This was our trip to the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs and surrounding areas) to see Desert X. What is Desert X you ask? It is a sort of art scavenger hunt that is held in the odd years. It started in 2017 and this is the third incarnation of Desert X. Cindy and I experienced it in 2019 and loved it so much, we had to return this year. There will be a link to their official website at the end of this blog. So don’t cheat; read the blog then go to their website.
Day 1
As is the usual, this was our travel day. However, because the travel day was so short (about 2 ½ hours), it was also a bit of a sightseeing day as well. We took our trailer (little pal) and stayed at our Thousand Trails in Palm Desert. It was a great way to get out in our trailer and save a bit of money as well. The campsite was fine, nothing to write home about. Unfortunately, there was a lot of sand, which is problematic in an area known for strong winds. How windy can it be you ask? There are hundreds of wind turbines all around the area used to generate electricity. Now back to the campground. The bathrooms were very clean, which was important. And the location was not too far from the majority of what we wanted to see.
Once we got ourselves settled, we headed off to the main hub of Desert X, located at the Ace Hotel on East Palm Drive, the main drag through the majority of the main Coachella Valley cities. We found the Ace Hotel, and this is the sign that let us know we were in the right place.
We walked to the back of the hotel, and the Desert X area was near the pool, which was packed with 20 somethings in various forms of dress and undress. As my friend Vic would say, this was a “jivey little scene.” We picked up our Desert X program and confusing map, and I took a picture of the changes to the program, shown here. This becomes important on Tuesday as we searched for an art location.
We headed to the downtown area looking for the Desert X souvenir shop, but got there right after it closed. We had a dinner of Mexican food at Las Casuelas Restaurant. The food was good and we would return. After dinner we headed back to our trailer and called it a day.
Day 2
The day started out pretty much wind free, but was going to get hot. Around low 90 degrees hot. We lathered up with sunscreen and started with a mile and a half walk around our campground. We saw a pair of roadrunners, which was unique to us. We have seen them as individuals, but never as a pair. Here they are.
After our walk, we headed off to find the art of Desert X. Our first stop was in the downtown Palm Springs area at the North Face X Gucci Pit Stop. This was basically a domed tent in a vacant lot. Our guess was this was making fun of the fact that someone who shops at North Face probably doesn’t shop and Gucci and vice versa. Make up your own mind.
Our second stop was near the Palm Springs Tram, an exhibit called, “Never Forget.” This was a giant “Indianland” sign in the style of the original “Hollywoodland” sign. It was an obvious statement about our mistreatment of the Native Americans. Here it is.
Our third stop was at “The Wishing Well.” This piece was made from cut up pieces of yellow plastic Kufuor gallons (aka Jerrycans) used to transport water, cooking oil, and other things in Ghana. The artist is from Ghana and wanted to highlight environmental issues, among other things. Or maybe he was trying to highlight the exploitation of SpongeBob in Bikini Bottom.
Our final art stop of the day was a combination of a stop and a drive by. It was called “The Art of Taming Horses.” This was a series of six metallic horse sculptures, each was a unique flag next to it. They were in the center divider of a busy street, making them very difficult to get close to. They were the story of “Two ranchers — one Mexican, one African-American — whose personal adversities and love for raising horses lead them to creating a welcoming commune in the place that would eventually become Palm Springs.” Once we found the first horse, we parked and made our way to the center divider.
We decided to not risk the dangerous street crossing and just got “drive by” pictures of the next two horses.
There were three more horses that we enjoyed driving by, but did not photograph.
We returned to our campground, and as I BBQ’ed dinner, a fire broke in a brushy area across the freeway from where we were camping.
It was exciting to watch all of the drama associated with the fire and it provided some entertainment. So basically, we had dinner and a show.
Day 3
We started the day wind free again, but expected another hot one in the low 90’s. We drove to the downtown area and found the gift shop open this time. We purchased our Desert X paraphernalia and we off to try to find a piece named, “Home in my Own Flesh.” We walked around the building it was supposed to be in several times and couldn’t find it. We went into the building and talked to an employee who told us there was supposed to be some art there, but it never showed up. Turns out it was on the list from the first day as not being there until May. So it was off to see, “Tamanrasset,” another art display in the downtown area. We showed up at that building, which was closed, and again, we couldn’t find the art. After a few trips around the building, we realized it was right in front of us. Or just behind the glass in front of us. Here are a few pictures.
Our next stop was in a desert area in Palm Desert at a piece called, “The Passenger.” This was an arrow shaped maze with the walls made of “Petates,” traditional rugs woven from palm fibers. This was one of my favorite pieces.
Next, we drove by a series of billboards on Gene Autry Trail. This was another art display named, “Because You Know Ultimately We Will Band a Militia.” I was glad we didn’t get any pictures of this one because it was political BS. Moving on.
Our final stop was at a piece named, “Jackrabbit Homestead.” This was a replica of one of the original tiny houses that people built in the area when it was opened up to homesteading.
We returned to our campground and had another BBQ dinner, minus the show this time.
Day 4
This was our last full day in the area and it was a windy one. There were sustained winds of 20-30 MPH, with gusts up to 50 MPH. We battened down our campground hatches and headed off to our first art of the day, “ParaPivot (sempiternal clouds).” This was a metal frame with giant pieces of granite in it on the top of a hill. We had to walk a 1/4 of a mile up a steep driveway to get to the art.
Once we got to the top, we enjoyed the art, crazy wind and all.
And no, Cindy’s hair is not possessed, it was the wind. We made our way back to the truck and headed off to find the next exhibit, “What Lies Behind the Walls.”
We found the site, and it was also about a 1/4 of a mile walk to the art. It was also windy as heck and they obviously secured this piece of art down well, because it wasn’t moving.
From a distance, it looked like a really large slice of layered sandstone. It looked cool, but I wondered what was so special about it. Here are some more pictures of it as you approach and stand next to it.
This turned out to be one of my favorite pieces once I figured out how it was done. It was actually a spongy material that was covered with different types of rock material and stacked to around 40 feet. It was impressive.
The final Desert X piece we were going to see was at the Sunnylands Center & Gardens and was called, “Women’s Qualities.” We visited the Sunnylands Center & Gardens two years ago and it is worth visiting with or without Desert X. Here are a few pictures of the grounds.
This display was words in shaped planters with plants in them. I’m not sure how this rates on the “artsy” scale, but it was interesting to look at.
RESILIENT 
CARING 
DETERMINED 
STRONG 
LOVING
One of the best parts of our visit to the Sunnylands Center & Gardens was how there was no wind. It was a peaceful oasis in a windy desert. As we walked out, there were numerous hummingbirds feeding on the plants there. Here is one.
Our final stop was at the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden next to the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert. This is a permanent exhibit that has nothing to do with Desert X and is worth seeing if you are near the area.
This next piece was “untitled,” but I think it is the answer to the homeless problem. The center is the living space, and either side can be used for storing the shopping carts and other items the homeless tend to collect.
These rabbits looked like the rabbits we saw two years ago, only in a new location. And these were not part of the display we were walking through, but was across the street.
And now some more sculptures from our side of the street.
And a few more pictures from the overall display.
We returned to our trailer at the campground and had to stay inside because the wind was creating a sand storm. I couldn’t use the BBQ to make dinner, so we went out to Legends and Icons Bar and Grill, right down the street from where we were staying. The food was average at best, but better than eating BBQ covered in sand.
Day 5
This was our travel day home and all went smoothly. We stopped in Monrovia and had lunch at Le Roy’s. Le Roy’s is a breakfast and lunch restaurant that has been in Monrovia forever. Cindy and I would eat there back when we were dating. We figured out the last time we had eaten there was over 29 years ago. It is basically a greasy spoon place with huge portions, but we will always love it!
Last, but not least, here is the link to the Desert X website.
Our next trip is actually my guys trip to June Lake for five days of fishing with Dan B and several others.