Palm Springs Timeshare                                                                                                  April, 2004

Two weeks in Palm Springs was just too short a visit for my taste.  There were still plenty of things we didn't get around to, but as usual, we loved it here.  My new Olympus camera with it's 10X optical zoom kept me busy, though I did manage to visit most of the golf shops and play quite a bit of golf.  Here's a sample photograph from my new agave Cactus Photograph Gallery.

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February 13, 2001     

I love the Coachella Valley -- Palm Springs, Cathedral Canyon, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, and La Quinta.  Winter days are usually sunny and warm, and the surrounding mountains, often dusted in snow, are magnificent backdrops to the nearby desert hillsides, verdant fairways, and planted palms reaching ever upwards.

If you're a golfer, and can afford to pay $100/day (or more) for golf, this is the place for you.  (Summer golf is much cheaper, but then temperatures can be 120!).  However, if you find winter golf in the desert too pricey, I recommend owning a timeshare at Lawrence Welk Desert Oasis, an RCI Gold Crown Resort.  This complex of one-bedroom condos is situated on the 27-hole Cathedral Canyon Country Club (CCCC).  The golf course is attractive and  challenging, with lakes, trees, flowers, and wonderful views from many of the holes.  Here's a view from one of the holes.

We bought our timeshare 11 years ago -- a week in the red (prime) season -- and have really enjoyed owning here.  The picture to the right shows the timeshare units.  Every year the timeshare management manages to worked out a  golf deal with CCCC and lately with one of the other local courses.  This year's deal was a 1-week membership in the country club, which cost $175 for the two of us.  It included unlimited golf with cart, free range balls, and reservation privileges far enough in advance to get good tee times.  Normally a round here costs $85 in the morning (if you could get a morning tee time) and $50 after noon.  So, after our first morning's round, we were pretty much at breakeven.  Of course we played all 7 days, making it an incredible deal.

When off the course, you can visit the many golf shops (don't miss Pete Carlson's), or get a golf tune-up.  I found a wonderful instructor in Palm Desert at the Family Golf Center driving range on Fred Waring Drive.  Her name is Georgia Schuman, should you be ready for a lesson or two.

Other interesting sights and events include:

• an IMAX theater in Cathedral City.
• the Follies show in Palm Springs (performed by the forever young)- by now an institution.
• lots and lots of art galleries and restaurants.
• a Thursday night street fair in downtown Palm Springs, and a weekend crafts fair and flea market in Palm Desert.
• a rotating tram that ascends 10,000 feet above the valley floor to the snow-covered peaks of the Santa Rita mountains.  Enjoy the valley views and hiking trails at the top.
• Joshua Tree National Park -- interesting desert landscapes, some Joshua trees, and a beautiful forest of jumping cholla (choy-ya,) blooming in photo above.  For those interested in knowing about the difference between Joshua trees and yuccas, click here. 
• Indian casinos at both ends of the valley, with a new casino opening in May in Cathedral Canyon at Highway 10.
• the Bob Hope and Dinah Shore professional golf tournaments, as well as pro tennis in the spring.
• the Palm Springs Museum ,and
• the "Living Desert" animal park in Palm Desert.

Should the opportunity arise, do plan to spend at least a week in the Coachella Valley.  This year we got lucky and stayed 6 weeks; it was still WAY too short!

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