Daytripping SoCal: Palm Springs Aerial Tram

On my in-laws’ way to roadtrip thru AZ (that’s our cute yellow Soul in the mirror!), we sidetripped to Palm Springs to experience the Tram.  Once called Crocker’s Folly, it was the brainchild of Francis Crocker, who wanted to escape the heat on the desert floor by transporting himself to the mountaintop.  Beginning in the Sonoran Desert and ending in an alpine forest, the tram seemingly flies 6000’ elevation up the face of one of the sheerest canyons (Chino) in North America in a mere 10 minutes.  Pretty fun ride. Arriving at Mountain Station … Looking down to valley floor.  All those tiny white poles are the ginormous windmills at the base of the slope. My mother-in-law is awfully cute. My father-in-law: King of “shortcuts”…  Luckily, we didn’t get lost.  This time. Bye-bye, Mountain Station and alpine forest and cool air. Hello, desert floor, palm springs & trees, and warm breezes.

Kellers Take on LA for a Day: Griffith Park Observatory

More traffic.  LOTS MORE TRAFFIC.  Last destination:  the Observatory.  Apparently all that traffic was because all of southern CA descended upon Griffith Park to watch the sun set.  Even the Moon showed up for the spectacle. Little Dude hanging out with Copernicus and Sir Newton…

Kellers Take on LA for a Day: Disney Concert Hall

Our second tourist destination took us right into the heart of downtown LA, a place I can’t recall ever having been in the entirety of my two decades of marriage.  We braved the ridiculous traffic, and the confusing multitude of intersecting freeways.  We passed right by the outrageously expensive parking garages, circled the block, and found the last remaining metered spot on the street.  All for this spectacularly amazing piece of architecture.  I could have parked myself there all day and watched the ever changing light on the metal panels.  But, we only fed that meter 30 minutes’ worth of coins.  So we blazed thru that place.  BLAZED.  So we could fight more traffic and get to our last destination before the sun set (but that’s another blog for another day).  Behold the Disney Concert Hall …