Bautista Canyon to Palm Springs

After coffee, chocolates, news, and breakfast we headed for our next destination – Palm Springs via Bautista Canyon Road and the Palms-to-Pines highway. We made a similar trip a couple of years ago (see Palms-to-Pines via Bautista Canyon). The weather was still in our favor for desert treks – getting warmer, but still with cool breezes in the shade and in the mountains.

Orange groves trimmed for easy harvest

Dense vegetation of the chaparral

We passed through the thriving orange groves in East Hemet, and then launched out on the graded dirt road up Bautista Canyon. We stopped along the way to see some of the plants that grow in the chaparral, and to see the view over the hilltops. 

Hilltop view

When confronted with the dense, dry, prickly growth, it is hard to imagine Juan Bautista de Anza and his party of families and children navigating through the terrain in 1775-1776. We saw few flowers, but did enjoy seeing the manzanita with its pink blossoms and leaves backlit by the sun, and the ironwood trees with its shreddy bark. 

Manzanita	Ironwood tree
Prickly cactus	Yucca

At the junction with Palms-to-Pines highway (State Route 74), we made a short detour to visit Hemet Lake, and then backtracked to head for Palm Springs. We didn't see see many flowers, but enjoyed the sweeping views and beautiful blue skies. We stopped at the Pinyon Flat Campground to walk around and enjoy the cool clear air. 

Exit for the Pinyon Flat Campground

Vegetation in Pinyon Flat Campground

Next we stopped at the Cahuilla Tewanet Scenic Overlook for views of the nearby hills, and interesting signage about the region and the ten Cahuilla Indian tribes that live in the area. I especially enjoyed the ethnobotanical descriptions of native plants and their uses. 

The Cahuilla tribes lived and traded in nearby hills

Great signage describing Pinyon seeds

Path near the scenic overlook

Then we headed into Palm Springs for an early dinner at Las Marachas, and great conversation about our day. 

View of Palm Springs area and the valley below

Dinner at Maracas Cantina

After dinner we strolled along Palm Canyon Drive enjoying the sights and sounds of Villagefest, the Thursday night street fair held weekly in Palm Springs. The streets were jammed with folks on spring break or a long weekend, and lined with interesting craft and food booths and music.

Musical performer at Villagefest

Street scene in Palm Springs

We drove home in the dark. According to my Dad's calendar app, we walked 7,383 steps (although I wonder if the trip on the bumpy dirt road skewed our results)!