Following a Fault-line to Cowboys, Hot Glam and Parks Exploring Two Hot California Destinations

Two different road trips, two different destinations in one state - California - and one fault line, the San Andreas, drew the time and attention of the Good Girls. 

The ski resort Mammoth Lake, east of San Francisco, came first followed by the mid-century glam of Palm Springs, east of Los Angeles, both during the more affordable summer off-season. In both cases we found surrounding sites well worth exploring, too. Hollywood stars, writers and directors, not to mention prospectors, visionaries and Native Americans, preceded us, leaving footsteps we had to follow. 

We found similarities in each area. 

Both are in valleys between mountain ranges. 

Mammoth Lakes area

The Coachella Valley encompasses the communities of Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella.

Both have been favorites of Hollywood, sites for shooting films and getaways for their stars. 

The late Bob Hope's home on Canyon Estates Golf Course, Palm Springs.

Both boast National Parks and remarkable histories. 

Yosemite National Park, near Mammoth Lakes

Joshua Tree National Park, near Palm Springs

 Both are on the edges of the Mojave Desert and both have an underlying fault, the infamous San Andreas. 

San Andreas fault is easy to spot in Mammoth Lakes