Every time I think this country is getting too crowded I seem to end up out west, where invariably one spends a lot of time driving in places where there are no people at all. Nothing. Emptiness.
Today was like that. A short hop from The Strip up the 215 freeway through the suburbs of Las Vegas, such as they are, a right turn on Route 95 southbound towards Laughlin, and within 15 minutes of town you are in the absolute middle of nowhere.
For four hours, it is pretty much the same thing. Expansive desert views, punctuated by the occasional cluster of run-down houses and abandoned gas stations, viewed from roads that were most likely last upgraded in 1975.
It is nearly 300 miles from Las Vegas to Palm Springs by the route that we chose, which had us on stretches of Route 66, roads that as far as we could tell had no name, and last but not least, about 30 miles through Joshua Tree National Park.
We didn’t stop a lot, only because there was nowhere to stop. No strip malls, no subdivisions, just harsh wasteland. Sometimes this can be really interesting and relaxing. I don’t know, but today I just wasn’t in the mood.
Palm Springs and environs was never my thing, but there was nothing quite as heartening as hopping on the I-10 eastbound as one does when exiting Joshua Tree from the south side, then coming over the crest east of Indio and seeing the Coachella Valley sparkling below, framed by towering peaks silhouetted in the orange of a West Coast sunset. It really is an oasis in the desert. An oasis with Carl’s Jr. and drive-thru Starbucks.
Speaking of which: The valley, while storied and legendary and all that, increasingly is starting to feel like a satellite city for Los Angeles refugees. For people who commute to jobs in San Bernardino. It is weird. You know that this is a resort community at heart, with the golf and the spas and the cute hotels and all that, but it feels a lot closer to Los Angeles than it did in the past.
Before heading out to dinner, we dropped our bags at the Mojave Resort, a really cool little hotel tucked away in the foothills behind El Paseo, the main drag of Palm Desert, where there is now a Tiffany’s. Despite the pricey environs, the hotel costs about $115 a night right now, which buys you access to a charming little compound that’s centered around a pool and a jacuzzi.
There are about 25 rooms in all, each fairly simple, but with great beds, Molton Brown amenities and minibars that include things like Lorina Lemonade (how English!). It isn’t the Bellagio (the beds are better and the rooms more cheerful) but in the end, it’s great not to have to walk a 1/2 mile to get to the front desk.
