Palm Desert, California - Day 2

Originally, we thought we might take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to the top of Mt. San Jacinto to enjoy the view of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, but we didn’t realize that tickets sell out in advance and there were none available for today. It was probably just as well, as the weather was a bit overcast and drizzly at times and probably was freezing at the top of the mountain.

Instead, we decided to split up for part of the day. Jim and Brooke went to the driving range at the hotel, while Katie and I headed to Salvation Mountain located about 75 miles to the southeast of Palm Desert. I had never heard of Salvation Mountain, but Katie was eager to see it as Kesha filmed a music video there and it has become an Instagram mecca.

Salvation Mountain is a man made mountain/art installation that was created over the course of 28 years by Leonard Knight. It is said to be covered in half a million gallons of latex paint. Knight’s mission in creating Salvation Mountain was to share the message - “God is love, accept Jesus into your heart, repent your sins, and be saved.”  Katie and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this quirky masterpiece.

Later in the afternoon, we rejoined Jim and Brooke back at the hotel and got ready to go to dinner with a fraternity brother of Jim's and his family who live in Palm Desert. We met them at a teppanyaki restaurant and enjoyed getting to know them better.