changed....It is worth every day for that incredible pool. One of the only pools in the area that is still all natural water and about 93 degrees. It is open 24 hours. I do love that pool. The other thing I love about staying there is the desert hiking. There are a ton of really good hikes around that area. And a drive to Joshua Tree is always fun. You won't be bored for sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pool and the hot tub are indeed the bomb... even had one more dip and soak before we left!

      Delete
  8. Thanks for the heads up on Palm Springs. That's not what I was expecting to hear. It's great getting the other side of the story.
    We winter in Texas too but not quite as far south. We're going back again this year but will probably try Florida next year. Have to try them all :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Have you BEEN to the RGV? If you think there's nothing to do in the SoCal desert, you "ain't seen nothing yet." The wind isn't the only thing that blows in the valley! We spent five excruciating weeks in the RGV our first winter on the road. We have no plans to return.

    If you want to read our recap, check this out > http://www.thegreatrvescape.blogspot.com/2010/02/misfits.html

    Different strokes for different folks, of course. But, consider yourself warned! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Duly noted.., but of course we must experience it for ourselves... ;)

      Delete
  10. Before you leave Palm Springs, you MUST check out Outdoor Resort Palm Springs on Ramon Road which is actually in Cathedral City.

    Teresa and I had the same experience as you. We arrived at the Sands RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs, and immediatley had our rig sand blasted for three days straight. We were ready to leave !!

    We had friends staying at the above Resort, and as we crossed the I10, the wind died down, and when we drove into the resort it felt like paradise !! By far the most beautiful resort we have seen !!

    It is expensive to rent through the office, but many owners offer decent deals.

    We spent considerable time in the RGV last year as well, and like Paul and Mary said, there is not much to do outside of your resort amenities. It is nothing but highways, restaurants, and civilization.

    Luckily, we were with friends, so the social aspect made up for it.

    But, you really have to experience everything for yourself, and see what feels right for you !!

    Take care ... TnT

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. very nice park but we couldn't get anything within our budget...

      Delete
  11. Spot on post. We are in fact staying at the Sands RV & Golf resort. Up until this stay we have never stayed at a "resort" type park. We typically stay at state parks, Natioinal Parks and BLM parks This expereince has confirmed that the Resort expereince is not really for us. That being said, I do play golf, I am looking forwrd to doing some desert hikes and there are some good cultural events taking place in Palm Springs. So, our time here will not lack for stuff to keep us busy. But the wind gets old really fast.

    So... In part we have the same problem - where to go in January?

    BTW - have you left the Palm Springs area? If not, we would love to meet you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep we left about an hour ago but are only about 40 miles away at the Salton Sea at Oasis Palms Resort, sorry we missed you...

      Delete
  12. Catalina Spa is a membership park that we usually stop by for a week or two when passing thru. Have had some really good times in the area as well as frequent dips in the lower hot tub and pool.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey Duke! :)
    My name is Jane and I'm with Dwellable.
    I was looking for blog posts about things to do in Cathedral City to share on our site and I came across your post...If you're open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
    Hope to hear from you :)
    Jane

    ReplyDelete