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<\/a>Chuck inspects a propeller blade<\/p><\/div>\n
It was windy, very windy, but that was to be expected, we were in the middle of a \u2018wind farm\u2019<\/strong>.\u00a0 Yes, after years of driving by all those windmills on our way to Palm Desert<\/strong>, we finally stopped to take the tour and learn exactly what was going on with all these giant propellers.\u00a0 Perhaps you wondered as well, well wonder no more.\u00a0 Also, in case you\u2019re hungry after your tour of the wind farm, I\u2019ll give you three good recommendations for restaurants that we tried for the first time and found to be quite good.<\/p>\n First, why are these windmills where they are?\u00a0 The Gorgonio Pass<\/strong>, which not only has a lot of wind going through it, but also a waterway, a railroad, an Interstate freeway and the San Andreas Fault<\/strong>, sits between the\u00a0 two largest mountains in Southern California, Mt. San Gorgonio<\/strong> and Mt. San Jacinto<\/strong>, both stretching over 11,000 feet.\u00a0 Those mountains create weather patterns that help make California one of the top three windiest states in the US, trailing only Texas<\/strong> and Iowa<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Notice the ‘bus’ behind the propeller<\/p><\/div>\n The first windmill was put in place there in 1982<\/strong> and there are now over 1,200 windmills<\/strong> of various sizes, some are taller than the Empire State building<\/strong> and some have propeller blades over 200 feet in length!<\/strong> \u00a0To put their size in perspective, if you\u2019re driving on the freeway, at the top the windmills you\u2019ll see a \u2018little box\u2019 behind the propeller blades, that \u2018little box\u2019 is the size of a bus!\u00a0 This wind farm supplies a year of electricity for 250,000 homes<\/strong>.\u00a0 These things are huge, and the ones that are out in the ocean, are MUCH bigger!<\/p>\n As we were wending our way around and through several of the windmills in a six-passenger golf cart, our guide pointed to a large building in the distance and told us that that building held the largest pot farm<\/strong> in North America.\u00a0 So, I guess when the wind is blowing just right, Palm Springs gets a little high!<\/p>\n Walt & Patty enjoying the evening<\/p><\/div>\n The three restaurants I\u2019d recommend, two for food and one for entertainment are, for food, Waldo\u2019s Ristorante & Bar<\/strong>; where\u2019s Waldo\u2019s?\u00a0 The corner of Country Club and Cook; it has great Italian food in a comfortable setting, indoor-outdoor seating and a cute bar \u2013 call many days in advance, it\u2019s packed!\u00a0 The second restaurant is La Brasserie Bistro & Bar<\/strong>, a French restaurant in La Quinta, with a diverse menu and excellent French Onion Soup.\u00a0 For great entertainment, we were turned on to this next place by Patty & Walt Schwartz, who live in the area and know how to have a good time as well as where to find one.\u00a0 We met them at the Paseo Hotel<\/strong>, off El Paseo across from Tommy Bahama\u2019s, the restaurant in the hotel is called the Larkspur Grill<\/strong>, and the food is good, but the music on Thursday nights is awesome, provided by \u2018Fun With Dick & Jane\u2019<\/strong> \u2013 a great band that plays all the great hits from the 70s & 80s. You could go just for the \u2018people watching\u2019, \u00a0\u2013 it is truly a show!!<\/p>\n Linda\u2019s sister, Starlet and her husband Donnie, drove out from Arizona to join us for three nights, and our son, Jeff came out and played a round of golf with us.\u00a0 So it was another great week an hour and a half away from home, but in a whole different world.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow It was windy, very windy, but that was to be expected, we were in the middle of a \u2018wind farm\u2019.\u00a0 Yes, after years of driving by all those windmills on our way to Palm Desert, we finally … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Windmill-300x276.jpg\")
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