Desert Spring Break

Making plans for Spring Break was tricky this year, as there were a number of questions that would not be answered until a few weeks, or even days, ahead of time.  Would there be soccer games scheduled?  Would Daddy's ankle feel good enough for late season skiing?  Would Donald Trump's new tax code bring an unpleasant surprise when I filed my 2018 return?

There was really only one thing for it:  book a midweek holiday in Palm Springs, using soon-to-expire flight vouchers and hotel points.

We had a ridiculously early flight, arriving far too early to check in at the hotel.  We killed a few hours wandering downtown Palm Springs, shopping, eating brunch, and giving "Albert Einstein" a hug.  (that was Lucie's guess, the true identity of the statue would be Mayor Sonny Bono)

We actually stayed in Rancho Mirage, at a giant Marriott complex - the same place we stayed last time.  The main attraction is, of course, the pool:

It also happens to be the birthplace of Orcky, the pool floaty.  He seemed outrageously large and expensive back in 2016, but now that he's traveled around with us to Donner Lake, Maui, and back to Palm Springs, I realize I may have judged too quickly.

It was also the original home of the giant beach ball.  Sadly, it is not as well traveled as Orcky - maybe a single voyage to the Tahoe Donner pool - or as long lived, succumbing to wounds inflicted by being repeatedly leaped upon by a 10 year old boy on day 2 of our trip.

Goodbye, Giant Beach Ball.  You will be missed.  A little bit.

I'm continuing my one woman I Will Teach My Kids to Love Their National Parks Whether They Want to or Not campaign.  I wasn't going to let our proximity to Joshua Tree go to waste for a 3rd time, now that the kids are big enough to manage some hiking.

There was some skepticism and whining - Why did we have to get up so early? Why do we have to go hiking? So what if the Joshua Trees are blooming...etc, etc.  Until we got going on our first trail, and the kids discovered all the bouldering -

They could climb EVERYWHERE.

Nature isn't Daddy's cup of tea, and his knees and ankle are definitely not ready for rock climbing, but he stuck to the trails and was (mostly) a good sport about it.

We also continued our desert dining tradition of going out for Teppanyaki, this time to Kobe in Rancho Mirage, not that it matters tremendously they serve the same meal as every other Japanese steak house.  Although I will give them full marks for full Epcot experience with the garden and koi pond, and for convincing Lucie to try to catch shrimp in her mouth.

We also went out for a big breakfast one morning, because that's what you do in Palm Springs.

And I do mean BIG breakfast, at least for Lucie.  When she ordered a side of bacon to go with her strawberry-topped churro waffle, I asked if she could possibly finish all of it.  And Daddy took it a step further and BET her she couldn't.  That turned out to be a mistake.

The overeating continued, with a last night dinner at The Tropicale, another Palm Springs tradition.

We toasted each other with fancy glasses, channeled Frank Sinatra in our half circle banquette,

and tried our best, but failed to finish the signature Mile High Chocolate Cake.  ugh.

Even if it was a bit rushed, it was nice to be somewhere warm and not raining.  Let's hope our dandelion wishes come true and we get to come back soon!