Before leaving sunny CA to make our way 3,oo0 miles plus to New England (the next BIG leg of the Tour), we got up bright and early for a power walk in a nearby Pasadena neighborhood. This “dog” was running across the street in traffic, so Bart took several steps toward the critter to see if it was wearing an ID on its collar. The “dog” it turned out was a coyote. Stunned, and a little freaked out, we decided to step up our pace and head in another direction – pronto!
After returning to the hotel and cooling down, Rorie decided the only way to settle her nerves after our encounter with this wild beast was to go in search of some medicinal sweets. Using Yelp, we were led to the 5 star rated Eagle Rock Italian Bakery on Colorado Boulevard in LA.
Joined by Rorie’s sister Darcy, we parked and walked – no trotted – to this dessert mecca. If you know Rorie and her sisters and brother, you know nobody messes with them in the presence of cannolis, Italian cookies and other sweet pastries. Body language tells it all. For them, this selection process is serious business.
The possibilities were endless, the choices overwhelming, the decisions agonizing.
Thank goodness they had their wonderful and amazingly patient guide Desiree to help them through the decision-making process (otherwise we’d be there all day). In reality, “the girls” decided on taking practically one of everything!
Success…$70 later…pounds and pounds of goodies; pounds and pounds of weight gain!
We left Pasadena after a quick breakfast and got on our way to Scottsdale, AZ. Our route took us to the iconic town of Palm Springs (pop. 44,321), which has a reputation as the 50’s home and playground of the rich and famous from that era. Think Frank Sinatra, Loretta Young, Liberace, Dean Martin, Marilyn Monroe and other Hollywood hot shots.
Unfortunately, their mid modern digs are now privately owned and we couldn’t get near them. Luckily we were able to experience the outdoor shopping and dining attractions of La Plaza, a quaint historic setting in town.
Leaving Palm Springs we passed the Town of Indio, home to the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam, and Leonard Cohen are among the many headliners who’ve performed there.
Continuing on we passed miles and miles of places where there’s no there there. Take the Town of Desert Center (pop. 204), for example. Years ago, it was a busy stopping point between Los Angeles and Arizona. Today it feels almost like a ghost town. The downtown has some old buildings, a cafe and a post office which also serves as a community center. That’s all folks.
Nearby Blythe, CA (pop. 19,832) has a little more going for it, but don’t pick up hitchhikers there.
We could get you a really good deal on land in this barren region in the middle of nowhere…
We think you get the picture. The landscape between LA and Scottsdale is pretty desolate. Nevertheless, after several days of fun and sun in the big city, we actually enjoyed the peacefulness of the open road. Rolling into Scottsdale, we began planning what discoveries we could make during our explorations there. Stay tuned.