We spent one week at the end of March 2020 in the beautiful Sky Valley, just north of Coachella and north east of Palm Springs, at what became one of our favorite RV parks: Sky Valley RV Resort. If the world were ending, we would have thought ourselves in Paradise there, surrounded by peaceful palms and multicolor cactus blooms.

Not even a pandemic could minimize the beauty of spring time in the desert. The cacti bloomed in a technicolor explosion, and the sun wrapped us in a mild warmth. Citrus trees and date palms lured us with their fruit and delicate-smelling flowers. Trumpet vines, lantanas, and purple scillas added variety and brightness to the scene. Black swans, white egrets, and plenty of ducks floated on the man-made lake and grazed on the lush green grass.

We rode our bikes around the camp, oddly staying away from people—RV people are usually very social. We were pleasantly surprised to have a local grocery store come on site with fresh produce, so we didn’t have to go to a store. The doggies were my good companions, relaxing at my feet while I wrote.

From our base in Hot Springs, we took a quick trip into Palm Springs, a popular vacation home destination for California celebrities—and with good reason. The city has a laid back vibe and a deeply artsy feel. Mid century modern architecture provides a clean structural background for brightly colored landscaping. One can admire celebrity homes like Sinatra’s home and quirky decorations like a robot-ridden yard with displays combining sci-fi and religious holiday themes. This was our second trip to Palm Springs—our first trip was a brief stop, but a fruitful one: we found a Romanian grocery store!

All good things come to an end, so after a week in Paradise, we traveled to Thermal, California to catch I-10 heading east.