106 meters (350 feet) in length and 4.5 meters (15 feet) tall, the gorgeous fiery sea serpent lazily stretches across the desert road, snaking out of the ground with the illusion there is a whole other world beneath the desert sands. I was awestruck, stunned by its magnificent, forked tongue, ferocity. You can walk in and around the beautiful beast, all the way to its rattle shaped tail.

You may think it is a bit of a stretch to call this sculpture a secret, but it is relatively unknown and unvisited because it is so far off the beaten track. It is a couple of hours drive from Palm Springs from the North and about the same from San Diego in the South, it appears it cannot compete with the beaches and the big cities of California. In the scorching heat of the summer sun, we apparently had the entire place to ourselves.

The sculptures are located on the Galleta Meadows Estate, on the outskirts of the Anza Borrego State Park. Dennis Avery, the owner of the estate, called upon renowned metal sculptor Ricardo Breceda to create something extraordinary to adorn his land. Breceda did exactly that by creating more than 100 sculptures that seem to pop up from nowhere,  surreal creatures rising from the earth and defiantly withstanding the extreme desert heat.

We loved the the stand off between the scorpion and the grasshopper, staring each other down like MMA fighters before a big fight, intimidating, hinting at the whipping action of a tail sting or the nippy spring of an aerial attack, the desert floor their octagon stage.

As we got in the truck, the outside temperature read 136 degrees Fahrenheit or 58 degrees Celsius. From the steering wheel to the seats, everything burned. The air con felt like the devil's breath, only adding more heat to the inferno in the cab. Ugh! It was hot! Or as Henry keeps saying, "Hot as balls!"

We were desperate for some cooler weather and we found it at the top of the San Jacinto Mountains via the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. At a significantly cooler 73 degrees we were able to relax and breathe again. Ahhhhh!

In the rotating cable car, we traveled up over two and a half miles to the top of the mountain with breathtaking views over the Chino Canyon to an elevation of 8,516 feet at the mountain station. The views across the flat valley, stretching from Desert Hot Springs in the North to Palm Springs, Coachella and the Salton Sea to the East, were spectacular. The line of the I10 could be seen and traced as it traversed the landscape. We could even see the dark rim of the San Andreas Fault separating the Pacific and the North American tectonic plates. The desert is pretty inhospitable and the fact that it has been tamed by the will of man with water, solar panels, wind turbines and golf courses as key technological and urban necessities, it is truly astonishing. ​It almost felt as if we were viewing the landscape from outer space.

Once at the top, we stopped for a bite to eat and then set off on a hike in the cool pines. The last time Kim and I were here, there was snow at the top!

Mount San Jacinto State Park is considered an alpine wilderness. We began to walk slowly, relishing the cool temps, through the meadows, streams and the ponderosa, lodgepole and sugar pines. If you scratch the bark of the sugar pines, it smells like  warm vanilla butterscotch and the sugar pine cones are enormous! With the half moon peeking through, paying attention to the warnings for mountain lions, we enjoyed the nature around us. We saw grey squirrels, California chipmunks, ravens, hawks, steller jays, chickadees, swallows, nuthatches and colorful flickers. We heard but did not see the woodpeckers. The smells of the pines reminded us of Wells-Next-The-Sea back home in Norfolk, England and happy family memories. It was such a change from the dust, sand and blistering heat of the valley that we just soaked it all in. What a relief!

We stayed for over four hours enjoying the cooler climes.

In a cloud of dust kicked up by the dark Toyota 4Runner, my sister Caroline and her family arrived at our campsite, coming in from Las Vegas. It felt surreal. Eleven short days ago I was chatting with her in her kitchen back in the UK. Since then, I returned to the U.S. and we began our Grand Adventure Road Trip. She then set off with her family on her 50th birthday holiday to America. And so our two worlds collided in the Mojave Desert on a blazing hot Monday afternoon.

After a tour of the trailer and lots of hugs, we set off to cool down at the pool. We had a lazy, leisurely afternoon catching up. It was great to see Kim and Simon chatting and the hilarious banter between cousins. Henry loved seeing Will and Maddie who he had not seen for a number of years due to Covid, work and travel limitations. It was just the most blissful afternoon and I loved every minute of it.

Later we met up for dinner at the Tropicale Restaurant in downtown Palm Springs. More chat and a delicious meal before retreating to bed.

The next morning we met up again for a final goodbye and breakfast together at the Denny's diner just off the I10. We each shared three gratitudes, mostly around family, health and good fortune. We took a moment to send love to absent family members. Louise and Lynda love Denny's so we immediately thought of them, plus of course Mum and Dad are always on our minds. 

Waving goodbye was hard. They set off on the next phase of their holiday- Los Angeles and then Hawaii. Fantastic.

I will never forget our lovely, unexpected, surreal rendezvous in the desert.

Family is everything.

Wherever we go, we have to check out the local art scene. Downtown Palm Springs did not disappoint.

We started at the Palm Springs Art Museum and lazily wandered around, thankful for the air conditioning as it was still beating hot outside. It did not take me long to find some Wayne Thiebaud delicious goodies and it was all I could do to stop myself licking the canvases. So yummy! There was British representation with some Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth sculptures, lotsa poppy and dotty Roy Liechtenstein's, a lovely Andy Warhol pink cow and I even found an Edward E. Curtis print in the Southwest Art Collection, all laid out beautifully. I adore museum shops and spent some time mooching about but as we are now living in the trailer with very limited space, I have promised myself not to buy any small souvenirs. Nowhere to put them! 

Outside the museum we headed towards the downtown area.

We immediately fell in love with the towering "Forever Marilyn" sculpture by Seward Johnson. All 26 feet of her unabashedly looms up in the pose made famous in the movie "The Seven Year Itch" where she stands over a subway grate in New York City while her halter neck white dress billows up as she tries to push it down. Apparently Joe DiMaggio was fuming with Billy Wilder over the number of takes it took, the fun Marilyn was having with the film crew and the eager crowd that amassed to watch the spectacle. Though the sculpture is somewhat controversial, as it shows her knickers at the back as her dress flies up so that it almost looks as if she is mooning the art museum to her rear, it is such an iconic movie moment that you can't help smiling. One of my all time favorite movies is "Some Like It Hot," another Billy Wilder movie. I am a huge Marilyn fan so this sculpture made me happy.

After some tasty light bites at the Tommy Bahama Bar we found a few other cool urban art pieces.

In the scorching heat of the summer desert, thankful for the air con,  we drove a self guided architectural tour of the beautiful mid-century modern homes in Palm Springs. 

The tall, leggy palm trees typical of Palm Springs waved a warm welcome as we toured the beautiful residences built in the specific, localized architectural mid-century style known as Desert Modernism.

​Long and low, simple and minimal, crafted out of local, natural materials, sometimes in warm earthy tones to blend in with the environment and sometimes in stark whites for contrast, sleek lines with expansive floor to ceiling walls of glass, huge windows to create a light and airy vibe to exhibit the magnificent desert landscape; smooth rocks, prickly succulents, statuesque cacti, the imposing San Jacinto Mountains, pops of color from flowering desert shrubs. Stunning!

Huge overhanging roofs jutting up and out in stark geometric shapes casting much needed shade from the mid-day desert heat, over patios, sun decks, loungers and pools. Think of Bambi and Thumper protecting Willard Whyte's home from the intruding James Bond in an epic fight in "Diamonds Are Forever. " That is the Elrod House designed in 1969 by John Lautner, an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright. It is right here in Palm Springs.

We saw the Raquetball Club where Marilyn Monroe was first spotted by a talent agent in 1949. Later she was a regular visitor to Palm Springs with her second husband Joe DiMaggio and often stayed at the Mira Loma Hotel, now known as the Palm Springs Rendezvous, where they stayed in the Pretty in Pink room. Marilyn Monroe continues to be a beloved presence in the city to this day. 

Next up, The Jetsons-like, futuristic home known as "The House of Tomorrow" designed by William Krisel, where Elvis and Priscilla honeymooned in 1967. The wide triangular overhanging roof made it look like a hang glider about to take off and fly away from the mountainside. The circular windows that wrapped around the heart of the home with views out over the valley created a spaceship feel. The local stone lava rocks that covered the walls and a water feature at the front of the home added to the cool vibes.

It was Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, who brought the star quality to Palm Springs in the 1940's. Palm Springs had all the glitz, glamor and movie star sex appeal of the period and became the chosen destination for the rich and wealthy but most especially the famous. It was Frank Sinatra that led the pack. We saw his desert home, known as Twin Palms, and you can see why it is called that in the picture below. Both his wives, Nancy first and then Ava Gardner lived in this home and he raised his family here too. 

In the backyards, we saw trimmed lawns with rectangular pools, splashes of blue, with short diving boards worthy of David Hockney, large pink flamingo inflatables, bright pool umbrellas, low loungers all finding shade under the swaying palms. It was like taking a sneak peek at a bygone era. 

We saw many wonderful homes in the Desert Modernism architectural style belonging to the rich and famous like Bob Hope, Steve McQueen, Elizabeth Taylor, Liberace, Dean Martin and more. We drove around in awe.

By the time we had finished our tour, the heat of the day was ebbing and I was ready for a strawberry malt milkshake and a quick dance in front of a jukebox at a fifties diner in a pair of blue suede shoes.

So after years and months and weeks and days and hours of planning and preparation, on Monday July 17th 2023, we set off on our Grand Adventure!

Our plan is for the three of us to live full time in our Grand Design Solitude-S 2930L 5th Wheel Trailer for the next few years, visiting every state in the contiguous U.S. and also adding Alaska and Hawaii at some stage, somehow. It really is a Grand Adventure and now that Kim and I are retired, we are thrilled with our delicious decision to travel and explore America. Henry coming with us is the cherry on top of the parfait.

It was a warm morning in Phoenix when we locked the apartment, loaded the final bits and bobs into the truck and set off to pick up the trailer. To be honest, it all felt a bit surreal, maybe I was still feeling jet lagged from my return from England, still missing family desperately, especially my dad, or maybe I was just tired after a very busy weekend of preparations. 

We arrived at the trailer and my excitement began to grow.

I chuckled at our cheesy new license plates; FUN USA on the truck and FUN UK on the trailer. 

We enjoyed the moment and then we got busy.

We hitched our beautiful Grand Design Solitude-S trailer to the Chevvy, did all the light tests and final checks, Henry removed the chocks and we slowly pulled out of the storage lot. It was 9.20am.

After several exchanges of, "Can you believe it?" "This is it!" and "We're doing it!" we rolled on to the I10 and began heading west to our first stop, Palm Springs.

We're off!

As I am traveling, my family and friends are always tucked away in my heart. They are a part of me. They travel with me. Always. 

For my first ever Friday Shout Out, I want to share with you my darling grandniece, Ellie. 

Ellis is a kind, sweet, smart, thoughtful young girl. She is devoted to her family; she is endlessly caring and patient with her younger sisters, Molly and Nancy, and a joy to see cuddling and snuggling with her new baby brother, Charlie.  I love her so much. This past week in preparation for her final year of Primary School next year, she was voted by her peers as Captain of her House. She is a natural leader and she will take her responsibilities very seriously. I could not be more proud of her. 

​Love you Ellie xxx