FINAL DAYS IN LA QUINTA

We ended up spending 10 nights in La Quinta (a lot more than anticipated) because it's so beautiful it was hard to get out of there!!! The weather cooled down to the 70s so it was really pleasant and we got a lot of nice hikes, walks, & bike rides in. We cooked all but 2 dinners in so that was nice too! We are pretty tired of eating out at this point.

Great bike ride & yummy Mexican lunch

Something fun we did in Palm Springs was take the aerial tramway up the mountain. It's the world's largest rotating tramway that climbs the cliffs of the Chino Canyon in the San Jacinto Mountain Range. The ride takes about 10 minutes each way and climbs from 2643 ft to 8516 ft! At the top are restaurants, hiking, and camping! We didn't expect a HUGE temperature drop so we were dressed for 85 weather in the desert. We brought sweatshirts thinking it would be a little cooler at the top but were not planning on it being windy and in the 40s! BRRRRRRRR!!! We still did a short hike around the top and saw amazing views of the Coachella Valley at 5 notch points (pictured below). The history of the tramway is quite interesting and came from an idea by a young electrical engineer, Francis Crocker in 1935, and can be read here. Riding the tramway was quite an experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone who takes a trip to the desert! It's so neat to go from the desert and palm trees too cool temperatures and pine trees!

On Thursday we departed for Scottsdale where we are staying with Michael's friend Brian and his mom! It was a 4 hour drive that went pretty quickly! We will stay here throughout the weekend and maybe longer. The weather is great (80s) and there are several lakes nearby so Michael is excited!

OFF TO ARIZONA!

LA QUINTA CA, CONT...

We've had such an amazing week in La Quinta! We usually come here in February/March when it's cooler (70s & 80s) so it's fun to see it in the usual desert heat that it's known for! It's been consistently in the mid 90s which is really warm for this time of the year but it's bearable because most places have AC (including our fabulous condo) so we don't mind it at all! We've just been planning for it and trying to get out for our hikes & bike rides early and I've really been enjoying walking around the complex that we are staying at. It's really dry here but the flowers are still pretty and in bloom... not as beautiful as in the summer but we can't complain! We've really enjoyed cooking in the condo and have had a few nice meals out as well. It's been a nice and relaxing week for us here and we are really enjoying our time in La Quinta!

Gorgeous morning after breakfast at La Quinta Resort (where we usually stay, right next to where we are staying now!)

I've been enjoying my evening walks!!! All of the palm trees are lit up and it's so beautiful in the complex that we are staying at

Daytime at the Legacy Villas (where we are staying)

Happy Hour & Sunset at Adobe, one of our favorite restaurants at the La Quinta Resort!

Downtown El Paseo (the shopping district, kind of like the Rodeo Drive of Palm Desert... LOL!)

The sunsets are so amazing here! 

Surf and turf dinner... loving having a kitchen!!!

One of our favorite hikes in Rancho Mirage... The Bump N Grind!

More beautiful sunsets...

Another great hike in Palm Desert!

Sunday morning brunch and walk around La Quinta Resort

Sunday afternoon at the Legacy Villas... and another beautiful sunset!