John and I had a wonderful trip to ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway!! The tramway base (Valley Station) is at elevation 2,643 feet and the tram quickly rises to 8,516 feet. This photo was taken at the top of the mountain and we had beautiful views all around the area.The terrain is quite rugged and the tram glides “smoothly” above the rocks.I was surprised at the large size of the tram and how many people fit inside. It was interesting to be within the tram as the floor of the tram slowly circled around as it moved along the cables. You could not hold onto the inside edge within the tram because the sides kept moving. It was fun to ride. One guy next to us was quite nervous with the swaying of the tram as it moved along the route. It was quite full and can hold 80 people!!This photo was taken within the tram as we looked back to the station where we started. I has able to hang my camera out the window to get a clear view!This bird greeted us at the top of the ride. He was especially loud as he watched everyone!!We had a beautiful view of Palm Springs from the top of the mountain!!In he middle of the photo are the wind farms seen in the distance.We had a beautiful view of the clouds moving into the mountains. It was spectacular to watch the expansion of the clouds rapidly shifting as they enveloped the trees!!As seen from the outside, the tram swings at quite an angle as it moves up the cables. While inside, it was fun to ride in it!!This is the original tram car that was used in Palm Springs!!
John and I went on a great hike on the Badlands trail near Indio! Sections were rigorous, but all the rock formations were quite interesting!The rock formations were fascinating and it was a gorgeous day for a hike!!Every direction held unique rock structures as we walked along the trail!!We discovered quite a few arches in among the rocks!!Some of these formations made me think about Zion National Park!!John and I had fun walking along the narrow paths. We had to be cautious to not slip on the uneven slopes on the trail!!We saw so many strange rocks. Here, the rock appeared to be “dripping” down the hill!!This “stairway to heaven” sign was posted by someone to highlight a steep cascade of steps and rocks up a hill!!I enjoyed seeing so many odd rocks!!I liked this arch we noticed in the midst of these small caves!!We saw these people ahead of us on the trail and knew we needed to climb up the hill and then would walk along a narrow ridge!!Once we got to the top of the hill we had quite a ways to walk along a fairly narrow ridge!!Looking back it was interesting to see such rugged rock formations with Indio in the distance!!I am glad it was not windy as we walked along the ridge!!These hikers with walking sticks had a great view from the trail to see Indio down below!!This friendly lady was walking along the ridge we just passed. She provided a great perspective!I loved seeing the softness of the gorgeous clouds along with the roughness of the rock formations!!It was fun to walk along such a fun trail and see so many beautiful scenes!! It was a great hike, but I was tired after we finished the hike!!
Fiesta on Wheels 