If you’re new to the area or just interested in learning about hiking in the great outdoors, these programs are for you. Usery Mountain Regional Park, 3939 N. Usery Pass Road, is hosting two short educational hikes on Wednesday.

“New to Arizona?” will be at 9 a.m. and “Desert Hiking 101″ will be at 1 p.m. Both will offer a chance to walk the trails in the park while learning about the plants and animals that live there and the basics of exploring the desert.

The programs are free, but there is a $6 per vehicle park entry fee.

For more information, call (480) 984-0032 or visit www.maricopa.gov/parks/usery.

Palm springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California located in the Cachella Vlley desert region right along interstate 10. The area is sheltered by mountains on all four sides. It is one of nine adjacent cities that make up the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area). As the western gateway of the Cachella Vlley, Palm Springs draws visitors from all over the world with its beautiful landscape, rich culture, fine restaurants, spectacular resorts, outstanding attractions, and a climate that boasts 350 clear days every year.

We arrived on Friday evening and made our way to the rooms at Marquis Villas which is actually a time share facility that rents suites in the $125.00 to $175.00 range. They had a very nice work out gym and an outdoor pool and jacuzzi, there were tables for pool and ping pong and we were all very satisfied with our sleeping arrangements. Right next door we stopped at Sherman’s Deli for supper. On the tables were slices of dill pickles and sourkrauut provided to work up your appetite just like chips and salsa in the Mexican restaurants. I had a huge Pastrami sandwhich with a scoop of potato salad on the side that cost $9.99 and was it VERY GOOD.

We spent the first morning at the Living Desert which is a little to the east of Palm Springs in Palm Desert. We set aside about three hours for the visit there but could have used up two or three more hours with no problem. One of the first things we ran into was one of the largest displays of G guage model trains in the world. It ws all out doors and that attests to the great weather they have there. The Living Desert exhibits included animals from the American Southwest, Mexico and Africa. There is a botanical garden that includes plants from these same areas and also from Madagascar. There are over five miles of hiking trails at the facility and they range from easy loop trails to a wilderness trail across boulders and narrow switch backs along the base of Eisenhower Mountain. There is a petting zoo for those who want to get a little closer to the animals and of course there are wildlife shows which feature the animals who live at The Living Desert.

For the Afternoon we decided to take the Ariel Tramway to the top of Mt. an Jacinto.
The tramway is located about 6 miles from Palm Springs and is easy to get to. The ride will take you through five distinct life zones and an elevation gain of over 5,000 feet. At the top we found a wonderland that is Mt San Jacinto State Park. There was a shorter 3/4 mile nature trail that gives you an introduction to the pristine 14,000 acre wilderness and then a total of 54 miles of trails for hikers from novice through expert. Primitive campsites are located throughout the park but permits are required. We had a mixture of ages and decided to stay a little closer to the tram station and nature trail.

That evening we had dinner at the Blue Coyote, a Mexican restaurant thats been in town for about thirty years. Meals ran from $10.00 to $15.00 and the plates were piled high with food that was delicious.(Be sure to ask about the Margarita specials)

On Sunday morning several of the men decided to play golf and there are lots of golf courses to choose from. We went to a smaller nine hole course and only spent about thirty bucks apiece. The women went for facials and body wraps and by two o’clock in the afternoon most of us had decided we really didn’t want to leave.

We found a lot more than we expected in Palm Springs and are already talking about when we can get back and head for the top of Mt San Jacinto early in the morning and take one of the longer hikes in the Alpine Wilderness.

In a very unusual coyote incident, a nineteen yard old woman was hiking alone in Eastern Canada this week and was attacked by two coyotes. By the time rescuers reached her she had lost a large amount of blood from bite wounds and was in critical condition. Taylor Mitchell was airlifted to a hospital in Halifax Nova Scotia where she died the next day. 

On the other side of the continent in another coyote incident officials in Los Angeles ordered a coyote hunt in the popular Griffith Park after a man was bitten on the foot.  Trappers killed eight coyotes in an effort to stem such attacks in the Metropolitan area.  Coyotes are found all over North America and although attacks against humans are highly unusual the animals seem to be adaptable to areas that are usually occupied by humans.  This will lead to many problems as the animals hunt for food in residential areas.

In an unrelated incident in Sun City Arizona a resident was attacked in her own yard as she held a small dog in her arms.  The coyotes were able to wrestle the dog from her and tried to make off with their anticipated meal but she prevailed with rocks and sticks and after a trip to the local vet and surgical repair of the wounds the dog was saved.  In Sun City there are several golf courses and the coyotes are drawn by the open spaces and large numbers of birds and animals that they can hunt for food.  They never turn their backs on a pet that may be available in someone’s yard and it appears that they don’t care if the owner is present or not.

 Although such incidents are rare and certainly not anticipated they do underscore the importance of not taking Mother Nature for granted.  Always have an emergency pack with you while in the open spaces and it would be a good idea to have a repellent such as Mace to ward off attackers whether human or otherwise.