Living the Dream...: Thursday, January 20 to Monday, January 24, 2022 (The Oasis Resort, Palm Springs, CA PART 1)

This week we are taking a "vacation" to Palm Springs to get away from the crowds that congregate here for the annual Quartzsite Sports, Vacation and RV Show...besides a week staying in a Deluxe 2-bedroom, 1250 sq. ft. unit sounds like paradise to me! Not to mention the 8 pools and hot tubs! We asked Earl and Allison to join us for a little change of scenery...they readily accepted!

We decided to break it down into 2 separate blogs due to the number of pictures. Here is "Part 1"...

Since check-in wasn't until 4pm, we decided to leave at 1pm (noon California time) for the 2 1/2 hour drive...that would give us time to stop at Costco for a little shopping before checking in.

The Oasis office and Clubhouse...

Steve and I went in to register and then we proceeded to Unit 33. After unloading the truck and getting unpacked, it was time to take a look at the literature about the resort.

Cheers to a great week! Caesars seemed to be our happy hour drink for the week!

Dinner tonight was quick and easy, a precooked chicken!

Friday morning we got out for a walk around the resort...there are 8 pools/hot tubs. This is pool #4, the main pool off of the office...and the closest pool to us.

The Oasis is one of a number of resorts owned/managed by VI Resorts (Vacation Internationale) that we belong to. Perhaps I should say partially owned/managed, because some of the units ("Villas") are also privately owned. We believe approximately 116 of the 180 units are VI and the remaining are privately owned. There is a path running down the middle with the 8 pools/hot tubs...the units on the right (east) side are privately owned, the ones on the left (west) are VI.

There are a number of fountains...

This privately owned one has a huge patio with its own hot tub...

One of the many pools...

Pool #8 at the end of the property...

Beautiful mountain backdrop...

Our "home"...complete with a 2 car garage...

A few pictures of the inside...Allison and Steve relaxing in the living room. The interior shows it's age with the furniture, textured walls and ceilings as we were told the resort was built in the 80's, but it was very nice.

Earl "working" at the dining room table...

Kitchen, complete with dishwasher (sweet!)...

Breakfast nook off kitchen (you can also see a bit of the patio outside, with an electric barbecue)...

After our walk around the property, the guys found a spot that sounded really cool for lunch...Bongo Johnny's Patio Bar and Grill. It is on the second floor and has 2 large patio's and is obviously a popular spot!

We all enjoyed a great lunch...Earl and Steve both said it was the best burger they have had in a very long time!

As we were walking back to the truck we noticed what appeared to be the beginnings of a mobile staggette...

Saturday morning Allison, Steve and I went to the College of the Desert (COD) Street Fair...unfortunately Earl's back was giving him some grief so he stayed home. Masks were mandatory here but there's always a few that refuse. We found California a stark difference from Arizona as far as COVID. In Arizona it's like there isn't a pandemic but in California most people are masked.

Even high end vehicles were for sale...

That afternoon we went for another walk around the resort...and Steve took a few more pictures. This is the driveway up to the office/clubhouse...

Looking back at the gated entry to the resort...

Privately owned units...

Dinner time!

Sunday and our morning walk...Allison and I did our best Vanna White showing you our place...

Earl and Allison took us for a drive to their favourite campground in the area...Lake Cahuilla Veteran's Regional Park ...

Surrounded by the stark beauty of the Santa Rosa Mountains, Lake Cahuilla (pronounced Kah-wee-ah) is a favorite recreation area in the Coachella Valley. The park offers individual and group camping, fishing, picnicking, swimming, special events and equestrian and hiking trails. RV and tent campers will find more than 150 spacious sites (46 with hookups) for individual and group camping. Amenities include showers, a dump station, and picnic/play areas, complete with barbecues, tables and lawns. Camp for the weekend or enjoy an extended stay. While swimming is not allowed in the lake, the huge swimming pool (open April through October), provides a welcome respite from the summer heat. The pool has lifeguard stations and showers. Expansive lawns, shaded areas, convenient parking and a picturesque setting make Lake Cahuilla an ideal setting for special events, ranging from company picnics to concerts to boat races. A new group area features barbecue grills for group services, bike racks, restrooms, and for equestrians, corrals, hitching posts and a horse trough. Whether it's a group event, family picnic or holiday camping trip, Lake Cahuilla offers some of the best recreation in the desert.

Beyond the posts is the dry camping area...

Panorama view...

Most of the sites seem spacious....

As we were headed to the equestrian camping area Steve noticed a herd of mountain sheep in the distance near the playground...

We pulled into the parking lot to get closer when all of a sudden a couple more came strolling through...

Earl got some great shots with his camera...

Steve noticed another herd in the distance at the base of the mountain so Earl got this telephoto shot...

Pool time in the afternoon! Earl and Steve taking in some "rays"...

Allison in the hot tub...

Monday afternoon Allison and Earl dropped us off at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway...time to knock-off another bucket list item! Earl and Allison had been before, so they chose not to go again...but offered to drop us off and pick us up...sweet, thanks guys!

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway—the world’s largest rotating tram car—travels over two-and-one-half miles along the breathtaking cliffs of Chino Canyon, transporting riders to the pristine wilderness of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park. During your approximately ten-minute journey, tram cars rotate slowly, offering picturesque and spectacular vistas of the valley floor below. Once you reach the Mountain Station—elevation 8,516 feet—enjoy two restaurants, observation decks, natural history museum, two documentary theaters, gift shop and over 50 miles of hiking trails.

Here comes our ride...

On our way up...

In the distance through the haze we could see the Salton Sea...

The first thing we did before looking around was grab some lunch. Two slices of pizza and a couple of beers were $30.04 and unfortunately Steve's pizza was terrible, tasting like it was last weeks leftovers!

Palm Springs in the distance...

Palm Springs Windmill Farm below...

Palm Springs...

We made our way to the trail behind the main building...

The trail zig zags to the valley below...

We turned around before getting to the bottom. At this elevation it's a steep and a slow go back to the top. We would love to explore some of the 50 miles of trails if we were ever back here in the fall.

There is a viewing area of the large cable wheels in the waiting room..

We were first in line to board the Tramcar and got a spot at the window this time...

As our Tramcar rotated down the mountain Steve got some great shots...

Looking back...

Below our tramcar...

Colourful mountainside...

Tramcar coming up in the distance...

These tramcars hold 80 people but capacity was reduced to 50 due to COVID. Still looked like a crowd of 80 to us :))

Last look back...

Almost ready to dock...

Although late in the afternoon, we decided to get more pool time...unfortunately, the area gets shaded quickly due to the trees...and surrounding mountains...

Me in the hot tub...

We enjoyed happy hour out on our patio...one drawback to our unit was that it backed onto the busy East Palm Canyon Drive so it was a little noisy sitting out...