California, Part Deux

Here are two pictures from my second day in the Palm Springs area.  Robert and I went on a long drive up over the pass between the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains.  We had a concert that night, and weren't up for a hike, so I only got a few pictures.  Mainly, it was bloody sunny, which of course doesn't really allow for much photography.

California Highway 74 is part of a road route called the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway.  It's pretty scenic, but it's also crowded with high speed traffic, and is a narrow, steep road with no shoulder.  I couldn't help but think that it would be an amazing road to ride a bike on, but unfortunately, it would just be too harrying.  There are lots of hairpin curves, which makes it popular with ad agencies shooting commercials featuring automobiles.  There are several viewpoints and a few interpretive stations along the way.

Here's viewpoint looking down into the Coachella Valley:

This, I believe, is a cholla plant.

We drove up to the divide between the two mountains, in hopes of seeing a view to the West of Los Angeles, but it was a little farther off than we wanted to go.

Continued in Part III