Well...on new year's eve day we decided that we were all going to go stir crazy if we stayed home for an entire additional week of winter break (the sibling arguments seem to be at an all time high in our house these days!). A new parent that I met and the kid's school had been talking about what a great time she had recently when she took her kids down to Palm Springs, and the idea just kind of got stuck in my head. We hadn't attempted such a long drive before, but we thought we should try it, and so we found some great deals and booked a last minute week away to Palm Springs to start the new year!
Well...the trip was a blast. The road trip down went super smoothly (like not a single "when are we there yet" type comment!)...well...there was a hiccup, in that when we packed the kids up in the car at 6:00am and went to lock the door, our key got firmly and completely stuck in the door! Of all moments for this to happen, it truly was the worst as everyone and everything was packed, ready, cold and eager to get going. Thank heavens for Granddad to the rescue...we love you and can't thank you enough Dad!
Anyways, we stayed at a golf resort down in Palm Dessert, with a ton of pools (including a slide), kids activities, etc. The weather was nice in the high 70s, low 80s, so we basically stayed at the pool for four days, with a few side trips in between. Our first side trip was to this amazing zoo called The Living Dessert which was right near our hotel. It's not your typical zoo- our kids went on not one, not two, but THREE camel rides, fed the giraffes numerous times, rode the carousel, experienced an awesomely designed and landscaped zoo and had a great time.
Our second adventure away from the pool was up the gondola to the top of the 9,000 foot mountains for some hiking and rock climbing. It was an adventure going up the mountain, but the highlight for the kids was definitely climbing on the huge rocks everywhere (much to Josh's horror but my joy). It was a fun afternoon for sure, and truly a spectacular view!
