Author Archives: Randy Devoli

We left our beloved Palm Springs on March 1st and drove through the Mojave National Preserve to Las Vegas. The preserve had a fire in Aug 2020 and was quite eerie, yet thriving. Incredible numbers of Joshua trees were everywhere. Our new condo is off Flamingo and Buffalo, west of the strip. Most of ourContinue reading “Back in Vegas”

We are still in Palm Springs, having extended our stay until March 1st to ride out the pandemic in warmth. California has been closed down for a majority of our stay since November 15th, but outdoor dining has just reopened. We are spending our days hiking, walking the downtown corridor, attending the zoo, riding ourContinue reading “Palm Springs”

Robolights! What the hell is Robolights? In a nutshell, this guy started making giant robots and post apocalyptic Christmas decorations and over decades developed an immense collection. During Christmas, his 8 million lights attracted many visitors as well as complaints from neighbors and so for Christmas 2019 and 2020 Robolights was not open. It isContinue reading “Robolights”

We went here a few weeks ago. Decided to get a membership as it pays for itself with 2 visits and we will be here several more months. This zoo is highly ranked, rated 10 best zoos in US by Conde’ Nast Traveler as well as in the top 1% of all attractions in theContinue reading “Living Desert Zoo”

What a beautiful place! Fortunately, we have our America the Beautiful National Park Pass. It gives us free entry to all US national parks and saved us $30. Joshua Tree lies at the overlap of the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Lots of hiking trails and campgrounds. For Robin, this desert treasure is truly a spiritualContinue reading “Joshua Tree National Park”

Another beautiful and peaceful hiking area just north of Palm Springs. Most of the preserves are free of charge to enter. Visitors centers have usually been closed due to Covid. The Canyon Loop Trail actually connects with the Pacific Crest Trail. We did not get that far this time, but we will get back there.

This is a working movie set, but with real buildings, not facades. It is located north of Palm Springs Chilly day when we were there. We had ribs (takeout) from Pappy and Harriet’s.

We absolutely love Palm Springs. Very peaceful, mellow vibe here. We have a 1 BR 1 Ba condo, about 600 square feet. The pool and hot tub are about 100 ft away, but the hot tub has not been heated since our 2nd day here due to Riverside Co Covid rules. Word is out thatContinue reading “Palm Springs Nov 15- Dec 7th”

After a hectic drive from Vegas, we arrived at Mark and Arlene’s in Fountain Valley, CA. Due to Covid and some high risk people, Mark had us set up in his motor home out front of his home. He even set us up for 2 nights at Bolsa Chica State Beach. Dinner at Coach’s MediterraneanContinue reading “Orange County and LA. Nov 2-Nov 15, 2020”

Neon Museum We went ahead and took the evening tour. A worthwhile tour to understand the history of Las Vegas. Erotic Heritage Museum Now this was an interesting museum. X Rated, so beware. Las Vegas Natural History Museum A smaller, older museum which was still interesting to stroll through. Easy to spend a couple ofContinue reading “Museums of Vegas”