Palm Springs: an artificial oasis...

I'm in Palm Springs for a couple of days to attend our users' conference, Dialog 08, in South California. It is so great to meet our customers, to remind us who pays for our pay checks. Learn their expectations, how we are doing, what we can improve, inform them of the many things we are working on. A healthy dialog which we did not have for the past few years on such a large scale.
From a running perspective, this trip provides an opportunity to discover new trails. After a short but bumpy flight leaving this weekend storm over San Francisco, I had three hours between the check in and our first meetings in the afternoon. I quickly checked for directions on Google Maps, put my Brooks Trance 7 on and headed-up West toward the mountains. It was quite windy with big clouds over the mountains. As I was approaching the base of the mountains, 6 miles away from the hotel, I could see snow at the top, something intriguing with the warm temperatures (75F) at the bottom. I tried to find a trail and asked bikers if they would know any. They told me the only way to get there is riding the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Getting up to 8,500 ft (2,600 m), when we were at 300 ft... Okay, better find another and more attainable goal for today's run...

After some other trial and errors trying to leave the suburban area, I got on a trail going straight up another range of mountains. Exactly what I was looking for! However, I had now only one hour and a half before getting back to the hotel. Navigating with my Garmin GPS, I went from one trail to another, from one arid canyon to another, and the temperature and dryness were providing a good feeling of running in a desert especially as I was getting at the end of my only water bottle.

After more guesses I was down to Cathedral City then, after 6 flat and boring miles through the city, to our hotel (golf resort) in Rancho Mirage. 16.5 miles against the clock and only +1,000/-1,000 ft of elevation, which felt more with the heat and the sun. And only the 100 calories of one GU Energy Gel since my early breakfast at 6am...
Looking at the valley from above reemphasized this weird feeling I had about such a city built in the middle of a desert. Wondering how it finds water for about 50,000 inhabitants and several thousands tourists. And, worst, to water the numerous immaculate green golf courses...

The Water Education Foundation talks about two sources: ground water (underground) and local streams and reservoirs. Given that it poured rain the last two days but I didn't see a trace of water in my run, I doubt the streams provide much. On the other hand, the Desert Water Agency --desert water?-- talks about a deal which provides some water from the Colorado River. This I believe, and this corresponds more to what I feared. About this region, including nearby Los Angeles, or Las Vegas, displacing tons of water, over the mountains. The price of playing golf in the desert... And how sustainable is this, such an artificial oasis...?

Well, that made me appreciate even more the glasses of water I had upon my return to the hotel after the run and for the rest of the day. Every drop of them...

On a more positive note from a sustainability standpoint, Palm Springs has invested a lot in wind mills for its electricity and the wind is amazingly strong tonight. See Stuart's blog on the conference, DiaBlog, for a picture of the wind mill "farm" or field. 4,000 turbines which are claimed to provide all the electricity required by the Palm Springs and the entire Coachella Valley! I'm scheduled to organize a conference on wind power as an alternative energy, in the fall, with SiliconFrench, and I am eager to learn from specialists if it is or not such a good alternative as there is a debate around this question.

With that, so long from dry, windy and sunny South California!