Sam the Man's Grad Party and a Palm Springs Trip

Katie, Sam, Valerie, Me and my brother, Gaylord

Pool at my first apartment 41 years later.  (1972)

My first apartment's front door unchanged since 1972

My first home in Palm Springs is still there (1974 or so). Great times were had by all.

The Dunes is now the Comfort Inn.  I managed the place and 45 employees when I was 23  (1973)

Dead tree from Tram lodge

The Coachella Valley from tram lodge 9,000 ft. +-

Tramway's new rotating car

Looking out over Palm Springs from the tram lodge

Picture of lodge in winter snow

Picture of Mt. San Jacinto in winter snow

I hope you enjoy these few pictures.  Sam is now a grad and going to attend college in September this year.  The party was fun and the town my sis lives in is pretty remote.  Close to Hemet and at the western base of the San Jacinto mountains.  We had a great dinner with Sam and his mom and some friends at the country club.  Great steak!  All in all the two days were fun and it was nice to visit my sis.  Then my brother and I left and took the backside highway 74 on top of the mountains behind Palm Desert.  I remember taking that road a few times and going to the Alpine town of Idylwild.  Reminds me a bit of the high Sierra's.

My brother and I had a great time trying to find the homes and apartments we lived in. We could not find the first rental home but we think we may have. (Did not recognize it but kinda certain).  The area is much larger now and the places people would not live back in the early 70's have homes on them now.  We stayed at the motor hotel I managed back in my 20's and it has been purchased and run by the Comfort Inn chain (breakfast included).  I swam in the pool (remembering all the streakers back through there) and we had a great Mexican dinner at the restaurant next door to the hotel.  It was only 109 degrees on Sunday!

We went up the tramway to the top of Mt. San Jacinto on the day we left and it was simply beautiful.  We went from 100 degrees to about 60 in the course of ten minutes or so.  We were on the first tram up at ten AM along with a bunch of hikers.  Many carried a foldup bed on their backs.  I have never seen that before.  After the return trip down to the base we headed home and went Highway 395 on the eastside of the Sierra's.  That is one desolate drive!  Back home and sleeping in my own bed.  All is good.  Life is grand!