Del Mar & Palm Springs

Every state is full of interesting things to do and see, but so often we just ignore them when they are places close to home. In Minnesota, we lived a stone's throw from the Mississippi Headwaters for almost a decade before we actually went to see the place! And then, it was only because we had family visiting from out of state who wanted to see it. After that, we went there at least once a summer because it was such a great place that we had ignored for way too long.

Being new to California, we are exploring quite a bit. We haven't gotten to the point yet where we just ignore it because it's so close to home. Two of our latest adventures were to Del Mar - a great little city on the ocean, and to Palm Springs - a great little city in the desert.

We happened on Del Mar when we got sidetracked off our original journey to Mission Beach in San Diego. We'd been to Mission Beach before, and though we loved it, I really wanted to find a beach closer to our house (our other attempt at a different unnamed beach proved to be disappointing). Del Mar proved to be a gem! Easy to get to, great shops, and a fabulous beach that even allowed dogs! Unfortunately we didn't realize that until we arrived there, and Laird was already stuck at home.... The sunset was gorgeous and the dolphins playing in the waves added the perfect touch.

Last weekend, we met up with Minnesota relatives (Uncle Jim and Aunt Ann) at an RV park just outside of Palm Springs. The original plan was for them to visit us in Murrieta, but as our house is still a charcoal pit, we had a change in plans. Palm Springs is only an hour away but very different from where we live. While we have green rolling hills, they have lots of sand, but still more green they I expected.

We even camped! Jim and Ann have a fabulous RV, complete with a kitchen (which we took advantage of since we've had to eat out for the last month), but we have a tent. I haven't slept in a tent in 25 years, so it was a bit of an adjustment (the rumor that I snuck into the RV and slept on the couch I emphatically deny!). The resort we stayed at was surrounded by mountains and had fabulous natural mineral springs, which we sat in several times a day. It was just the break we needed!