This morning we were on the road by 8.30am, grateful not to be mixing it with the bumper to bumper traffic inbound to the city.
We're off to California, our 15th and final state for this holiday.
The landscape is beautiful. Jagged, coloured mountains all around, with great open desert plains between the highway and the ranges, sparsely covered in low bushes.
The mountains look as though they were created yesterday. Sharp and folded at odd angles.
We've seen corn and cotton crops, saguaro cactus (the tall, armed type) and nuclear power stations. And a big, blue, cloudless sky.
It amazes me that people crossed this country on horses and in wagons. What faith and perseverance.
Joshua Tree National Park was on the way to Palm Springs, so we drove in to the visitor centre at Cottonwood Springs. It is very hot and dry here, and it's late autumn. I enjoyed seeing so many of the desert plants in flower, but saw no Joshua trees. The main part of the park is further north.
Driving down off the plain into the valley of Palm Springs I was amazed to see how high we'd been. There were craggy mountain peaks below us! The desert here is more grey and dusty in colour, with much less vegetation than we've seen over the past few days.
We were both surprised how big Palm Springs is, and that it is tucked in next to big desert mountains. It is a beautifully kept city - new buildings obviously style controlled to fit, gardens manicured with brilliant green lawns and bright flowers. Palm trees line every road. Very attractive.
Our hotel, Hyatt Palm Springs, was in the north of town, sitting right beside the mountains. It was lovely to go for a swim for the first time this trip, and stretch out our muscles after the long drive.
A wander into the fairy-light decorated town presented several interesting places for dinner, where we chose Spanish tapas at Alicante. Great food.
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