Desert Hot Springs, city of about 12,000 residents, is a complete
health resort, and lies southwest of the Combat Center off State Highway 62,
three miles before it meets Interstate 10. It is one of the few locations in the
world where a natural underground river of hot mineral water flows near enough
to the surface to be tapped. The water temperatures come from the ground at 110
to 207 degrees. It is cooled and kept by thermostat at 102 to 110 degrees, and
used for therapy and recreation. The hot mineral waters were enjoyed by the
early desert Native Americans for many years.
Desert Hot Springs offers
its guests warm clear days, cool nights and a 360-degree view of mountains,
desert and valley. For more information, write: Desert Hot Springs Chamber of
Commerce, PO Box 848, Desert Hot Springs ca 92240, or call (619) 329-6403.
While Palm Springs has its share of vacation activities (golf, tennis,
hiking and ballooning), perhaps the best reason to travel to the resort city is
rest and recuperation.
From a large selection of hotels, you will have
ample opportunity to choose one that's quaint and cozy or large and luxurious -
whichever suits your vacation plans.
The population of Palm
Springs (approximately 42,000) enjoys swimming, as do the frequent visitors to
the city, evidenced in the startling statistic of almost one swimming pool for
every five residents. However, if your athletic endeavors include golf, there
are 60 courses from which to choose. For the tennis player, there are more than
300 courts scattered throughout the community.
Once you're
done lounging around the pool or hacking around 18 holes, it's time for lunch.
Downtown, you'll stroll amidst aromas of European-style sidewalk cafes
intermixed with flavors of neighboring Mexican restaurants. Since you're in
town, you can also walk through some of the renowned fashion boutiques and
sidewalk shops.
After lunch, an early round of golf or
tennis, and a cool dip in the pool, a visit to Palm Springs isn't complete
unless it includes a trip to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Swiss-made cable
cars depart the desert floor and, in 14 miles, traverse a gorge, rise to a
height of 8,500 feet and pass through five geological zones. For more
information, call the tramway office at (619) 325-1391.
For
evening musical pleasure, you'll find a night club entertainer or open-air
concert that will suit you. From jazz to pop to rock to classical, you'll find
it in Palm Springs.
For the visitor in search of the
desert's beauty, you need look no further than Palm Springs. Here, you'll find
an overabundance of desert plants sure to soothe the botanist, photographer and
nature-lover's desires. For more information, write: Palm Springs Chamber of
Commerce, 190 W Amado Rd., Palm Spring CA 92262, or call (619) 325-1577.
Stretching for miles in every direction are groves that make Indio the
Date Capital of the united States. It has the largest date garden concentration
outside the Near East. Centered in the Coachella Valley, along Interstate 10 at
the junction of state highways 86 and 111, Indio is about a 95-minute drive
south of the Combat Center. A more scenic though slower route through the Joshua
Tree National Park can be taken via the park entry south of Twentynine Palms.
Indio has a population of about 42,000 residents living in
single family and apartment units. Its buildings, including public and private
schools, are modern, and there is continued construction and expansion. Adult
education is offered at College of the desert in nearby Palm desert.
The annual Date festival, 10 fun-filled days of Arabian
Nights Festivities, is held in Indio each February. Entertainment ranges from
camel and ostrich races and the National Horse Show to music, drama and dances.
Indio's elevation is sea level, and the average annual
rainfall is under four inches. For a major portion of the year, the climate is
very pleasant, with the daylight temperatures averaging in the low 70s. Minimum
temperatures reach 40 and summer temperatures reach a little over 100 degrees in
the daytime.
A trip to Indio should include a visit to Lake
Cahuilla, just south of the city, and to the All-American Canal, which brings
water to the valley from the Colorado River and passes along the northwest edge
of the city. Indio is on the approach to the hunting, fishing, speedboat races,
water-skiing and sailing to be found at the expansive Salton Sea, located 20
miles southeast of the city. For more information, write: Indio Chamber of
Commerce, PO Drawer TTT, Indio CA 92201, or call (619) 347-0676 or
1-800-44-INDIO.
The Big Bear Area, with a population of about 14,100,
might be called the mountain's biggest attraction. Covering the region are
dozens of resorts and lodges, and scores of trailer / camper locations and
marinas. There are also public and private campgrounds with endless hiking and
riding trails. Big Bear Lake, popular for winter sports as well as for
first-rate fishing during the summer, is more than seven miles long and one and
one-half miles wide. Rainbow trout are stocked in the lake each year and fishing
is permitted year round. Boats are available for rent at one of the many boat
landings or the public launch ramp may be used for private crafts. An excursion
steamer operates daily around the lake all summer and in the evenings.
Located in Big Bear is Alpine Slide. A scenic chairlift ride
is followed by an exhilarating slide back down through hairpin turns, around
curves and along straightaways. This unique feature makes Alpine Slide an
attraction not to be missed.
Running Spring with its truly
four-season atmosphere is 6,000 feet high, situated in the heart of the San
Bernadino Mountains between Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead, and only 20 miles
from metropolitan San Bernardino. Located here is an impressive complex of
lodges, shops and lifts with supplies and snow equipment available.
For more information, write: Big Bear Lake Chamber of
Commerce, PO Box 6094, Big Bear Lake Ca 92315, or call (909) 866-4607 / 4608