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Old 11-17-2012, 01:00 PM
 
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Want an ugly desert ? Try Imperial County and the smelly Salton Sea.
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Old 11-17-2012, 02:05 PM
 
Location: Murrieta California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by magnum0417 View Post
Want an ugly desert ? Try Imperial County and the smelly Salton Sea.
You are right. It is basically the same desert as Palm Springs.
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Old 11-17-2012, 05:18 PM
 
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Originally Posted by JohnSoCal View Post
You are right. It is basically the same desert as Palm Springs.
Not quite. Imperial County is just barren flat lands from Ocotillo to Yuma when driving on I 8 through Imperial Valley. No Cacti, no Joshua Trees, nothing. Atleast PS and I 10 are in a beautiful desert valley with 10000 foot peaks rising above it.

One exception to Imperial County. If you own a dune buggy, The Dunes near Yuma are unique. Otherwise, Ocotillo to Yuma is boring.

Last edited by magnum0417; 11-17-2012 at 05:57 PM.. Reason: addition
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Old 11-18-2012, 11:38 AM
 
Location: Murrieta California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by magnum0417 View Post
Not quite. Imperial County is just barren flat lands from Ocotillo to Yuma when driving on I 8 through Imperial Valley. No Cacti, no Joshua Trees, nothing. Atleast PS and I 10 are in a beautiful desert valley with 10000 foot peaks rising above it.

One exception to Imperial County. If you own a dune buggy, The Dunes near Yuma are unique. Otherwise, Ocotillo to Yuma is boring.
I was referring to lack of vegetation, not mountains. The most prominent thing growing in the Palm Springs desert area are the Windmill Farms that are downright ugly. There are no Cacti nor Joshua trees around Palm Springs except what people have planted.

However I do agree that the Imperial Valley is pretty ugly. Have driven it many times.

The simple fact is that you have to go to Arizona to get decent desert vegetation. If you really want boring, drive through the desert from Barstow to Las Vegas.
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Old 11-18-2012, 06:02 PM
 
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Originally Posted by JohnSoCal View Post
I was referring to lack of vegetation, not mountains. The most prominent thing growing in the Palm Springs desert area are the Windmill Farms that are downright ugly. There are no Cacti nor Joshua trees around Palm Springs except what people have planted.

However I do agree that the Imperial Valley is pretty ugly. Have driven it many times.

The simple fact is that you have to go to Arizona to get decent desert vegetation. If you really want boring, drive through the desert from Barstow to Las Vegas.
I happen to like Joshua Trees which are common in the elevations above 3000 feet or so. It is funny how the Colorado River truly is the boundary between Saguaros and just sand. It's all the Sonoran Desert Ecosystem but CA clearly must have some subtle climate differences that effect the desert with the inability to support Saguaros. I am aware PS is the same desert as the likes of El Centro so sorry about the semantics of the above post. I actually prefer the high desert of Jacumba over any of the Low Desert in Imperial Valley. Just gotta be prepared to deal with a town of nudists when visiting.LOL.
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Old 11-19-2012, 02:02 AM
 
Location: Murrieta California
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Originally Posted by magnum0417 View Post
I happen to like Joshua Trees which are common in the elevations above 3000 feet or so. It is funny how the Colorado River truly is the boundary between Saguaros and just sand. It's all the Sonoran Desert Ecosystem but CA clearly must have some subtle climate differences that effect the desert with the inability to support Saguaros. I am aware PS is the same desert as the likes of El Centro so sorry about the semantics of the above post. I actually prefer the high desert of Jacumba over any of the Low Desert in Imperial Valley. Just gotta be prepared to deal with a town of nudists when visiting.LOL.
It is interesting how the Colorado river is the border between the Saguaros on the AZ side. The Palm Springs area is much drier than Phoenix which could account for the lack of vegetation in Palm Springs. However that doesn't explain why you get the Saguaros as soon as you cross into Arizona on I-10.
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Old 11-19-2012, 10:33 AM
 
Location: Philadelphia
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I may be going to Palm Springs for the first time this weekend. I am so excited, and will post as soon as I get back on my personal preference. Both cities are so beautiful, so its hard to decide.
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Old 11-19-2012, 01:53 PM
 
Location: Murrieta California
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Originally Posted by Hawaii4evr View Post
I may be going to Palm Springs for the first time this weekend. I am so excited, and will post as soon as I get back on my personal preference. Both cities are so beautiful, so its hard to decide.
I like Palm Springs to visit and do so frequently but I wouldn't call it beautiful. I don't see the purpose in trying to compare San Diego with Palm Springs. They are entirely different. Accept each one for what they are and enjoy what each offers.
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Old 11-19-2012, 05:25 PM
 
Location: Sandy Eggo - Kensington
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnSoCal View Post
I like Palm Springs to visit and do so frequently but I wouldn't call it beautiful. I don't see the purpose in trying to compare San Diego with Palm Springs. They are entirely different. Accept each one for what they are and enjoy what each offers.
What I like about PS is how it sits at the base of the a massive mountain. You can actually see the tram lights going up the mountain at night.
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Old 11-20-2012, 03:24 PM
 
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We visited Palm Springs a few years ago in mid-September. That's still high summer there, temps still well over 100 every day. We had come from San Diego where stuff is open late. In Palm Springs, we had trouble finding a restaurant open past 8pm.

For some reason it reminded me of Las Vegas. Obviously it doesn't have the casinos, but it had a "soulless" vibe like Vegas does. I would *never* raise a family in Palm Springs. It just felt like the city had no heart.
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