Into the desert
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The Fullerton Arboretum has nice examples of the various Southern California ecologies, including the desert. These cacti are technically in a desert, as is much of inland metro LA. Of course people water their lawns, so it may not always look that way.
Giant agave.
Yes, there are still oranges growing in Orange County!
Palm Springs. There is a little stretch of winding road through the mountains in-between the suburbs of LA and suburban Palm Springs. There is also a huge windmill farm along the windy pass through the hills.
We took the famous aerial tramway up Mount San Jacinto, adjacent to Palm Springs. Here we are, high over the Coachella Valley.
The view at the top.
Upper SoCal seems a little like...Northern California! The guidebook described the typical temperature difference as the equivalent of driving from Mexico to Canada. Fortunately it was a nice day, with temperatures in the high 50s.
We drove on to Joshua Tree and had dinner at the funky Beatnik Café. Yes, this is where U2 recorded their album back in the 80s.
Sunset over 29 Palms. We made it to the end of the populated zone before dark.
Carl's Bonus
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