Oasis on the San Andreas Fault, Desert Hot Springs

Trotted across the road to Ralph's for the last time for breakfast supplies and coffee then it was time to pack up ready to travel to San Marcos to see Chris and De'Shaun.

Before leaving the hotel we thought we'd better look at the facilities. We used the place as somewhere to sleep rather than make use of the pool, yoga, spas etc that seem to be why many people come to the hotel and indeed the area. The very colourful pool area was very pleasant in the bright morning sun, towels on the pool loungers, bar and pool toys made up the scene. It don't think many people who stay there do what we did!

We wanted to make the most of the day so spent the morning mooching around the Main Street in Palm Springs. Very pleasant it was too in the bright sunshine with the backdrop of the mountains rearing up behind.

Part of the Main Street is being developed, to the detriment of the the city. Large hotel, apartments and stores is blocking out views of the mountains and completely out of scale with the surrounding low rise buildings.

From Palm Springs our last trip was to find the San Andreas fault, an ambition of mine since we've been travelling to California. As a geographer I've taught about plate tectonics year in and year out and the San Andreas fault is the daddy of them all; a destructive plate boundary running down the West Coast and the source of earthquakes catastrophic and everyday. Like glaciers, plate boundaries do not exist in the UK, so it is always a thrill to see them in the flesh.

A quick search of the net threw up the Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve through which the great fault passed. After eating lunch sat on the fault itself we followed a trail through the oasis and out into the desert following the line of the fault.

Evidence of the fault were easy to spot, a sheared cliff and the oasis itself representing the exact fault location. It is along the line of the fault that water comes to the surface, the layers of water bearing rocks being dislocated by the fault and being forced to the surface. Seeing the fault was an ambition achieved.

By now it was time to set off for San Marcos. We had a choice of three routes, we took the slower but shorter route over the mountains on the Palms to Pines highway rising from the desert to over 4000 feet with temperatures falling from 73f to 39f and heavy rain showers.

Really good to see Chris again after almost a year and see their new home. We're here until Monday when we set off for Yosemite. Some dog walking to do as we explore this new area to us.