Dog Tired

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THREE

Work is killing me.

It used to be that spring break was a week off school for the kiddies and for that one week the hotel I work at was overrun with families and that was it. Then some nimrod came up with the idea of staggering spring break and having different school districts break at different times. Now spring break lasts forever. When the kids are out of school, families hit the road and travel and every one of those families has been staying at my hotel. They are wearing me out.

Whatever mileage I have put in on the trails is dwarfed by the mileage I've put in at work. If I've hiked 6 miles on the trail on day, I did 16 on the carpet. And the scenery at work is nothing compared to the scenery on my hikes. Of course, if I worked at the pool it might be different story.

Today, I needed a short hike. I also needed some company to push me so I took the dog. She actually pulled me rather than pushed but it helped.

We went out in the desert to a spot where you can actually take your dog off the leash. Kahlua was SO excited. While I was working, she was sleeping in the sun. She was ready to run.

I came upon these ducks along the trail where they were merely a distraction.

So I did a little trail cleaning.

We hiked up to the spot where an old water tower used to reside and took a short break. Or I should say, I took a short break; Kahlua ran around and sniffed out the place.

We headed up the canyon looking for a good route to see what we might find.

We didn't get too much further before Kahlua didn't think we should go any further since she turned around and started heading back. I wasn't going to argue with her today.

On the way down, we came upon this great little clear spot that would make a perfect campsite sometime. I've been promising the kids we would go camping sometime and since I hate campgrounds, this might be just the place. It's close to home, you get nice views and no one comes here.

Except some bad golfers, really bad golfers.

I am so looking forward to spring break ending, which will probably be sometime in June. Maybe I'm just in need of a vacation. There are some great places I'd like to go hiking but I'll never make it unless I can get some rest. If it hadn't been for dog power, I don't know if I'd have made it today.

Thanks for the memories!

Day Twenty One

This week is Classic week; the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament is in town.  It's a big week in the desert and the official kick off of the "season".  Because of this I decided to hike up to the Hope House, the most famous home in Palm Springs.  This home is up on a hillside above Palm Springs and the closest most people ever get to is Hwy 111.  Well, there's a trail that goes right near it called the Araby Trail and it not only gets you very close to the Hope House, it also offers very nice views of Palm Springs and the San Jacinto Mountains. 

Here's the Hope House viewed from Hwy 111

The Araby Trail takes off from Southridge Drive in Palm Springs.

At the beginning of your hike you get to hike by this illustrious trailer park.

Not only do they tell you there's No Trespassing, they also give you the number of the Palm Springs Police so you can report yourself.

Note the trail on the hillside to the left of the Bob Hope House.

Here's view from right behind the house. You'd think they could have found a better place for the water tank.

Here's a view a bit higher up.

The Araby Trail is a pretty fun hike and connects with several trails higher up giving opportunities for several possible longer hikes.  

More info on the Hope House can be found here.