Note to self: When a community has A LOT of windmills, it’s a good bet they get A LOT of wind. We experienced this self-evident phenomenon over Christmas here at Caliente Springs RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs, California. For the last couple of days the wind here has been incredible. There’s something about mountains and valleys and sand and Palm trees that makes the wind crazy. I’m sure Blizzard Bill could explain it better.
The Big Blow, as we called it, made sitting outside impossible, unless you’re fond of sand up your nose. It also made a mess of holiday decorations that the uninitiated left outside their RVs. The guy across the road decorated a ladder with lights to look like a Christmas tree. It looked cool until it was busted up in the middle of the road.
The wind started Christmas Eve, fortunately it was after our tram ride. We decided (well, I decided) to do something totally new and different for Christmas Eve. There’s a famous tram here called the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. One of my GF’s told me about it. The tram takes you up a mountainside to an elevation of 8516 feet. At the top there’s a restaurant with amazing views. I figured it would be the perfect place to have Christmas Eve dinner.
The plan would have been perfect, except for a couple of snafu’s. First off, daughter and Other Half are not fans of heights. Of course, I knew this tidbit of info, but figured my annoying enthusiasm would make it ok. Not so much.
Our dinner plans didn’t exactly work out either. I neglected to notice the dinner serving hours. Our reservations were during lunch not dinner hours. That meant the steaks we thought we were having were more like $20 burgers and fries. Oops.
We held a family pow wow (away from the scenic overlook) and decided to grab the next crowded tram and head down the mountain. I enjoyed the view for the twenty minutes we were on the mountaintop. The other two, not so much.
We ended up at Outback. It worked.
On Christmas day Other Half battled the wind to cook filets on the grill. The Big Blow is finally blowing itself out – so it seems. Our two weeks here are coming to a close. We leave in the morning. Next stop Vegas Baby!