There are a lot of tourist attractions in and around
the Coachella Valley. Its unique location sandwiched between two mountain
chains and close to the high desert make Palm Springs a treasure trove for
exploration and discovery. The San Jacinto Mountains to the southwest and the
San Bernardino mountains to the northeast provide breathtaking views any time
of year.
In 1936, a local civil engineer looked up at those
mountain peaks and decided that it would be wonderful to be able to get up
there quickly and escape the summer heat. Two wars and many dollars later, the
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was finally opened and became an immediate success.
The Aerial Tramway climbs up 10,834 feet to the top
of the San Jacinto Mountain chain and its national forest. The tramway consists
of the world’s largest rotating aerial tram; Swiss-made cable cars that slowly
rotate as they carry up to 80 passengers and offer spectacular views all
around.
Located in an area called the Chino Cone, the aerial
tramway provides spectacular views. But it’s the road leading up to the tramway
station that challenged and fascinated me.
The only way to reach the tramway station, which is
located at the base of Chino Canyon, is the tram road. Starting out at 800 feet
above sea level, this black ribbon of asphalt twists and turns its way for
three and a half miles to an elevation of over 2,634 feet. There are no level
spots in that entire three and a half miles…it’s all pure elevation. Even for
the heftiest of automobiles, it can be a major effort just to get to the base
of the tram station. Buses and trucks always struggle to get to the base drop
off point or parking lot.
For the uninitiated and foolish of heart, the tram
road provides an appealing challenge for runners and bikers alike. There’s even
an officially sanctioned road race called the Tram Road Challenge. In October
of each year, more than 1,700 participants begin the run at the crack of dawn.
Last year, the winning time was just under thirty minutes to run the three and
a half miles.
It’s a road-racing challenge not to be taken
lightly. Hidden among the huge boulders that lay strewn all over the Chino
Cone, the tram road is a wandering blacktop that has reduced all but the most
experienced road runners and bikers alike into stumbling zombies. The asphalt
ribbon of torture is a vertical climb of ball-busting, gut-wrenching torture
that renders ones legs to jelly and back numb with pain.
Over the years, I’ve attempted running the length of
the tram road several times. I’ve never succeeded. In truth, my attempts to run
the tram road were more hard-core training exercises just see how far I could
go than anything else. In my novel ‘Debris’ Robert the protagonist attempts to
run the tram road. If he can try it, I thought I should be able to give it a
shot too. More about that later...
The
area round the tram road is picturesque and beautiful in a very rugged sort of
way. Encompassing a large area called the Chino Cone, the neighborhoods of
Little Tuscany and
Vista
Las Palmas sit amid a blanket of large boulders that lay strewn everywhere.
The ten minute ride up to the top of the San Jacinto
Mountain float the cable cars over rugged, razor-sharp granite spheres that jut
up from below like gnarly bent fingers in pain. The ride up is spectacular
while the quiet on top of the mountain is almost deafening. The first thing you
notice as you exit the tramway station for the surrounding forest is the
overwhelming sweet nectar of pine. It’s almost like stumbling into a hippie
hangout with incense burning and weed smoldering in another corner.
Hiking trails cut through the surrounding forests while
giant Sequoia and evergreen look down on the novice and experienced hikers
alike as they disappear into the green.
Along the edge of the mountain, huge boulders lay about;
almost welcoming travelers to climb onboard and lay out in the warm sun and
take in the vast expanse of desert below. From the windmills along the Banning
Pass to the north and all the way down to the Salton Sea far to the south, the
valley floor is laid out like some ancient mosaic painting.
It’s like an elevated tabernacle that lends credence
to the wonders of that celestial architect.
Sitting on a sun-warmed boulder and marveling at the beauty all around
gives one pause…and a true appreciation for his handiwork.
Oh, yeah, I ran the tram road last week…and lived to
write about it.
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