Friday, February 27

We boarded the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway at 10am, and rode a mile up the mountain to the Mount San Jacinto State Park. The 10 minute ride is in a tram that rotates as it climbs from and elevation of 2,643 ft to 8,516 ft. The rotation allows the passengers to look down into the valley at Palm Springs, and up to the top of the ride between mountain peaks. The tram opened in 1963, after 26 months of construction.

Thanks to a snow storm earlier this week, the park had snow for the first time this winter. The locals are very grateful, as the area has been suffering a drought for some time.  We, of course, weren’t overly impressed with the snow, but many others were.

Next stop, Sunnylands Center and Gardens, the former home of Walter and Lenore Annenberg. The Anmenbergs wanted Sunnylands to be used to advance world peace – the center serves as a retreat center for world leaders, and gardens are open to the public. We were there for the gardens, which are truly beautiful.

After this, we headed to El Paseo in Palm Desert for a late lunch at the Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar, followed by a bit more shopping. We didn’t try the pizza, but the PB burger and the beet salad were both good. Then, back to the condo.

It was a good day.