In just two more “sleeps” Helen will be leaving us and Desert Hot Springs so today we decided to go for a drive up to Idyllwild as the weather was gorgeous, perfect for seeing the beautiful views. We set out early, 9:30, in order to have more time for sight seeing followed by a stop at the Cabazon Outlet Mall on our way back.

The drive up into the mountains proved to be spectacular and the further up we climbed, the cooler the air got, however it was still at a pleasant 16C (60F) in the town. This time we explored Idyllwild a little more and we stopped for lunch at a great little eatery, the Café Aroma , where we were entertained while we ate our meal by a talented classical guitarist, Ernie Alé. The ambience was cosy, the food was excellent and based on the number of patrons there, it is a popular spot with the locals. There’ll be no concerns about vampires at our house for days though as everything was heavily laden with garlic and we all indulged in it. After lunch we strolled from one gift shop or gallery to the next, meeting several interesting folks along our way (probably knocking them out with our breath) and learning about this unique community.

Eventually we headed to the outlet mall where we did a little shopping before heading into Palm Springs for dinner (yes more food!). It was late in the day (5:30 PM), we were tired from a lot of walking and we didn’t feel like cooking at home. We ate at a great Mexican restaurant, Las Consuelas that we have been meaning to try since we got here and we were not disappointed. However, between the earlier feast of garlic laced foods and the refried beans with our Mexican meal…well it doesn’t take much imagination to figure out why I’ll be burning scented candles for a while. Uh huh, it will likely be a smelly night!!!