A date in Indio, CA

We arrived in Indio, California a couple of days ago and I didn't have time to blog so here I am. Why Indio you ask? Well it's close to the Salton Sea and also it's very close to the Palm Springs area. The park we chose is Indian Waters RV Resort, a sister park to the one we stayed at in Casa Grande. The park is beautiful, well maintained but sites are close together. After spending 4 days on the Colorado River this definitely feels a little claustrophobic.

Palm Springs is a very unique area. It's about 120 miles from LA and has seen a population growth in the last 10 years by 45%. Being in the Coachella Valley the climate is influenced by the surrounding geography. High mountains on three sides contribute to the warm climate year round. This climate makes it idea for growing dates. Our first stop was Shields Date Garden. We got there around lunch and the place was packed.

Around since 1924

As we got out of our truck the fragrance in the air from the orange, lemon, and grapefruit blossoms was absolutely stunning. I told Sue to kept going I just wanted to stay in the parking lot savoring the wonderful smell.

Orange Blossoms

Did you know that dates are the oldest known cultivated tree crop and most expensive to produce. I didn't, all I knew about dates is when my mother made dates squares I was all in. Anyway our visit to Shields was very informative. We watched the movie "The Romance and Sex Life of the Date" in their theater then sampled different kinds.

Medjool Dates....my favorite

Our good friends Marilyn & Dave told us we had to try a date shake but beware they are sweet. As we stood in line it seemed that everyone wanted a date shake. Who knew they would be so popular.

Lineup for date shakes

After grabbing our shake, only one because it might be to sweet for me we went to tour their date garden.

Notice who has the date shake

Fact: After a date shoot is planted it will be 5 years before it produces 30-40 pounds and 10-15 years to produce 150-300 pounds of dates. Dates are reached by climbing up ladders that are permanently attached in the trees. The ladders are moved upward every couple of years as the tree grows.

Date Palm with ladder attached

With the date shake gone we ventured into downtown Palm Springs to see some sights. The large statue of Marilyn Monroe is quite the tourist attraction. Marilyn Monroe was discovered in Palm Springs in 1949 at the age of 22. 

Marilyn statue

After walking off the date shake in downtown Palm Springs we headed back to the campground for a long deserved swim. With the sun going down we saw a hot air balloon going for a sunset flight.

Up, up, and away