TRAVEL | WONDER
Finding Your Oasis
When what you’re seeking was always right there
The name was evocative — Whitewater Preserve.
Fascinating. Made me think of rafting.
But I knew there weren’t any rapids, per se, in Southern California.
Were there?
Yet here we were, following the trail, clearly marked — River Access — in a place we’d never expected, surrounded by yellow wildflowers, rocky terrain and snowcapped and towering mountain peaks to the east.
And more unbelievably, we could hear it — the unmistakable and inviting sound of a flowing stream, almost a torrent — somewhere along the wall of this vast desert canyon.
We crossed the little man-made moveable footbridge, turned the corner and there it was, the Whitewater River, just rushing by. Then rushing by some more. Then rushing by some more. All day. All year?
Mystified, we gazed at one another and said, “Wait, this has been near Palm Springs… all this time?”
Eddie and I love to travel; love easy road trips.
