Ahh Palm Springs, what a wonderful city to visit.  Where it's 78* everyday, well at least that's what we experienced. :)  The week before Thanksgiving Tim and I were very fortunate to travel west for a long weekend.  It was actually a business trip for him and I was just lucky to tag along.  He was attending the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum.  So while he was busy listening to influential leaders in the business world I got to explore.

    In the time I was there I explored the Joshua Tree National Park and the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.  I would highly recommend both.  My only suggestions would give yourself time and bring a coat to the top of the mountain.  Even though it's Cali the evenings get chilly and at the top of the tram it's 30-40* cooler then at the bottom. Unless it's summer time then the top of the mountain would actually be refreshing.  I was told the locals go up there to get some relief from the 100* plus temperatures in the summer.   

     As far as time goes,  Joshua Tree was much bigger than I thought it would be.  Tim actually came with me on this adventure which meant we left later in the afternoon so he could see a few of the conference speakers (the whole reason he's there, after all).  Therefore, our start time was 3pm and the sunset came around 5:30pm.  This gave us enough time to drive from one end of the park to the other stopping occasionally, to grab a few shots of course.  It however did not give us enough time to actually check out and hike any of the trails.  Our last stop in the park was Keys View which was an spectacular view of the valley.  We unfortunately missed the actual sunset (it happen so fast).  The upside is that a Keys View sunset and hiking trails are definitely two good reasons for us to go back.  :)

     When we left the park we were in Joshua Tree, CA and it was dinner time.  We did a Yelp search and chose the Crossroads Cafe.  It was an amazing dining experience.  The decor was charming, with old pictures of the area hanging all around.  The server was friendly and helpful, especially when Tim put him on the spot to recommend his favorite dish on the menu.  He suggested the ruben and their homemade mac&cheese.  Delish on both accounts.   

     To see more pictures of Joshua Tree and Aerial Tramway check out my Palm Springs, CA gallery.  

Enjoy!

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."  H.D. Thoreau