Drove to the Coachella Valley Preserve Trail System in the Thousand Palms area. There along the San Andreas Fault are naturally occurring oases that are under natural management for hiking and site seeing.
We walked the McCallum Trail. At the McCallum Pond oasis was a gorgeous clear pond with cold water seeping up from the ground water system due to the pressure from the various cracks in the fault. Here natural fan palms, Washington Palm, grow. Notice in the pictures that these palms are kept natural and not trimmed of dead fronds as they would be on golf courses or residential areas.
We also were able to distinguish the various desert plants as many of them had stakes labeling them. We saw creosote plant, smoke trees, and even a dye plant that produces a very bright orange colour.
The Oasis
Some of the "Thousand Palms". Natural "Washingtonia Filifera" or Desert Fan Palm surviving on water pushed to the surface by the tectonic faults.
The desert trail in between the oases.
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Don found the only chair for a couple of miles around.
Up on the crest of the hill overlooking the oasis.
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Krista getting orange fingers with the "dye plants"
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Shaggy Palms.
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The friendly road runner looking for a hand out.
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