How can you travel through the Palm Springs area without a DATE SHAKE?

I've been the in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area for about 3 weeks, this area is famous for the date shake. My first date shake was last year, when we drove up from the Slabs to Oasis Date Garden and had shakes and many date samples. This year I tried three different stores, all recommended for the date shakes. Besides Oasis, I tried Shields Date Garden and Hadleys Date and Fruit Stand. While Oasis has a good shake and they use date puree, Shields tastes better, more date flavor and you could taste date through the last drop, whereas the Oasis, after a while, you could not taste the dates. Shields uses date flakes, and it's important for them to sit a while in the ice cream for full flavor.

However, neither have the flavor and creaminess of the Hadleys Date Shake, made with real ice cream and date puree, plenty of it, the Hadleys shake was creamy and tasty to the last drop, and then I wanted more, if I wasn't 50 miles away from the store, I would be tempted to have one every day. So far, of the ones I've tried, Hadleys takes the WIN. The sampling room at Oasis make the stop worth while, you can get your fill of dates for free, then you want to take some home too.

Apparently it's not as easy as I thought.

As promised here are some shots of me loading my ATV on the truck. Once I look at the photo, I know this attempt was "DOOMED TO FAILURE" (the majority of my weight (considerable) is behind the rear axle, popping the front end up.) A couple of more attempts just get me sideways as I try to correct the problem, on the last attempt, I get on top, my weight is so far forward, my "dicky doo" is pressing the horn button and I can't engage the brakes, so I roll backwards all the way down. I reposition the truck, stop, and look at photos, and reposition the truck again. (Apparently it's not as easy as I thought...)

I've loaded this damn thing on and off over 20 times now, sometimes it's easy and sometimes not, today was NOT

What's that old saying? "Reposition and try again" (various puns come to mind)

I'm at Delta Shores once again, getting ready to continue my journey and go to Palm Springs on Saturday..

Found a nice place in Ilwaco/Seaview area for my New Horizons fifth wheel

I've been looking for a while now for a place to settle down and think I've found it. I love ocean communities. Since retiring I have ventured up and down both coasts, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. Don't get me wrong, I love the mountains also, but never liked shoveling the snow in the winter, but then again, the skiing was good. Getting older, I've skied less and less. (and started traveling.)

Enough of that, back in 2004, I came across the communities of Long Beach, Seaview and Ilwaco during the Washington State International Kite Festival, as you can see in my blog, I have returned again and again. I have put in an application to buy a place/membership in the "Safari Association of Ilwaco." There are a few wonderful places for sale there and I am looking at getting into one. I hope to place my New Horizons 34 foot fifth wheel on a lot there. I'll still be traveling with the smaller travel trailer (until I can't travel anymore) but would like a place (near the ocean) to settle down. The New Horizons fifth wheel has been a lot of places in the country, I've put 28000 miles on it, that I can track, but with the price of diesel now, it's just too heavy to keep pulling around the country.

Whoohoo, just learned that the Board of Directors has approved my application, now to make offers and get the New Horizons fifth wheel approved (update 9-13-10 12:25p)

On the road near Kamiah, Idaho.(with mom.)

Parked in the driveway of the house in Idaho.

Making a pit stop in Zion National Park. (Utah)

Ocean Mist- K/M Resort

The totem marking the entrance to Ocean Mist from the beach side.

Sand dunes and driftwood...

Beach side of resort.

I'm staying on the coast away from the heat in the interior of the country, so I'm at Ocean Mist, a K/M resort, between Ocean City and Copalis Beach, Washington.