Monday, Monday, Monday

---

This was a particularily interesting Monday, in that we actually left the hotel room! We went to Ralph’s to get some more groceries and made some chicken pasta for lunch. Then we got sucked into watching Get Smart on HBO. It was actually very funny. After lounging around a little longer then necessary we decided to go to the Palm Springs Arial Tramway.

We drove about 30 minutes from Palm Desert to the outskirts of Palm Springs, passed several fancy resorts, and turned up a mountain. We climbed up the 2500 feet at about 30 mph and reached the base of the tram. We splurged for the “Ride N’ Dine” ticket that got us a ride up and dinner in the café. We loaded onto the first tram car that arrived and headed up. The tram car is fixed to a cable that runs up the mountain, opposite another tram car. The motor at the bottom actually pulls one car down, which in turn forces the other one up. For 10 minutes we rolled up hill. The car rotates very slowly so that everyone gets to see the panorama view. It was amazing!

At the top, we breathed the cool, delicious air. It had been 105 at the bottom, but it was 71 degrees at the top! We walked out along the trail and were so happy to see something other than the desert. There was a mountain stream that fed a beautiful meadow of green grass! It seems like forever since we have seen so much green. As we walked, we turned away from the stream and it was quickly back to desert. We walked a few miles to a look out above Palm Springs. The view was impressive but it was the echo that really impressed us.

At each high point that we have come to, Zack has clapped and yelled to hear how the sound moves. He let out his usual “YAAAAAHHOOOOOOO!” and it went bouncing around the canyon for several seconds. Zack says there were 8 distinct echoes. We sat and yelled into the gorge for several minutes, until other hikers started responding, probably telling us to stop yelling.

After our hike, we got our dinner (1 salad, and 5 hot choices from the cafeteria line) and sat out on the lookout. By this time of evening, my sweater was necessary. We enjoyed our meal and moved inside to wait for sunset. The higher altitude and clear view, made for an amazing ride down. The driver of the tram, played some very fitting Led Zeppelin and I felt very content. I was surprised by the beauty and quiet of this activity-it was definitely a favorite of mine. I highly recommend this tourist stop on a weekday evening.

---

Comments

[Jake Gear]

This is the most epic honeymoon ever ... you two are AWESOME, and im glad to see you are having fun... but I do anticipate the Dewall's return to Nashville. BTW, Jen ... your contact in my phone as officially been changed from "Jen soon to be Dewall" to "Jenny Dewall".