Palm Springs vacation. What to do?

[gordonv]

Wife and I have been invited by her sister and her husband to Palm Springs to a time share week stay. May 28-Jun 4.

They golf, we don't, and will be flying down. We might rent a car.

What is there to DO in or around Palm Springs? Hopefully without costing us $. We might just be spending the days lounging around the pool.

Thank you in advance.

[Alpha Dog]

Wife and I have been invited by her sister and her husband to Palm Springs to a time share week stay. May 28-Jun 4.

They golf, we don't, and will be flying down. We might rent a car.

What is there to DO in or around Palm Springs? Hopefully without costing us $. We might just be spending the days lounging around the pool.

Thank you in advance.

Take the Tramway up the mountains.  Drive out to Joshua Tree National Monument.  Over a hundred golf courses, very pricey probably less that time of year.  Temps will be consistently over 100 probably 105 to 110 at that time.   Eaglerider rental program there with Harley, Goldwings, and Indians.  If you due be sure to take Hwy 74 up the mountain to Idyllwild.  Great restuarants and shopping, congregated along Hwy 111 with a Ruths Chris in Palm Desert.   Some of the hotels have fabulous atriums. Several casinos.  If you are into hiking great hike up behind Palm Springs into the mountains.  Me and some buddies use to  do that as good waterfall up there and deep pool.  Once there was 2 girls sunbathing on a huge rock up there topless.  They decided to join us for some reason.  I think one never put her top back on.   Have a great time.

[Big Rig]

Rent a bike a ride!!! Great riding out that way, did it for three or four years...need to rent the bike for two days....check google maps in that area, run to the mountains and enjoy the roads. Touristy spot are much nicer when you are on a bike.

Eagle rider is/was out there and Palm Spring Harley rents bikes. ER rents wings

[art]

Yes to all of the advice an just a few more. A ride up to Big Bear and time at the lake and some good food. Go early and stay late, the heat in Palm Springs in the summer is a killer. Heat exhaustion will get you easy. Idyllwild is great and it can be an all day ride with sightseeing. Have fun and be safe on those mountain roads. I've seen semi-trucks going up there on tight turns.

[Alpha Dog]

Yes to all of the advice an just a few more. A ride up to Big Bear and time at the lake and some good food. Go early and stay late, the heat in Palm Springs in the summer is a killer. Heat exhaustion will get you easy. Idyllwild is great and it can be an all day ride with sightseeing. Have fun and be safe on those mountain roads. I've seen semi-trucks going up there on tight turns.

Indeed Art - Big Bear and Arrowhead up there and great riding.  To escape the heavy traffic of San Bernardino area I would take the 62 up through the Desert and cut in the back way when I went skiing up there.  Which reminds me.  Up that way is Pioneertown which is an old west village set up by Roy Rodgers and others to live while filming. Really Gordonv there is quite a bit to do that does not cost a lot of money.  One thing I can guarantee you - you will not run out of sunshine.  Easiest job in the world is a weatherforecast for the Mojave.

[Moonshot_1]

Wife and I have been invited by her sister and her husband to Palm Springs to a time share week stay. May 28-Jun 4.

They golf, we don't, and will be flying down. We might rent a car.

What is there to DO in or around Palm Springs? Hopefully without costing us $. We might just be spending the days lounging around the pool.

Thank you in advance.

Obviously an invitation to everyone to come down and party for free with you guys would be in order. That's what I'd do.

[Jess from VA]

Palm Springs vacation. What to do?

Sweat.  

Whether you rent to ride or drive, go up to San Gorgonio and San Juacinto mountains.  Big Bear Lake is a touristy area, but a good way to spend a day in cooler weather.



Palm Springs tramway.


Big Bear lake.




Stay out of LA if at all possible.

You might like the San Diego Zoo and Animal parks

[gordonv]

Obviously an invitation to everyone to come down and party for free with you guys would be in order. That's what I'd do.

Now that sounds like fun   but then, I'm the guest here, and then would also have to deal with the spouse if I was to "run away" without her.   I don't even know where we'll be staying.

The ER rental sounds nice. Reading up on it. If I understand right, you pay membership for a year, $360 (USD?) and you get 1 free day/month ride.

I was thinking of a day trip to San Diego Zoo and Sea World. Wife has been bugging me to take her there for years.

Some suggestions sound nice. Up a couple of Hwys suggested. The lake might be nice. The western town and the Joshua Trees, points of interest. Those are the kind of things I was hoping to find out about. Not a place I ever thought I would go to, let alone drive through. I like the mountains, forests, sights to see. Temp sounds like it might be a LITTLE high for me, I like the cool days of spring/fall, 60' or so. But then it will be a dry desert heat, right?  

[The emperor has no clothes]

Obviously an invitation to everyone to come down and party for free with you guys would be in order. That's what I'd do.

Now that sounds like fun   but then, I'm the guest here, and then would also have to deal with the spouse if I was to "run away" without her.   I don't even know where we'll be staying.

The ER rental sounds nice. Reading up on it. If I understand right, you pay membership for a year, $360 (USD?) and you get 1 free day/month ride.

I was thinking of a day trip to San Diego Zoo and Sea World. Wife has been bugging me to take her there for years.

Some suggestions sound nice. Up a couple of Hwys suggested. The lake might be nice. The western town and the Joshua Trees, points of interest. Those are the kind of things I was hoping to find out about. Not a place I ever thought I would go to, let alone drive through. I like the mountains, forests, sights to see. Temp sounds like it might be a LITTLE high for me, I like the cool days of spring/fall, 60' or so. But then it will be a dry desert heat, right?  

Yeah it's a dry heat alright. Stock up on bottled water right off the bat. Tap water here sucks. Try to schedule the zoo and SeaWorld during the week. You won't be able to do both in one day. Or at least you won't enjoy it. Hats, sunblock will be your friends. It's going to be a shock coming from BC.

[Alpha Dog]

It is a dry heat.   Folks use to say that.  I would tell them well turn your oven up to 120, climb in for 10 minutes and tell me how you like it.   Actually for me 100 never bothered me and I would drink 2 gallons of water per day, I still drink a gallon.  But man 110 and up gets pretty testy and it is even hotter if your riding.  Folks over in Phoenix and Meathead  know. Guess I was lucky being in my late 20s to 40 when there.  Not sure at 61 I could take it being outside as much as I was.

[Jess from VA]

You'll be too late for Spring Break (thank heavens).

We used to ride out (from March AFB) and get a sidewalk cafe seat and watch all the sport riders with their girlfriends in thongs on the back.

The city fathers (and mothers) didn't like it, and passed a law that said no one could wear clothes that showed the anal cleft.  They leaned on the cops to enforce it.  The cops didn't want to.  The Breakers were hooligans..... with thongs.  The dispute made the news when I was still on active duty... Johnny Carson even covered it in a monologue.

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.  (left the wife home)

[sandy]

I like the SD Zoo idea. Here's another. Drive to Lake Havasu City and take a boat tour up to Topock Gorge. This would be a nice day trip. The London Bridge is a sight. Schedule the boat tour in advance.

[Alpha Dog]

You'll be too late for Spring Break (thank heavens).

We used to ride out (from March AFB) and get a sidewalk cafe seat and watch all the sport riders with their girlfriends in thongs on the back.

The city fathers (and mothers) didn't like it, and passed a law that said no one could wear clothes that showed the anal cleft.  They leaned on the cops to enforce it.  The cops didn't want to.  The Breakers were hooligans..... with thongs.  The dispute made the news when I was still on active duty... Johnny Carson even covered it in a monologue.

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.  (left the wife home)

Jess.      Those days were over before I left in 96 at least for the most part.  Mayor Sonny Bono ( yes the real Sonny Bono may he RIP really decent and smart guy, thank gosh Cher had the voice )  pretty much ran them out of town, because of what you said and the merchants and hotel owners were really against it for the obvious reasons - too much damage and  drove the money people away for 2 weeks.  Girls in thongs were a blast though.   Now maybe they resurrected it since then, I do not know.

Use to keep my eyes glued to that bright blue sky out there.  Would see those, I believe, KC-135 tankers fly overhead out of March AFB all the time.   How did you like Moreno Valley?  My gosh I saw that city explode in population from mid 80's until I left.  Must have been close to the fastest growing city in the country.

[Jack B]

I just rented a Indian from Eagle Rider in San Diego for 2 days and spent the night in Palm Springs.
Hy 74 was great, Joshua Tree a is unbelievable. All the roads were curvy roads.
 
Hy 74

Joshua Tree

[6shutr]

No worries on the heat amigo, we have air conditioning.

[Jess from VA]

You'll be too late for Spring Break (thank heavens).

We used to ride out (from March AFB) and get a sidewalk cafe seat and watch all the sport riders with their girlfriends in thongs on the back.

The city fathers (and mothers) didn't like it, and passed a law that said no one could wear clothes that showed the anal cleft.  They leaned on the cops to enforce it.  The cops didn't want to.  The Breakers were hooligans..... with thongs.  The dispute made the news when I was still on active duty... Johnny Carson even covered it in a monologue.

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.  (left the wife home)

Jess.      Those days were over before I left in 96 at least for the most part.  Mayor Sonny Bono ( yes the real Sonny Bono may he RIP really decent and smart guy, thank gosh Cher had the voice )  pretty much ran them out of town, because of what you said and the merchants and hotel owners were really against it for the obvious reasons - too much damage and  drove the money people away for 2 weeks.  Girls in thongs were a blast though.   Now maybe they resurrected it since then, I do not know.

Use to keep my eyes glued to that bright blue sky out there.  Would see those, I believe, KC-135 tankers fly overhead out of March AFB all the time.   How did you like Moreno Valley?  My gosh I saw that city explode in population from mid 80's until I left.  Must have been close to the fastest growing city in the country.

ADog, It was KC135s and KC 10s (plus a reserve unit of F4s).  Moreno Valley was OK, I had to live there until base housing became available.  Just from when I lived there between 1987-92 the place doubled in size with no end in sight.  New homes there were still a fraction of what they cost nearer to LA.  All those poor folks commuted in and out every day.  

Yep, Palm Springs was a conservative enclave in a loony state.  Maybe it still is.  Too hot there in the summer though.  I had a drop top 69 Vette (with no AC), and you had to leave the top up to survive a ride out there.

My March AFB housing (still remember    159 Gilley Street):

http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/at.asp?webtag=valkyrie&guid=636138d3-15ba-4b84-b0d0-b2be96229ca9&frames=no

[Bighead]

My advice would bet to get out of Cali and  and go anywhere else. But that is my Opinion but hey you may run into Daddyo

[gordonv]

Yeah it's a dry heat alright. Stock up on bottled water right off the bat. Tap water here sucks. Try to schedule the zoo and SeaWorld during the week. You won't be able to do both in one day. Or at least you won't enjoy it. Hats, sunblock will be your friends. It's going to be a shock coming from BC.

Thanks on the water. I'll get beer, even American, hopefully I can find some craft beer.  

Hat and sunscreen, most likely showing of my chicken white legs too.   I don't wear shorts often.

We figure since we ride in gear all the time, I won't be able to bring that down with us to ride a bike, and then I had enough of that heat going through the Columbia Basin back on the way to IZ15, something like 95'. Way too hot for me riding. Convertible sounds nice to rent, but the top will most likely never be down in the day light.

I take it I'll need to get used to the dawn/dusk times, something like 6am - 6pm? Up here at the 49th parallel, it's something like 5am - 10pm that time of the year.

2 hr drive to Sea World. The advise of one day at each, is very good to know. Most likely a separate trip then. Get a hotel beside the park, it is actually cheaper as a air/hotel package.

How about local museums, military/auto or ?


Oh, and one other thing. THANK YOU ALL! This turned out better than I thought. Now I have a lot better feel for the area, and the weather I should expect to see.

[J.Mencalice]

Rent Frankie's little place for a pool party!
A steal at $2600 for a night.
Man, if those walls could talk.

http://www.sinatrahouse.com/

[Jess from VA]

The March AFB museum was pretty small when I was there, but they've moved it and it has a lot of planes now (2 SR71 blackbirds) (many warbirds) .  Don't know if that interests you.   The only thing you'll do in CA for $10.

http://www.marchfield.org/

Highlight whole link, open in a new tab
https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x80dca428074f8cf1:0x6865fa076c682767!2m19!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!16m13!1b1!2m2!1m1!1e1!2m2!1m1!1e3!2m2!1m1!1e5!2m2!1m1!1e4!3m1!7e115!4shttps://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname%3D100003868700704454211%26id%3D6380807873137384786%26target%3DPHOTO!5smarch+afb+museum+-+Google+Search&imagekey=!1e3!2s-SfA2vCXOESE/WI0u9CJenVI/AAAAAAAABPE/sRbqmu2Vp7ckxUvpTzc-IhOSD0GYrV2hACLIB&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQgouax77SAhXBPCYKHbSHAwoQoioIbDAM

[cookiedough]

I like the idea for some of it to just sit on the beach sight seeing and going on the beach wading chest deep in water with the young girls.  Did that a few years ago down at Gulf Shores and first day there nice looking early 20s lady with very NICE top half was chatting with her for awhile in the water BOUNCING around until the wife came on in to break it up...

[Alpha Dog]

Rent Frankie's little place for a pool party!
A steal at $2600 for a night.
Man, if those walls could talk.

http://www.sinatrahouse.com/

Well those walls did talk to me a bit.   A very good friend of mine during my tenure was Frank's personal bartender for I think about 10 years.    Mike was a good story teller and knew more jokes than I have forgot.  I knew Frank and got to converse with him fairly often.  To me he was a great guy, very genuine and on our level.  Nothing phony like the current crop of Banshees.  We never talked politics.  I bet that house gets rented often.  Lot of money in Palm Springs.

[gordonv]

Off to Palm Desert tomorrow am, like 4 at the airport.

Had a family meeting, brought forward the suggestions mentioned here. Seems most where already on our agenda.

So far suggestions made are stay away from LA and San Diego, traffic.

Temps around 105 for this week. Someone say beer around the pool?

The girls want the big Flea market, supposedly on the weekend, so guess where we are going after we land?

[The emperor has no clothes]

Off to Palm Desert tomorrow am, like 4 at the airport.

Had a family meeting, brought forward the suggestions mentioned here. Seems most where already on our agenda.

So far suggestions made are stay away from LA and San Diego, traffic.

Temps around 105 for this week. Someone say beer around the pool?

The girls want the big Flea market, supposedly on the weekend, so guess where we are going after we land?

You guys have fun. 

[Jess from VA]

Get them set up with a big day of things to do, and tell them you just want to sit around the pool and meditate and relax your first day.

As soon as they are gone, run over and rent a big Harley (most available) and go for a long day ride out to Joshua Tree Nat'l Forest, or up San Juacinto, or San Gorgonio Mountains (it will be much cooler up there).  Use sunblock on every exposed area, twice.  

Be sure to get home before they do.  Compliment them on all their purchases and how they look, and get each a big frozen margarita with lime.

This kind of thinking is why I am not a marriage counselor.

[gordonv]

Get them set up with a big day of things to do, and tell them you just want to sit around the pool and meditate and relax your first day.

As soon as they are gone, run over and rent a big Harley (most available) and go for a long day ride out to Joshua Tree Nat'l Forest, or up San Juacinto, or San Gorgonio Mountains (it will be much cooler up there).  Use sunblock on every exposed area, twice.  

Be sure to get home before they do.  Compliment them on all their purchases and how they look, and get each a big frozen margarita with lime.

This kind of thinking is why I am not a marriage counselor.

Really? Not a marriage counselor? I thought it was excellent suggestion.

Only issue is I ride in full gear, and don't plan on bringing any, hopefully carry on only.

Already scoped out the Wally world for the beer purchase on the way to the hotel we are staying at.

 

[Alpha Dog]

Get them set up with a big day of things to do, and tell them you just want to sit around the pool and meditate and relax your first day.

As soon as they are gone, run over and rent a big Harley (most available) and go for a long day ride out to Joshua Tree Nat'l Forest, or up San Juacinto, or San Gorgonio Mountains (it will be much cooler up there).  Use sunblock on every exposed area, twice.  

Be sure to get home before they do.  Compliment them on all their purchases and how they look, and get each a big frozen margarita with lime.

This kind of thinking is why I am not a marriage counselor.

Heck of a plan Jess.  HWY 74  out of Palm Desert and climb to Idyllwild.  Probably 30 degrees cooler, although a dry 105 for me was always tolerable, not so sure at this age.

[Oss]

I'd spring for the 25 bucks to check my helmet, boots and gear in a small duffle bag.  You will have a great experience

[Kidd]

Wife and I have been invited by her sister and her husband to Palm Springs to a time share week stay. May 28-Jun 4.

They golf, we don't, and will be flying down. We might rent a car.

What is there to DO in or around Palm Springs? Hopefully without costing us $. We might just be spending the days lounging around the pool.

Thank you in advance.

lounging around the pool ? why bother to go  , that is a waste of money .
I would not rent a bike first , rent a car first   and  read through  these exciting  places to see and do , there are some beautiful areas to see , that are  a must see

https://www.google.com/#q=what+to+do+around+palm+springs+ca

[magwood]

Tramway is a must see and do!

[gordonv]

Thanks for all the replies.

I wish I could have said I had a great time, but since the wives went, it turned into a shopping trip. How much of one? Well, I spent $55 USD for a wide brimmed hat, sun glasses, a couple of good ($10 ea) golf shirts (so I can now throw 2 old ones away), and sandles. Wife, spent $600 USD!

Every day in the stores. Didn't leave the room till 1 pm each day. Not one day relaxing around the pool, but some early morning aquacising only.

We did make it up the Tram. Only issue, which I failed to mention, with me being out of shape/heart condition, I'm offal in climbing up. We walked around for about an hour up top.

We also must have brought our weather from home. Maybe 110 when we arrived Sunday. 100 on Monday. Then in the eighties the rest of the week. But the sun was HOT! I was glad I had that hat. I didn't burn my pale white skin, so didn't have to stay in at all.

Some very nice eateries. The Cheesecake Factory. Blaze Pizza. and the Crab Pot Seafood, very nice happy hour $.