Palm Springs Get-Away

October 18, 2008

By Geoff Girvin

The
trip to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway had something for everyone. For those
that wanted to stay warm, they could stay at the base of the tram where it was
85 degrees. For those who wanted to be even warmer, they could just go a few
short miles to downtown Palm Springs
where it was 101 degrees. But for those of us that wanted to experience the
refreshing feeling of clean crisp air, we went to the top of Mount San Jacinto
where it was 52 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, where you could see just about
forever and the smell of the Jeffery Pine wafted in the breeze. Thanks to City
National Bank, we all were treated to 15% discount passes for the spectacular
ride to the top.

The
original cable car at the entrance of the lift station seems very small in
comparison to the new cars that rotate in two complete revolutions from the
bottom to the top of the mountain. Everyone has the opportunity to see the near
vertical uplift of the mountain and the panoramic view of the desert below with
its wind generators as far away as Cabazon. The ride was smooth and you could
only tell that you were moving up when the cable car went over one of the five towers
and we began to sway a bit.

At
the top we all enjoyed the picnics that we had brought or purchased at the top
at one of the restaurants.  Some of
us went for hikes while others just enjoyed the views:

Some fun facts about the Tramway are:

Approximately
12,800ft., with vertical ascent of 5,873ft. - 15 minutes travel time one
way.

Five
towers support four 1-7/8-inch steel cables as well as four hauling
cables, two auxiliary cables and a communications cable.

The
first tower is the tallest at 214 ft. high;

Tower
Number Four is the shortest at 56-1/2 ft. high.

The
weight of steel in the five towers totals 263 tons; the weight of the 11
cables totals 330 tons.

The
maximum span between towers is 3,455 ft. between Towers 3 and 4.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway constructed in rugged Chino Canyon
on the north edge of Palm Springs - about two
hours by car from Los Angeles and San Diego - did not just
happen. It required foresight, planning, financing and, most of all, a vision.
For years, it was the dream of a young electrical engineer named Francis F.
Crocker to “go up there where it’s nice and cool.”

Within
the Mount San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness are 54 miles of hiking trails
which should be sufficient to satisfy the appetite of the most avid outdoor
enthusiast. Trails range from the awe-inspiring five and one-half mile
trek to the 10,834 foot peak of San Jacinto to the just over one mile nature
walk through picturesque Long Valley, located just behind the Tram’s
Mountain Station.

At 2 pm,
after everyone enjoyed their stay, we met at the bottom and continued the
caravan to Palm Desert
through historic downtown Palm Springs
where the outside temperature was 101. In Palm Desert
we headed south on the Palms to Pines
Highway toward Idyllwild on the back side of the
Mount San Jacinto National Forest. In Idyllwild, we met at the Gastrognome Restaurant to enjoy a delightful meal and to
talk about the fun at the top of the world.

After
dinner we took the shortest route home down Highway 209 to Banning and back to
home. Everyone thought that this was a great trip. The caravan was made up of:
Art and Marge, Jill and Karen, Gary
and his daughter Sheli, Donna and Dave, Geoff and
Ginger, Chuck and Sue, Tom and Barbara, Jennifer, Phil, Kevin, and Ed and
Debbie.