Day 2 In Idyllwild

The rain has passed over for now, so we decided to take a ride down to Palm Springs.

This route would not be good for anyone who was afraid of roads which are steep and with precipitous drops at the edge of some curves.

And boy does this road have some curves,we started at the blue dot and took highway 243 to Banning and then on to interstate 10 towards Palm Springs.

The drivers we encountered today were very good, any one who was slow or driving an RV pulled into a passing place (lay by to those on the other side of the Pond) to let the rest of the field pass by. Some people of course want to drive at 100 miles an hour no matter where they are or what the conditions are like.

The weather change was as dramatic as the scenery. It was 44 in Idyllwild and 74 in Palm Springs, extremely strong wind in Banning and flat calm in Palm Springs.

This was the view from the little patio where had lunch, right on Palm Canyon Drive.

Downtown Palm Springs is undergoing some extensive changes. Whole city blocks have been demolished and new buildings are taking their place. The outskirts of the city are still struggling with lots of vacant store fronts.

As we headed back up the mountain the weather started to close in with the potential of rain.

Here I am with the heavy weather gear, hat was a gift from our friend Cherie, the scarf was a gift from another friend Linda, the lumber jack shirt was a gift from Madame.

By the time we got back into Idyllwild, the sun had broken through so it was very pleasant but still cold.

So we took a walk around town to take in the sights, and of course meet other dog lovers.

Then it was back to the cabin for a spot of relaxation before going out later in the evening.

We went out to a Wine / Beer bistro with a heated patio for a little something to eat.

Of course being an upmarket place, they did not have the blue collar Belgian beer that I normally drink.

They did have a beer made in Fort Bragg which was OK considering it was only $7 a glass!

The glass had the logo of a famous brewery in Koln or Cologne depending where you originate.

I asked the waiter if they had that beer, no just the glasses, pity it's good stuff, Reissdorf Kolsch (no umlaut on my keyboard)

Madame and Missy enjoying the patio.

As you may imagine, in a place with so many trees, they have no problem finding a Christmas tree.

This one has to be close to 100 feet high and is of course still alive and growing.

Then we took the long dark spooky walk back to the cabin.

The moon was just breaking through the clouds over the ridge of pines to the south of us.

Before we went out, I had prepared the fireplace for our return.

So getting it going was no problem for the Leopard Lady.

You really don't need the fireplace, the wall mounted gas heater is more than adequate, but the effect is very pleasant.

More soon,

Ciao Bella 

Norm