After 2 months and one week we reluctantly prepared to pack up and leave California. On the day we left La Quinta, it was sunny and 85 degrees. We dreaded going back home because the weather forecast called for about 10 inches of snow the day after our scheduled arrival, not that Milwaukee needed anymore snow. Before leaving California we spent several days in Lafayette by way of San Luis Obispo and Carmel By The Sea. Jane and Ron, Margaret's cousins, live in Lafayette and they graciously invited us to stay with them for two days before we left California for good. Their lovely home is at the end of a private road with beautiful views of cattle on the hillside and their very own grape arbor! Some highlights include a great dinner at a gourmet Italian restaurant in Walnut Creek and an all day tour of Sonoma for wine tasting and a picnic in a park in Calistoga with wine from our morning's purchases and tasty food ala Jane.
It was hard to leave California with the weather still in serious winter mode back home. We had a wonderful time, even though the natives complained that the temperature was colder than normal. We thought they were all crazy or had no idea what cold was, which is probably the case. California allows for so many activities in the winter; from skiing to surfing to biking, all on the same day if you are ambitious enough. My ambition only took me as far as biking in the morning and sitting by the pool in the afternoon.
We also had friends and relatives come to stay or visit and that made it extra special. (Read and see their pictures below.) It was a pleasure to see them all and plan special activities like wine tasting, trying new restaurants, visiting new places or just relaxing by the pool.
The drive back was smooth and pleasant with no problems, even though we had strong winds all the way. The storm going to Wisconsin followed us. Unfortunately the weather forecast was correct, for a change, and we did get a pile of snow on Good Friday. But it was good to get back home and see that everything was still in order and to have Easter dinner with the family.
Interesting statistics from the GPS. Moving average speed 66.0 mph, Max speed 89.7. total miles 2819, moving time 42.5 hr, minimum elevation -20 ft La Quinta, CA, Maximum elevation 8640 continental divide Wyoming.
Temperatura Caliente. 3/10/2008
After Lily and Mike returned to Milwaukee, we had a few days to ourselves as the temperature warmed to the mid eighties. Then on February 28, Jane and Ron joined us for a long weekend. Ron was also recuperating from a cold, so we ventured forth each morning, but took it easy in the afternoons. Highlights of their visit included al fresco lunch at the La Quinta Resort, hiking for three hours in the desert behind the La Quinta Cove, and dinner at Tommy Bahama on the second floor patio. The deserts in California are starting to bloom now because of the rain. the Wooly Daisy (member of the sunflower family) in this picture seems to be growing out of the rocks.
After Ron and Jane left I again hit the mountain road with my bike for the second time. There are not as many mountain roads, here in the desert, as there are in Santa Barbara. But Palm Desert has a very nice road, highway 74, going all the way to San Diego through the mountains. The only problem is that the start of the hilly part of the highway is a long way from La Quinta. Fortunately the way to highway 74 is all flat. See video below of the ride. At about 2300 ft. there is a parking lot called Vista Point. A lot of the tourists stop there for pictures of the Coachella valley. The view from there is excellent including the human variety, see pictures below. We also drove up the mountain with Ron and Jane for the view and to take some pictures before they left.
Casa Colima, La Quinta. 3/5/2008
In the 18th century Captain Juan Bautista De Anza established La Quinta as the fifth resting point for travelers along the route from Mexico to the San Gabriel Mission of Los Angeles. The words "la quinta" are Spanish for the fifth. More specifically the word "quinta" is known in Mexico as a type of hacienda.
We arrived in La Quinta, from Santa Barbara, on the same day as my sister Liliana arrived from Wisconsin. She and her friend Mike plan to spend some time with us to get away from the freezing and snowing Wisconsin weather. The weather in La Quinta has been delightful, sunny and warm. This week the temperature will reach the low eighties. La Quinta is below sea level. Our rental house is 20 feet above sea level.
It was a lot of fun to have my sister join us for the week, even though Dominic was fighting a virus the whole visit. Liliana is a wonderful cook and she also appreciated the opportunity to work on her sun tan. Margee took Mike and Lily on a road trip to the Salton Sea one day. Lily and Margee shopped at El Paseo and found a store that made beautiful pillows called "Between the Sheets." We also enjoyed two dinners - one at Stuft (Pizza) and the other at Hog's Breath (a restaurant owned by Clint
Eastwood) with Lily's friend Phyllis.
After 2 months and one week we reluctantly prepared to pack up and leave California. On the day we left La Quinta, it was sunny and 85 degrees. We dreaded going back home because the weather forecast called for about 10 inches of snow the day after our scheduled arrival, not that Milwaukee needed anymore snow. Before leaving California we spent several days in Lafayette by way of San Luis Obispo and Carmel By The Sea. Jane and Ron, Margaret's cousins, live in Lafayette and they graciously invited us to stay with them for two days before we left California for good. Their lovely home is at the end of a private road with beautiful views of cattle on the hillside and their very own grape arbor! Some highlights include a great dinner at a gourmet Italian restaurant in Walnut Creek and an all day tour of Sonoma for wine tasting and a picnic in a park in Calistoga with wine from our morning's purchases and tasty food ala Jane.
After Lily and Mike returned to Milwaukee, we had a few days to ourselves as the temperature warmed to the mid eighties. Then on February 28, Jane and Ron joined us for a long weekend. Ron was also recuperating from a cold, so we ventured forth each morning, but took it easy in the afternoons. Highlights of their visit included al fresco lunch at the La Quinta Resort, hiking for three hours in the desert behind the La Quinta Cove, and dinner at Tommy Bahama on the second floor patio. The deserts in California are starting to bloom now because of the rain. the Wooly Daisy (member of the sunflower family) in this picture seems to be growing out of the rocks. 
In the 18th century Captain Juan Bautista De Anza established La Quinta as the fifth resting point for travelers along the route from Mexico to the San Gabriel Mission of Los Angeles. The words "la quinta" are Spanish for the fifth. More specifically the word "quinta" is known in Mexico as a type of hacienda.