When we arrived back at Thousand Palms Oasis in the Coachella Valley Preserve on September 27th, this is what was happening under the palm trees…
Palm fruit started blooming.
Buddy and Bear were waiting for us.
And Gregg…
Sonoran Desert Spiny Lizard…
A rattlesnake dining on a Norwegian mouse…
Gregg and Tyler ride the new Preserve all-terrain work vehicle, the Kawasaki Mule.
Gregg’s son, Matt, hacks my iPhone to take a selfie with his Dad.
Matt’s girlfriend, Amanda, joins in…
Outside Tyler’s office/lab I snap this photo of dead palm trees. The one on the right is modeling the haystack look.
The Washingtonia Filifera, aka California Desert Fan Palm, displays its skirt and ripened palm fruit.
The palm grove surrounding Simone Pond…
The Indio Hills pushing upward between the Mission Creek Strand and Banning Strand of the San Andreas Fault…
A collared lizard…
The robins return!
This photo is dedicated to my grandson, Oliver, who shares the rareness of the arrival of these robins.
Spider webs captured in the morning light on the boardwalk…
A walk along the boardwalk wetlands…
A glorious morning sunrise painting the clouds pink and orange…
The long-eared owl returns to his perch on the palm trees along the boardwalk.
Nestled under the palm trees against the backdrop of the Indio Hills, lie our RV and Gregg’s trailer. You are looking at the San Andreas Fault, well, the best evidence of…
Hidden Palms tucked away…
No, water is not visible on the surface, but it lies 6-12 feet under the sand.
A scorched palm tree recovers its life because the crown of the tree has not been damaged.
We hike up onto a social trail on our way back from visiting Hidden Palms.
Beaver-tailed cactus…
Car Crash Canyon…
Pushawalla Palms…
Just look at the luscious palm fruit dripping down!
The Native Cahuilla ate the juicy fruit from the trees, mashed it into a pulp for fermentation, and ground it into flour.
Mineral-stained water trails show the evidence of water lying beneath the surface.
These straw-like tendrils reach down into the water source below to encourage the propagation of these indigenous California palm trees.
wandering gypsy Laurel 