Thursday, March 5, 2015

Desert Riviera...

...a garden resort...welcome to Day 2 of our vacation.

As mentioned in the previous post, we were finally able to wing our way from the icy climes of Michigan...
the frozen coast of Lake Michigan

...to sunny Palm Springs, California.

The accommodations at the Desert Riviera are so lovely it's tempting to just hang out at the hotel and relax...
the beautiful pool all lit up at night...
fun at the fire pit every night...

turns out the Keebler elves hang out here, too...
It's amazing what some sunshine, warm temperatures, a new hat, and some Jim Beam can do to improve your attitude...

So on day two we decided to take a trip up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, a short 20 minute drive from the Desert Riviera Hotel...

Trams head up the mountain about every 30 minutes, so we had a short wait in the stylish lobby...

...before we climbed on the stallion we rode up the mountain...

It's about a 10 minute ride up, and the floor of the car slowly rotates so you get a 360 degree view...

The view from the top is remarkably like home right now...

We received dire warnings from everyone at the hotel about how cold it is...but hey, we're from Michigan and this was like an early spring day.  The tram operator said, "It's currently 30 degrees at the top and wind chill makes it feel like 20, so good luck with that."  Really?  Come to Grand Rapids...shirt sleeve weather, buddy...

Overall a very enjoyable excursion...we enjoyed a drink at the bar...here's the view...

Impressive to think how much work it was to build the tram and the welcome center at the top of the mountain...well worth the time and money.

After that we spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing...
a Palm Springs full moon...
...and hanging out poolside...

There may not be heaven on earth, but the Desert Riviera Hotel in Palm Springs comes pretty close...

Later, mcm fans...


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