Sunnylands Gardens

We just can't get enough of the botanical garden stuff.  We found another desert plants exhibit at Sunnylands in Desert Mirage.  What a complete difference from the previous place we looked at over 3000 varieties of desert plants (Moorten Gardens in Palm Springs).  Sunnylands is only open 4 days a week; it's free to wander.  It was easy to see why they are closed 3 days a week.  They have to have a huge crew of landscape workers to keep the place as tidy as we found it.  You can see by these pictures how beautiful it is.

Here is a close-up of that one above.

Here is an photo of the original property owner's house.  You can get a tour of the house for $40 dollars if you're lucky.  They go immediately when they become available.  A very popular tour.

Here's the lobby of the Visitor's Center with the view.

It was a most enjoyable walk through the emmaculate manicure gardens.  We got a brochure with plant pictures and names, but I haven't been able to identify most of them.  Lots of varieties of  agave plants (but no tequila).

Moorten Botanical Garden

We paid a visit to a place called "The Desert Garden For All Seasons".  It was established in 1938 to share with the public the beauty and many thousands of varieties of desert plants from around the world.  There are over 3000 varieties displayed, placed in concentrated habitats.  There is also a small building called the Cactarium which has many rare plants seen nowhere else.

So, we hope you like pictures of desert plants, because I took my share.  Oh, first,, here is a map of our little tour walk around.

Quite a few of the plants were in bloom.

Some of these Agave-type plants were as tall as 9 feet.

All these pics are about 30% of what I actually shot, but I wasn't sure I could keep your attention.

Does these guy remind any of you old-timers of anybody from the 70's?  (pacman)

Here are a couple of weird ones in the Cactarium.  Growing downward?

More inside shots.

I know looking at these photos isn't as impressive as walking through the gardens, but you can get an idea of how beautiful desert plants are.  I was impressed that he had over 3000 different varieties.  

Two Bunch Palms in Desert Hot Springs

We took a tour and had lunch at The Two Bunch Palms Resort, here in Desert Hot Springs.  What a beautiful place, with accommodations for a maximum of 169 folks.

For 600 years, hot artesian waters rich in minerals bubbled to the surface to form a lush oasis that served as a respite for weary travelers. As early as 1857, a settler recorded the discovery of our site as a place to rest and find water marked by two palm groves. In 1909, the US Army Camel Corps of Engineers surveyed the area and identified the location as ‘two bunches of palms’.


The Resort itself has been in operation since the 1940’s and was known as a discreet hideaway for Hollywood celebrities, notorious historic gangsters and those seeking healing from its unique mineral and lithium rich hot springs.

In fact, here is the cottage where Al Capone and his compadres used to hang out.

Here are some photos of the place.  

This is called the Meditation Pool.  There are "Quiet" signs all around there.

This is the Meditation Maze.  I suspect it's mind-bending as you stroll through it.

Mud baths are available, but we heard they're pretty stinky.

Here's where we had lunch; not a bad view and the food was excellent and not over-priced.

Lovely scenery in the resort.

Nice swimming pool.  All water is from the mineral springs under the entire town.

A New Blog for the Hamricks

Our previous Blog, fulltimervingwiththehamricks.blogspot.com has been going for a few years and had over 80 postings so we thought we would start a new one - this one.

So, check in regularly, or sign up as a follower and get email when we do a new posting.

It's March and we are in Desert Hot Springs.  Here is some of the beautiful desert we traveled through to get here from Casa Grande.

We're staying for 2 weeks in Desert Pools RV Resort.  It used to be a Western Horizon
Resort (which we are members of, but has seen disbanded).  It was resold and has been somewhat improved this year.

Here is our site with the San Jacinto Mountain at sunrise.  Also, the pool and wonderful mineral water spas.  The pool is about 90 degrees mineral water also.  The spas are each a different temp so you can choose your favorite - with great massage jets.

More to follow; keep checking.