Costa Mesa, Ca.

July 1, 2015

Dear Family & Friends:

On June 29, Mingma and I traveled out to the desert for a two-day stay at our condominium in Palm Desert.

The first day, we chilled out in the 110 degree heat. A lot of time was spent at the pool.

On June 30, we climbed Mt. San Jacinto in Palm Springs. San Jacinto mountain is 10,834 feet high and is usually accessed via the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the world’s largest rotating tramcar. The tramcar moves directly up the sheer cliffs of Chino Canyon, starting at 2,643 feet and ending at the Mountain Station at 8,516 feet. The temperature change from the blistering heat at the base of the tram to the chill mountain air at the Mountain Station is dramatic. The round trip from the Mountain Station to the summit is a little over 11 miles, with an elevation gain of 2,318 feet. We kept up a brisk pace and enjoyed a good workout.

Until today, I felt pretty good about our journey to the summit of San Jacinto. Mingma posted a summit photo on Facebook. I don’t subscribe to Facebook, so I didn’t see his post. This morning, Mingma read me a response from one of his friends in Kathmandu: “that’s not a mountain.” I got a good laugh out of that deflater.

Tomorrow is a big day at the Pacific Ocean. Mingma is getting a surfing lesson!

Bill

IMG_3004

Pool chair

Tram 1

Tram 2

 

Tram 3

Tram 4

Tram6

Tram 7

TraM8

TRAM 9