Snow sledding in Palm Springs, am I kidding?  No.  We rode the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up to an elevation of 8200 feet.  Since there was a late season snow storm right before we got here, there was still some snow on the ground.  However, the days had highs in the 60s, so while there was a reported 5 inches of snow on the morning we went, by the time we got there, the snow was very patchy and the sledding was not very good.  But we had lugged two snow sleds up the tramway, and dang it, we were going to use them.

On an irritating side note, the 3G data connection at the top of the mountain was better than in our hotel room. 

View Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in a larger map

Here is a Google Maps of the trip we took.  I guess I had my phone in my pocket for a bit too long on the tram.

On the way into Palm Springs, via CA-111, we passed a place along the road that had a bunch of quads out front with a rental sign.  Offroad Rentals has a bunch of private acreage that they have turned into a nifty ATV park.  Max, Lucy and I trekked out there and had a great time.  It was a bit pricey, but worth it.  Lucy was a little nervous at first, but the lady that did the instruction was nice and helped her out.  The throttle was a bit stiff for Lucy and so she had to take frequent thumb breaks.  Max eventually got the hang of shifting.

Desert Quad riders are too tough to smile.

We went to The Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert.  This is a zoo that houses lots of animals that are native to a desert environment. 

They also have an extensive model train display.  It was Roly’s favorite exhibit.  Although, he did enjoy the shows and exhibits that featured birds.

And, of course, the obligatory zoo carousel.

We are having a great time in Palm Springs.  We are staying at the Palm Canyon Resort.  They have a really great pool with a super fast waterslide and a kiddie waterslide.  The rooms very big.  We have a mountain-side room and our balcony opens up into a great view. 

Poppa and YaYa down the hall with their friends the Milehams.  They had a bit of trouble with their original room (2 bdrm, but only 1 bath).  Yaya was originally told that she had to call an 800# to get the room changed, and this turned out to be difficult.  The resort staff onsite was great and they were able to change rooms, no problems.

Part of the difficulty for YaYa was that the cell phone call kept dropping.  The cell coverage in the rooms is spotty, and the internet access is not free. 

Part of what Toby *really* looks forward to on vacation is to be able to sleep in.  So my job is to keep the kids quiet in the mornings.  Our routine is to eat breakfast and then head down to the pool when it opens at 8a.  We spend an hour+ at the pool while mom gets to gradually wake up.