The Mountains of So. Cal at 7 a.m.

I'm back! Had a nice, quiet vacation touring around So Cal and Arizona. Beautiful, but hot. First stop was Indian Wells at the Grand Champions Resort and Spa. You can get some smoking (no pun intended) deals at the resorts in the desert this time of year. It was 117 degrees when I arrived. Only white people and their need to separate themselves from the rest of the world would live in the desert during the summer. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but, still, there wasn't a brotha or sista to be found.

The resort is surrounded by the San Jacinto Mountains. Pretty awesome site. Hung out at the pool and played some golf. Practically had the place to myself. Very nice.

After Indian Wells I drove through the Sonora desert to visit some friends in Phoenix.... Scottsdale to be specific. Had a great time in PHX that included an awesome conversation with a very dear friend. Thanks, M.!

Here are some pics from the trip.

Sunset from my balcony

Indian Wells


Entrance at the resort


6:30 a.m. tee time.


Mountain view


Giver of life in the desert


Crazy cactus


1st birdie of the day on hole # 1


The mountains of So Cal at 7 a.m.


Course view


2nd and last birdie of the day on the tee at # 10




A couple more sunsets from the balcony




Some Saguaro cactus in Phoenix


Other native flora


On my last trip to Palau, I showed you some art native to the area. Check out this post for a refresher. In Scottsdale, my friend had this incredible picture on her wall from local artist. It looks like a close up photograph of a cactus but it was created by drawing small, looping circles with a pencil. In the last picture you can almost see the circles. Pretty crazy talent.

Hope you enjoyed. I'll be back to posting regularly now. Peace!