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Traveling Tales

Travel articles and information

Karoline Cullen

Get Outta Town – Palm Springs Excursions

by Karoline Cullen

palm springs california mountainsA lush rolling fairway is fringed with fluttering palm trees and backed by snow-capped mountains. As you pass one golf course after another, this is the quintessential view in the desert valley stretching from Palm Springs to La Quinta in southern California.

Golf is the definitive activity for many visitors here. What to do, though, when golf, tennis, golf, shopping, golf, eating, and more golf aren’t calling your name? My advice: get outta town!

You won’t have far to go for a choice of outdoor explorations that don’t have a manicured green in sight. Within a radius of less than ninety minutes driving are desert oases, fan palm tree packed canyons, and a National Park full of the spikiest trees you will ever see.

For an easy foray out of town, start with a short drive north. Once the watered lushness of the desert cities disappears from your rear view mirror, you realize how harsh, barren, and empty this landscape is.

Ahead on the dusty brown hills, veiled in a shimmer of heat, is a lonely patch of green, the Thousand Palms Oasis. Imagine how welcome that sight would have been to the early travelers braving the desert en route to the west coast.

Growing tall and close together, the California fan palms look like furry exiles from hobbit land. Palm fronds, as they die, hang down around the trunk and make for it a shaggy coat.

Wend your way into the shadowed midst of a palm huddle and there is a hushed, peaceful silence. Leave the shelter of that bunch of palms behind and walk across the creosote bush covered flat to the Macallum Grove. Wander through the many palms surrounding a spring fed pond and listen as they rustle in the desert wind.

A good supply of water supports the largest fan palm oasis in the world in Indian Canyons, on the southwest outskirts of Palm Springs.

The Aqua Caliente Cahuilla Indians made their homes among the stands of palms in these canyons. Hiking in any one will take you along and across gurgling streams; stepping stones in the creeks test your balance as you hop from one to the next and hope you don’t fall in.

The layered dark brown rocks of the canyon walls form a textured backdrop to the green fronds. The reward at the end of Murray Canyon is the set of small waterfalls and pools of the Seven Sisters. Many trails network through these canyons and one local told us he has hiked here for twenty years but hasn’t done them all. Hiking here is as far removed from a golf course as you can get.

One of the best day trips from the desert valley entails heading northeast to Joshua Tree National Park. Entering from the south, one of the first must-sees is the Cholla Cactus garden.

At first glance, the cacti are bushy and cute like teddy bears but looks deceive. Go too close and you’ll be combing sharp spines out of your hand or jacket. The massive rock formations around the Natural Arch are a festival of shapes and textures.

Narrow channels lead to the Arch and a good scramble loops you up and through it. Smooth curves of golden granite are a delight of shapes and sizes.

joshua trees near palm springs caFurther north in the Park is a flat plain speckled with the iconic Joshua trees. They are actually giant yuccas, with long spiky leaves, twisted gnarly branches, and bare trunks; tough trees ideally surviving in a harsh environment. Some are more than eight meters tall. Each stands as a lonely sentinel on its own patch of barren desert.

Finish the day’s tour with a hike in Hidden Valley. A narrow set of stone stairs leads up to the entrance and a loop trail meanders through the box canyon, sheltered by steep rock walls. Cattle rustlers used to hide here, amongst the boulders and trees.

a street in palm springs californiaAs sunset approaches, it’s time to rustle your way down the highway. A forest of wind turbines lines the approach to Palm Springs and all those golf courses.

Tomorrow, golf or another excursion out of town?




About the author:

This week Traveling Tales welcomes freelance travel writer and photographer Karoline Cullen who lives in Tsawwassen, a suburb of Vancouver, B.C.

Photos by Cullen Photos:
1: Typically Palm Springs with snow-capped mountains and palm trees…
2: Dramatic rocks background Joshua Trees and Spanish Bayonet cactus.
3: Gary Cullen relaxes on a palm-lined walkway.

For more information go to:
www.giveintothedesert.com
www.theindiancanyons.com
www.nps.gov/jotr

Death Valley: Land of Extremes

by Karoline Cullen

furnace creek inn death valley california“There could be a cataclysmic event tomorrow,” Ed says cheerfully as he welcomes us to the Inn. I look at him in alarm and ask, “What’s going to happen?” His eyes twinkle as he drawls, “Well, we may get a millimeter of rain!” We are at the Furnace Creek Inn in California’s Death Valley National Park. It is the largest national park outside of Alaska and one of the hottest, driest places on earth. Rain is counted by the drop and when some falls, it is indeed an event.

Deciding we can safely begin our exploration of this land of extremes without umbrellas, we head for the salt flats on the valley floor.

At 85.5 meters (282 feet), below sea level, Badwater Basin is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. After an ancient lake evaporated the basin that stretches for miles is covered in residual white salt.

As we walk across its empty expanse, salt crystals cling to our shoes in big clumps. To the west, mountains rise abruptly from the valley floor to heights where snow falls. Looking back to the roadside, we spot a sign high up on the cliffs. It marks where sea level is.

near stovepipe wellsAlso below sea level is the Devil’s Golf Course. Its surface is nowhere near as flat as Badwater Basin’s and walking over the lumpy, salt-crusted terrain is difficult and treacherous. The name correctly implies no one but the Devil would play here and we decide to hike somewhere smoother.

We couldn’t ask for smoother than the water-polished walls of Mosaic Canyon. The trail twists and turns through narrow channels of curving travertine marble. Streaked white, tan and gray, the rounded surfaces are cool to the touch. The whole canyon is a testament to the power of the water that sculpted it eons ago.

Rhyolite Nevada ghost townWhen borax was mined here in the late 1800’s, water was scarce. Mule trains hauling ore out of the Valley also pulled their own water for their journey. In a feat of strength and tenacity, twenty mules pulled three wagons weighing almost 40 tons over 275 kilometers of hot, barren desert in a month long round trip. Although the industry was short-lived, the mule train became a Valley icon and some of that history is preserved at the Borax Museum in Furnace Creek.

Mule trains crossed a monochromatic desert landscape but in the canyons, we discover ample colour. A drive through steep ravines and past chiseled rock formations leads to the Artist’s Palette lookout.

Glowing in the afternoon sun are multi-hued rocks – yellow, red, blue, green, pink – like a giant’s selection of water colours. In Golden Canyon, the towering walls of yellow rock are accented with the occasional green and a flowing canyon of golden brown leads to a vista of red rock cliffs sitting like a crown on a base of white boulders. From Zabriskie Point, we look over eroded badlands of golden tan, dark brown, red, and cream.

With sunset approaching, we trade the coloured rocks of the canyons for the undulating curves of the sand dunes at Mesquite Flats. Surrounded by purple mountains, the tall dunes have elegant forms and rippled surfaces that glow like gold.

Feeling a bit like actors in Lawrence of Arabia, we traipse over one dune after another. They have endless variations in pattern and texture, which give them their own stark beauty.

After dark, we head out into the blackness of the desert. With so little light pollution, the sky is a tapestry of stars. There are so many visible, it is hard to pick out the constellations and even without binoculars we can spot Andromeda, earth’s closest galactic neighbour.

In contrast to the chill of a desert night, daytime summer temperatures soar to well over 40 degrees Celsius. I thought the valley would be deserted but apparently, summer is a busy time.
Many European and Asian visitors come; hoping the day they are here is the hottest of the year.

I ask Ed how he handles the extreme heat of summer. It’s somewhat like weathering a blizzard, he explains. You crank up the air conditioning instead of the heat, read, watch movies.

And wait for a cataclysmic event – that precious drop or two of rain.

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About the author:

This week Traveling Tales welcomes freelance travel writer and photographer Karoline Cullen who lives in Delta, a suburb of Vancouver B.C.

Photos by CullenPhotos:
1: Overview of Furnace Creek Inn.
2: Near Stovepipe Wells.
3: Rhyolite Nevada, a ghost town on the way to Death Valley.

If you go:

Death Valley National Park’s three million acres of desert wilderness is about a two hour drive from Las Vegas. www.nps.gov/deva/

You can access many areas in the Park with a regular car but getting to more remote sites requires a four-wheel drive vehicle. Prepare appropriately for extreme heat if you are making a summer visit.

The Furnace Creek Inn is open October to mid-May; the Furnace Creek Ranch is open year round. www.furnacecreekresort.com

 

 

Valley Isle Venues

by Karoline Cullen

Travaasa Hana
Travaasa Hana pool

Do you like interacting with locals or are you someone who likes to retreat from the world? Perhaps you’re in between, preferring the luxury of space and modern surroundings? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Depending on your vacationing style, one of these three Maui destinations, all doable in day trips from Honolulu, may be just the spot for you.

Culture takes on a deeper dimension at the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, an older hotel near the iconic black rock of Ka’anapali Beach. Rooms are decorated with Hawaiian quilts and that’s just the start of the cultural immersion. Employees, learning Hawaiian values in an ongoing program called Po’okela, are encouraged to “talk story” with guests. You may hear about the legend of the demi-god Maui pulling the sun with a lasso or the many uses of the native plants in the garden, or the story of the canoe they built or learn to make a lei. A housekeeping staff choir cheerfully sings during the welcome breakfast and the farewell kukui nut lei ceremony also has a chant and songs. There is no glitz here, just ample aloha, and guests are encouraged to explore and enjoy all the attractions Maui has to offer.

The luxury of space is a trademark of the Honua Kai Resort on North Ka’anaplai Beach. Whether it’s just you and your sweetie or the entire extended family, there is a suite roomy enough for all. Snazzy euro appliances and lanais big enough to comfortably use make eating in a pleasure. After a day exploring the island, playing in the pools or sunning on the golden sand beach, the elegant decor and giant bathrooms welcome you back. The croissants from the ‘Aina Market downstairs are not to be missed and if they are serving macadamia nut crusted opah at Duke’s, the on site restaurant, order it.

If you are going to weave your way over the fifty-nine one lane bridges along the twisting road to Hana, do stay there a night or two. There is much to explore in this remote, laid back corner of Maui. Pamper yourself and retreat to one of the Sea Ranch Cottages at Travaasa Hana. The dark green plantation style cottages are scattered over a grassy hillside overlooking the ocean. Watching the waves crash while the sunset paints the sky pink and purple, perhaps from the hot tub on the deck, more than makes up for the absence of TV or internet. Of the choices in wellness or cultural activities and spa treatments, the Hawaiian Lomi lomi massage is highly recommended. As a preface to your treatment, relax on a teak lounge chair in the spa’s garden overlooking the lava rock whirlpool and feel your tensions ebb. After a respite here, the drive back from Hana will be all the more enjoyable.

For more on marvelous Maui, see http://www.gohawaii.com/maui


Kaanapali Sunset Luau in Maui

 

About the author:
Pursuing superb travel experiences to later share in words and photographs keeps Karoline Cullen travelllng. As a freelance travel writer and photographer at Cullen Photos, Karoline regularly contributes articles and photos to a variety of newspapers and magazines.

Photo by Karoline Cullen, Cullen Photos

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