In the Desert with Dr. Steve

Impressive Lenticular Cloud

I have been remiss in not writing the final post from my trip to California in March. After the IBCM (Imperiled Butterfly Conservation and Management) course I stayed on to meet up with Dr. Steve in Palm Springs and spend some time in the desert. Dr. Steve is a chiropractor from Los Angeles. It's hard to believe that I have now known him for fifteen years.

On Saturday we hiked in Murray Canyon, one of the Indian Palm Canyons south of Palm Springs. Our hike began on a gloriously sunny day. The desert wildflowers were in bloom and we were treated to views of an impressive lenticular cloud over the mountains.

Dr. Steve Hopping on Rocks

The stream in Murray Canyon flows year round. The trail crosses the stream many times. There was lots of rock hopping as we crisscrossed the stream. This took some getting used to, but there were no seriously wet feet.

View of the Washingtonia Palms

Most of the trail is lined with desert fan palms (Washingtonia filifera), a species that I always enjoy visiting. We saw a fair number of butterflies, however few of them posed for a photo.

Bottom of the Cascade at the End of the Trail

The trail ends at a cascading waterfall. Unfortunately the spring runoff had the stream levels very high, so I was unable to position myself for a good photo of the whole cascade. As we were there on a Saturday, the trail was surprisingly crowded. There must have been between 50 and 100 people in the canyon that day.

Another hiker snapped this photo of me and Dr. Steve at the waterfall

Dr. Steve really enjoyed the hike (as did I). It's always an enjoyable opportunity to spend time outdoors with a friend that I don't get to see often enough.