Day 31 - Palm Springs to Mojave to San Luis Obispo, CA

Days on the road: 31.
Miles today: 359.
Miles to date: 6405.


I reluctantly checked out of the Ace Hotel and headed Northwest today. Some more thoughts on Palm Springs:

• Huge hipster per capita ratio. Lots of plaid shirts, raw denim, beards and tattoos.
• The place has a great vibe and just feels relaxed - a little like Muskoka in the desert without the lakes and with LA types instead of Bay Street types.
  
• Good food, drink, and soundtrack. The music by the pool, in the Amigo Room, and throughout the hotel was fantastic.
• I have discovered that I like palm trees. They shall feature prominently in my next loft decor. And perhaps on various items of my clothing.

On my way out of Palm Springs I saw a sign for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, and decided that my stay in this fine place wouldn't be complete with out a trip to the to of the San Jacinto mountains on the world's largest rotating gondola. Boo-Ya!


10 mins of slow rotation and upward travel gets you about 8500' up the mountain to a station with restaurant, bar, view, and access to trails. Despite my well known love for all things nature, I skipped the trails as I had to make miles. In my brief stay, however, I was able to spot some of the elusive wildlife the pre-recorded message spoke about on the ride up the mountain. I was able to capture, on film, the rare California Grizzly Squirrel which grows to 6 feet in height and has a very dangerous and bushy tail:


I was also fortunate to capture this mountain lion in its natural environment:


And this gentle free-range future lamb kabob:


The views from the top were outstanding, and while it wasn't the clearest day, I could see the entire Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea, and mountains, mountains everywhere.

The drive to Mojave skirted the LA area as I intentionally chose to skip LA. As I headed North towards Mojave, the little blue Audi climbed mountains and saw the temperature creep upward. The destination in Mojave was the Air and Space Port which is home to Space Ship 1 and 2 - the vessels designed for commercial passenger space travel and I was able to take a tour with Javier the plane fueler. Our slow drive took as all around the airport, and I glimpsed Space Ship 2 (the Virgin Galactic plane/spaceship combo) through a slightly open door. It was to have had a test flight this week, but delays have pushed that to another time. This place is also home to an aircraft graveyard where some commercial frames go for storage, some for parts cannibalization, and some for scrap. It was a little surreal to see so many planes (of all ilk - from 747 to DC-9) just sitting there in the desert awaiting their ultimate fate. Unfortunately, due to all the emerging technology being tested here, cameras aren't allowed on the tour. So all you get is this:


Finally, the drive from Mojave to San Luis Obispo was highly entertaining. It took me from the desert into fruit, nut, and cotton farmland, through oil country and cattle ranches and finally through the La Panza mountain range. Highway 58 West of Bakersfield to Santa Margarita was one of the most amazing roads I've ever driven. I almost wanted to turn around and drive it again, but the Pacific ocean beckons. No thoughts on San Luis Obispo yet as I got in late due to my activity-filled day.