Over the mountain, down in the valley

The results of the San Bernadino Mountains' rain shadow was made clear to us when we drove back home today. We drove up one side through barren desert that made us think of Death Valley. It was dotted with large motorhomes either in groups or sitting alone with the awnings up. This state park allows for "Open Camping" which means you can drive your motorhome out in the desert anywhere and stay for as long as you like. The 40 degree weather made it look pretty unappealing to us but lots of people obviously disagree.

Once over the top of the mountains and into the valley, the terrain changed dramatically. The green-clad hills were painted with tiny yellow flowers and dotted with cattle. We stopped and watched planes pull gliders up to the tops of the mountains to glide back down and land in silence.

Before long we were climbing up out of the valley and once at the top, we left the green behind and were back into the desert. The heat was with us all day but moderated by the climb. Back home, it was 38 degrees at 9:00 pm in Palm Desert.