We leave San Diego mid-afternoon for our next family travel journey and decide to drive to Palm Springs. We arrive and it is just starting to get dark. We have no idea Gay Pride Festival is on this weekend, so most reasonable hotels are booked out. Luxury travel experts recommend you do early bookings to avoid such disappointments so lesson learned for future expertise. Anyway, I must have driven to 10 or 15 hotels before we finally find a cancellation – but it is at Motel 6 – not my favorite as are a chain hotel group. For this single parent travel adventure, it seems we will have to spend the night in the motel –  we have no choice.

Alas, there is a faulty air-conditioning unit next door, and from midnight until 7:00 a.m. it has 5 minutes sounding like a Mac truck going through the room and then 5 minutes of peace. I go to reception and the manager could not give a hoot and by now I am really an overtired single Mum. This manager refuses to even go to the room next door. As the hotel is booked out I am stuck. I visit him 3 times. In the end, I yell so loudly at around 3:00 a.m. I losing my voice and I am really upset.

This is the start of me being a super overtired single Mum and I’ve had enough and need to go to a peaceful place to rest. Next morning there is a lovely girl in the reception area. I had already packed the bags in the car. She offers me a free night and 50% off the previous night. And a room by the pool – I say “YES”! (Later her manager finds out and is NOT happy!)

Next morning it is hot – so hot – in fact, I barely can sit for 1 second on the Lucille Ball seat to get a photo. This is right by where we line up to get breakfast at Pinnochio’s in the Desert. It is over a 1-hour’s wait to get a table. This town has gone crazy and can barely cope with the influx of tourists.

We drive around and find some amazing metal statues.  I realize how tired I am especially as I have lacked sleep as an overtired single Mum.  It is getting to me and I need to take it easy today.

We then find a huge Marilyn Munroe statue where we pose to get a photograph.

We head back to sort the room and find this glitzy ‘camp’ car. It is decorated with mosaic mirrors – even on the side windows. I am amazed that it is legal and it is in keeping with the gay festival that has overtaken the town.

Then, the very next day we do the most Aerial Tramway. The internal floor rotates – which makes me a little off in the tummy at the start. We opt for the sunset tram and head up late afternoon.

It is so cold.  The water bottle has leaked in my knapsack and I have wet trousers and socks and this overtired single Mum can’t seem to win a trick. So I am stuck in shorts as I cannot change to the warm clothes I have brought with me in expectation. Thank goodness we have been loaned some fleece tops by our friends in LA. We love the feeling at the top of Mount San Jacinto.

It is breathtaking at the top of the mount and we race around the pine forest for some time just before sunset which is fun for this single Mum and son.

It is a small walk down but it is getting cold and damp. The ranger is also out looking for lost Japanese tourists and we join in the search for a while to try and find them before dark.

The change in climate is amazing going from the heat below to the cool up here.  As an overtired single Mum, I let my son roam around within eye view.

We head to the city viewing area as the sun starts to set and the colors of the sky are really pretty.

We stay up here until dark at the lookout area. The city lights of Palm Springs are just divine. We spend 3 days in total in Palm Springs. I am getting tired. I haven’t caught up on the night; I missed my sleep. My eyes are red and sting. I long for a few days rest. I hope I get this when we go towards Grand Canyon, but somehow I doubt it. Apparently, you can take tours from here too and there is a pretty cool lookout.

Now Motel 6 ends up being a good place to stay. The pool is heated to a glorious temperature. We enjoy evening swims. I also embark on designer Thrift Shopping which was incredible. On writing this I have left Palm Springs. If I had time, I would have actually bought a lot more. I should have spent $100 and ditched my old clothes and bought new ones here. Many designer clothes still had their store tags attached. There were some amazing items with luxury labels for just a few dollars. With travel, clothes become boring and finding bargains and treasures can be fun.

But all in all, we really did love Palm Springs.

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