Today we visited Indian Canyons, an area not far from Palm Springs. I’d tell you which direction it is but have no idea and don’t feel inclined to look at a map right now. If I had to guess, I’d say they are south and east of the village. OK. They are south of us. I had to look.

Getting there was simple partly due to GPS but also because of the handy signs that are posted all around the place.

Our initial desire was to hike up Tahquitz Canyon which takes about an hour. After talking with a nice young lady at the ticket counter I made a command decision that it wasn’t in Diane’s best interest to go that direction. It’s uphill going in and is littered with huge steps anywhere from 10 to 20 inches tall. So, we took her recommendation and headed for Indian Canyons. Honestly, not going to Tahquitz was also in my best interest. I talk a good story, but doubt if I’d have made it without a lot of pain from either falling down or from gasping for breath.

At Indian Canyons we chose to tackle Andreas Canyon, the shortest of the many available choices. According to the map we had it was only one mile long and was lined with green indicating it was an easy one. Some of the others were up to 7 miles long and were marked in red.

The canyon trail runs along Andreas Creek that has water all year long. It’s crystal clear and pretty cold when compared to the 100 degree temp of the air. Thankfully, the path is shaded most of the time with the myriad California Fan palm trees that are fed by the stream. There are lots of other kinds of things growing but they are pretty short, not good for shade unless you collapse and someone passing by is kind enough to roll you off the trail. The low foliage is good for collecting tons of debris that gets washed down the canyon when the creek gets rough in wet weather. The evidence is everywhere. There are piles everywhere that indicate the water level in the canyon is at times more like a deep roaring river than a sedate shallow creek.

After conquering Andreas we returned to the car to plan our next adventure for this day. I suggested we visit Palm Canyon which is within the boundaries of Indian Canyons. The clincher for Diane was that there is a trading post at the trail head, so that’s where we went.

Once there I discovered that Palm Canyon was more than a simple hike away and they advertised that this trail was also a rattlesnake habitat. So I prudently chose to visit a small waterfall falling down a little canyon on the other side of the trading post.

It was a simple and satisfying hike. Got some photos and Diane was just coming out of the trading post when I got back. Great timing.

Then we went to Ralphs. There are Ralphs grocery stores pretty much everywhere in this area. Makes it handy when you need something. The last time we needed to go there was to get a pool noodle for Diane. This time it was for ketchup and more mayo.

Back at our condo we cooked steaks Diane got yesterday which was pretty tricky because there are no BBQs around and all we have is a microwave. But, it’s also convection. So we fiddled around with its dials and buttons, finally figuring out that we could, indeed, cook steak in this micro. Quite nicely, I might add.

Then we ate, and took a nap prior to getting ready for a good night’s sleep.