Easter Sunrise Service at the Top of the Tram

Happy Easter! This morning consisted of an early morning ride up to the top of San Jacinto Mountain on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Amid darkness, I caught the 4:30 AM tram and in just 10 minutes I was at the top. You see, I had been planning to attend the Easter Sunrise Service at the top of our beautiful mountain, 10,000 feet high. In all the years I've lived here, I've never done it before, so this was the year! It was a non-denominational Christian service of hymns, a sermon and some time for prayer, all in time for dawn to break. When the service had concluded, everyone walked outside to view the sunrise. With the choir still singing, the outdoor speakers carried "Amazing Grace" to the peaks of Mount San Jacinto. These were the views I saw:

back inside the station, I saw the lily plants I had missed earlier, in the darkness

the ride back down the tram seemed especially beautiful this Easter morning

I'm really glad I awakened so early to participate in the sunrise service, it was special and memorable. Back at home, my own Easter Lilly plant was in full bloom, which made me smile. I love the smell of lilies in bloom. I sat down and took a few moments to reflect on the sermon earlier. I wish you all the blessings of Easter, to you and your family.

And now, its time to enjoy my Easter Cream Eggs!

A Visit To Mount San Jacinto

At the moment, it seems that most of the US is covered in snow, with cold, icy conditions. Rather than being a jerk and boasting about the weather here on the desert floor of Palm Springs, I thought I'd take you 10,000 feet above sea level, up to the top of the San Jacinto Mountain. A quick ride up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway brings one to another climate, just overlooking the desert floor. Welcome to Mount San Jacinto State Park.

Here, the temperatures are usually between 30 and 40 degrees cooler than the desert floor below. During the summer months when it is 100 degrees (or more) the tram offers an easy escape to cooler temperatures. During the winter months, the top of the mountain receives a healthy share of snow. Being an east-coaster by birth, at times I miss the snow, so its a real treat to walk in the snow even if just for a short while. Last week while up at the top of the tram, someone in my group (who is a native Southern Californian) had never seen or touched snow before. She was thrilled to make a snowball for the first time.

People don't often associate snow with Palm Springs, but I assure you we have it- several feet in fact. Its just 10,000 feet above where I live everyday. Most of the time I just look at the snow capped mountain from my back yard while I sip my cawfee in the morning. As a side note, this photo (above left) is of the desert floor, looking back down onto Palm Springs while at the top of the mountain.

This photo at left is while up on top of Mount San Jacinto along the hiking trails. Nature offers such beautiful scenery, all we need to do is take the time to appreciate it. People often ask me what I like best about living in Palm Springs. My answer is always the same- the incredible beauty of nature. This is probably not the perspective of Palm Springs one might expect to see here on this blog, but it is very real. It is also my own little way of showing empathy for the rest of the country dealing with the snow. Hang in there! And if you really can't take it anymore and just need a break, come visit us in Palm Springs.
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Five Feet of Fresh Snow in Palm Springs

With all the crazy rains that pummeled Southern California last week, Palm Springs definitely had its share. We hardly ever get any rain 'tall, but I do believe we received more rain in five days than we typically do in a year. Well anyway it was a lot. One nice outcome was the snowfall on the lovely mountains that frame our Coachella Valley. This view at the top left is the San Jacinto Mountain, just over 10,000 feet elevation. They received five feet of fresh snow during last week's storms. The photo doesn't do it justice, as I have an el-cheapo camera so my sincerest apologies.

above: here is a view of the other mountains, called "San Bernadino" where the highest peak is 11,500 feet.

above: I don't think this photo above did what I intended. Its sort of a pan-o-ramic view of the San Bernadino mountains. I intended to show you how they go on and on... Its part of why I love living here in our desert. Click on it to biggify.
The Palm Springs Aerial Tram
The following photos from here on are from The Desert Sun website. This first one is of the tram car at the Palm Springs Aerial Tram. It goes up to the peak of the San Jacinto mountain. It is the largest rotating tram car in the world, and offers the best views of Palm Springs. You can see how stormy it was here in this photo. I wish I had been able to go up for a tram ride during the storm!

above: fresh snow at San Jacinto Park, (top of mountain). So beautiful- who would have thought this was Palm Springs?

above: a veritable Winter Wonderland. Dean Martin would have burst into song, what was it, "Marshmallow World" I believe?

above: one final view of the snow at San Jacinto Park at the top of the tram. See, Palm Springs has plenty to offer. Incidentally, back down on the floor of the desert where I live, it will be 65 degrees today. Hope you enjoyed these photos of our natural beauty here in Palm Springs. Come for a visit, its fantastic.
-Rick Rockhill