Date posted: June 17, 2007

Heading For Palm Springs

Today is another day like yesterday. It is cold and drowsy. Yes it can get cold and drowsy in LA in June.

You don’t know what to do. You decide to drive to Palm Springs. When you’re past the San Bernardino mountains the clouds will be gone and it will be warm and sunny. You had planned to go to Yucca Valley for a day anyhow so this seems like a good idea.

You’re back in your car. Driving. With no clear destination and no real goal other than driving around and taking photos, your trip suddenly turns into some kind of a road movie. Except that there is no camera crew filming you as you drive through Southern California.

You take the 243 to Idyllwild. You’ve done this before. The first time was in November, the second time in April. Both times there was snow. Now there isn’t. Without snow Idyllwild is just another town. You drive on. You take the 74 to Palm Desert. You stop where you have stopped before. You take the same photos with your new camera. The road winding its way down to Palm Desert is as beautiful as before. Your ears ache. They refuse to pop.

You’re in Palm Springs. It’s evening. In an hour or so there will be no more daylight. You have taken only a handful of photos. This is a day to forget. You still have to find a place to stay for the night. You have to get yourself some food.

Modern technology makes life easier. It does. You know that some hotels have wireless internet. You stop your car outside a motel, take out your laptop and browse Tripadvisor to find a good place to stay. You end up at Best Western Inn at 1633 South Palm Canyon Drive. It’s cheap. It’s convenient. You would have liked to have stayed at one of the beautiful examples of desert modernism. Maybe another time. Besides, you wouldn’t have liked to stay there on your own.

You leave your stuff at the motel. You're tired. You don't know what to do. You decide to go to a supermarket to buy some food and to go to bed early. Today was another day like yesterday. Tomorrow will be a day like no other. You will eat well. Sleep well. And get up early.