Ritz Carlton Palm Springs

Ron Niebrugge California, Photos, Travel Leave a Comment

Ritz Carlton Palm Springs

Palm Springs area at sunrise.

I have spent the last couple of days in the Palm Springs area doing an assignment for Ritz-Carlton – they are building a beautiful new resort on the hills above  Rancho Mirage, California.  This is actually the amazing view from one of the rooms!  Right now this room consists metal studs as construction is in full swing, but by the fall of 2008, the resort should be open with guests enjoying this wonderful view.

My photo posts from the two previous days are also from this site.  This location provides views of the surrounding mountains that our equally as nice, I look forward to seeing the finished product!

Palm Springs

Ron Niebrugge California, Photos, Travel 2 Comments

Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs, California. 

 I’m in Palm Springs area for a couple of nights for an assignment – this was from last night as I scouted in the hills above Rancho Mirage.

Joshua Tree National Park

Ron Niebrugge California, Photos, Travel 11 Comments

Wildflowers in Joshua Tree National Park

Wildflowers in Joshua Tree National Park, California.

I had been hearing wonderful things about the Southern Entrance to Joshua Tree NP, and I must say they were accurate.  The fields of flowers in this couple mile stretch are every bit as good as 2005 in my opinion; there are wonderful fields with a beautiful variety of color!  I wish I had gone a little sooner as many are a little past prime.

I liked how the last light of day was just hitting the top of the flowers – it almost made them glow.  On the downside, by this time of day the poppies had all closed up – 2 hours earlier, this filed had lots of bright yellow poppies far more visible.

 It is interesting to compare this year with the famous bloom of 2005.  This year there is lots of California Sage and Poppies.  In 2005, this area had lots of lupine and Brittlebush.  Here is the same location from 2005:  Joshua Tree Wildflowers.  Of course in both years there were dozens of other wildflowers mixed in.

Desert Sand Verbena

Ron Niebrugge Anza-Borrego, California, Photos, Travel 2 Comments

Desert Sand Verbena

Desert Sand Verbena, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

The weather has warmed up here into the low 80’s this week.  We had rain in 3 of our first 8 days here, and now the warm weather seems to have jumped started the wildflowers, they are suddenly showing in many more places now.  I think the next week or two should be pretty good.