Glamping in Indio

Friday, April 2nd;

The drive from Dos Reis Regional Park in Lathrop to Indio is a long one but we started early. We were following a highway we had been on before. In the fall of 2005 it was brown as far as the eye could see. At this time of year it is green with swaths of gold and orange California poppies interspersed with white flowers and stretches of purple. A very colorful landscape.

There were areas of trees, some were green - covered with leaves as you would expect in the spring. Some groves were still showing the gray skeletons of winter. Not a leaf to be seen. When we stopped at a pleasant rest stop for lunch. Dan stretched out for a nap and I went wandering with my camera. There were two groves backing the rest stop - one was green and one was grey. Both were well cared for so obviously grey does not mean dead. What were those trees?


We decided to take Highway 210, a bypass paralleling I-10 going east. My assumption was we would stay outside of Los Angeles and it would be easier to join I-10 closer to Palm Springs. The problem with not knowing a local area is we did not know Hwy 210 was a road the locals used to go everywhere. It was a parking lot even in the middle of a Good Friday afternoon.

That effectively disposed of our plan to have an early arrival and a pleasant afternoon in Indio. We found our way into Indio looking for the Indian Wells RV park. Our memory did not help us with the large scale map we were carrying. We knew we had driven too far from the freeway to be on the right road so we stopped to ask directions. The gentleman that I spoke to said the RV parks on the map were not in good areas of the town and we would not be safe there. We should go to Emerald Desert on Frank Sinatra Drive. The one Dan spoke to also directed us to Emerald Desert. My directions were to turn left on Country Club drive, Dan was told to turn right. We tried Dan’s way first it made more sense looking at our map. It was right. We found the park quite easily.

Before we left home, Chris introduced us to a word - “Glamping”. Let me say Emerald Desert is the definition of that word. Take all the amenities of a luxury hotel and replace the garden villas with RV’s. You’ve got the picture. I signed us in and Dan asked me how much it was a night. I had to say I did not look! It was lovely. The first person I met was a lady walking her dog. Her advice, don’t take your own towel to the pool - the ones they provide are so big and fluffy! It was really too bad we had not arrived early enough to enjoy it all. We walked the area enjoying the trees, the gardens and the setting sun.

In the morning it was warm and sunny once more though the wind was cool. Dan came in carrying a big plastic Easter egg full of jelly beans. It had a piece of paper welcoming us to the park. We found out later we should have picked up any we saw - some contained very nice prizes. Saturday mornings there is a buffet breakfast in the clubhouse. This day it was scrambled eggs, sausages, French toast, fresh strawberries, peaches, doughnuts, Danish, juice and coffee. Another couple came in and I watched as they chose their breakfast. The old gentleman was a World War II veteran. The lady serving breakfast thanked him for his service to their country and for herself. I was impressed by that. The couple made their way to our table and asked if they could join us. One of the best things about traveling this way it the people you meet. This couple were active and involved in the world. Southern California is their home and it was interesting to hear their views. Dan mentioned the Philippines and the men got talking about their experiences in that area. Dan’s was one of peacetime, his was a time of war. As the conversation became more personal we could see there are pictures in the old veteran’s mind that are as fresh as the day they were formed and events that haunt him still. I won’t forget his story.

After breakfast it was time to say good-bye, to pack up and hit the road once more.