Meanderings Of An Abject Fool

Per Tom and Kathy the Palm Springs windmill tour is my kinda place. Hiking non existent on this stop but it seems neato and I’m going.

Starts out like any other drive in the area long hot and crowded.

It was getting warmer as I was headed to Palm springs. Particularly the Palm Springs windmill tour farm. I’ve seen wind farms before on this trip and on my way to work back in Mo but this one of largest so much so they give tours.

There are about 500 of different sizes down from more than double that since it opened in 1980.

As technology changes so do wind mills. Early ones were wood, think Northern Europe, updates in technology brought metal, now carbon fiber, space age polymers rule the day.

Earlier modes had 5-8 blades. Look in some fields and those that still have windmills (primarily used for pumping stock water/ irrigation) with over ten blades made of metal. in the 80s two blades became the standard until computer models showed the sweet spot at three blades.

First question I asked is how long before the tours start do they get here to hide all the dead birds.

He laughed ironically and said “typically about an hour but that’s because the pit we throw em in is out of our line of site.”

Approximately 1 million birds a year are killed in wind mill related accidents. Compared to oil, coal, and natural gas wind is, while not perfect , definitely ahead on points.

Currently wind and solar are the cheapest forms of energy available with nuclear being by far the most expensive.

Loads of fun loads of information and a highlight of the trip so far. If you’re ever in the area you could do worse. Main problem is on the ground while on the tour the wind does its best to knock you down. I’m serious.

You might be saying your last picture is still at the beginning. It is my phone wasn’t/hasn’t been thrilled with temp both inside and outside car. This day was 104 and phone not fond of it.

That being said I only got a mile up this steep bastard before turning around. I brought tons of water and it was mostly gone and by this time what wasn’t gone was mostly steam.

On to Arizona and more hot. Stopped at a rest stop to do business and fill up water. You gotta drink quick because it typically goes from cool to hot in about 20 minutes after that you don’t wanna shower with it much less drink.

After that I was heading to cheap BLM campground but after arriving thought better of it. Only animals I saw were occasional snake, lizards and one roadrunner. Why no pictures you ask ? It’s to damn hot at this point phone was useless. I couldn’t even take a picture of the dead cactus I saw.

Kept driving all day till found some shade and a place to camp near Montezuma’s Castle.

Petrified forest next.