October 2014 – Gallaudet Properties

October 24, 2014

Stretching Our Legs to Support Our Military and First Responder Heroes

They say that if you play a round of golf and walk, you’ll cover about five miles over the course of 18 holes. If you’re using a cart, you’ll walk about a mile.

So, if you really want to get some great exercise, in addition to the golf and tennis that you will be playing in our beautiful Desert, come to the Coachella Valley the week-end of Oct. 24 and sign up for the annual “Patriot Ride for Our Heroes” in La Quinta. In addition to a great workout, you will be supporting such a good cause.

The second annual event is set for Oct. 24-25 and at Gallaudet Properties we’re proud to have one of our own riding this year: Charles Baughman. October is the perfect month for the event. The weather should be ideal for participants.

Whatever your personal level of fitness might be, the fundraiser offers an event you can handle. Bicycle rides range from 100 miles to just five miles and there are fun walks of one, two and three miles.

It began with an American flag delivery
Patriot Ride for Our Heroes proceeds go to benefit charities that are related to the military, fire departments and police departments. The event got its start back in the fall of 2012 when Tim Esser took a personal ride to Twenty-Nine Palms with several wounded marines to deliver the American flag.

We send our best wishes to all those who participate with a special thank you to Charles who we know will do a great job and finish strong.

Of course, no matter where you ride a bicycle in La Quinta and what Bike Hint gear you use, you’re going to go past a golf course – and probably not just one, but several. And whether you walk the links or ride in a cart, it’s always good exercise and great to get outside.

While we don’t have the 100-mile Patriot Ride for Our Heroes route plotted on our free golf course resource guide, we have just about all the information folks want to know when they’re thinking about purchasing a home in La Quinta, Indian Wells, or the general Palm Springs area.

Membership and property information included
Not only is it a comprehensive map of courses in our area, it includes a detailed membership guide as well as information on the surrounding cities and neighborhoods in terms of relative real estate prices.

If you want to get excellent information on courses such as Mountain View Country Club, Rancho La Quinta, The Citrus Club, The Palms Golf Club, Painted Cove, PGA West, The Hideaway, The Tradition, The Quarry, along with the nearby properties, our guide is the place to start. Of course we’re here to answer any questions you have and set up some showings for you when you’re ready.

And if you’re truly in the mood to get some exercise and take a really close look at the area we call home, maybe we can talk Charles into taking you on a bike ride around La Quinta and the valley. His legs should have recovered by then…

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October 13, 2014

Let’s Get Fresh! Local Farmer’s Markets

Farmer’s markets in communities all across the fruited plain are one of the best developments that we’ve seen over the last decade or so. Being able to buy produce at their peak freshness has been a real boon to home chefs – and to our nutrition.

Most areas have growing seasons that are fairly short, so farmer’s markets come and go pretty quickly. Due to its climate, California is better off than many states and in California, no place is better than the Coachella Valley. In fact, we have excellent farmer’s markets every month of the year.

We’re right next door to the Imperial Valley which is a major agricultural area that’s able to get two full growing seasons in each year! If you live further north, those beautiful domestically grown vegetables you get during the colder months are probably from the Imperial Valley.

Three valley farmer’s markets
La Quinta, Palm Desert and Palm Springs each has its own certified organic farmer’s market. You can shop these markets for everything from standard produce to dates, herbs, nuts, cheeses and much more. Generally the farmers are in Palm Springs on Saturdays, La Quinta on Sundays and Palm Desert on Wednesdays, which makes shopping convenient, even when an unexpected need arises.

After spending an afternoon out on one of our golf courses what could be better than enjoying a home-cooked meal in the evening that features fresh, organic and locally grown produce? The only thing that might improve this picture is being able to enjoy the meal out on your back patio or deck – and that’s something you can do here almost all year long.

A bounty of golf courses
And as proud as I am of our bounty of farmer’s markets, the golf course options – and golf course living options – you have in La Quinta, Palm Desert, Indian Wells and the general Palm Springs area are far greater. Also, It’s interesting to note that the same thing that makes this area suitable for enjoying fresh produce virtually year round, is the same thing that makes it perfect for playing golf all year – the climate.

Here in La Quinta, they’ve been holding the farmer’s market in Old Town La Quinta and that’s just minutes away from several great courses, including the Tradition, Rancho La Quinta and PGA West. It’s not difficult to imagine playing a round of golf, stopping by the farmer’s market on the way home and enjoying a great dinner with your family and friends.

Explore properties online
If you want to get a mental picture of what it would be like to enjoy an evening of outdoor dining and entertaining, explore some the golf course community links above and take a short online tour of a few homes in our area. Then to get the larger perspective of courses and communities, download our free guide to Palm Springs area golf clubs. It has all the courses plotted out on a detailed map and also includes a wealth of pricing information, both for real estate and country club memberships.

After that, the only thing left to do is give us a call so we can fill you in on more details about La Quinta real estate, Indian wells real estate and Palm Springs real estate. We can answer all your questions and get some showings set up for you.

One final question: How should I end this article: bon appétit or fore?

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October 7, 2014

You Need to Visit this Real Desert Oasis

The folks who write travel brochures toss around words like “magical” to describe places they would like you to visit. Often these vacation spots are very nice, but “magical” might be stretching it a little.

However, I’m going to confidently step out on a limb here and tell you that the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indian’s Palm Canyon truly lives up to being described as magical. It’s the world’s largest fan palm oasis and walking into it is like stepping into an exotic world all its own.

It’s part of the Indian Canyons on the land of the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians and is tucked in behind Palm Springs. They maintain the area and charge a small fee for admission to the hiking trails. Also in the area are Murray Canyon and Andreas Canyon, which treats visitors to a perennial creek.

Abundant nature
The plant and animal life in these little self-contained ecosystems is abundant, including some rare and threatened species. When you look up to the canyon walls, you see stark walls of red rock, but on the floor of the canyons, there is rich, green plant life. The shade the palms provide along with a source of water, sustained the first inhabitants in this area.

When you visit, you can develop a real appreciation for what life was like before the first European settlers arrived. You’ll also find reminders of when the ancestors of today’s Caliente Cahuilla Indians lived there, including rock art, house pits and foundations, irrigation ditches, dams, reservoirs, trails, and food processing areas.

Imagine yourself to be an early explorer, parched by the dry desert floor, when you discover that hidden away in the rugged mountains is a series of cool, green and even wet oases. Could there have been a more welcome sight?

The good life
Of course, life is quite a bit easier today for the residents in Palm Desert, La Quinta, Indian Wells and the general Palm Springs or Coachella Valley area. But it’s always a good idea to remember the roots of the area where you live.

When you have these images filed away in your mind, you’ll probably recall them often when you’re out on one of our golf courses. You can see that many of our courses here are inspired by locations such as Palm Canyon. They make almost artistic use of the dramatic meeting of the rock and sand with the green of native plants.

And while I gave travel brochure writers a bit of a hard time at the beginning of this article, I have to say that there is something magical about being out on a course like The Citrus Club, the Dunes Course at the La Quinta Resort, Rancho La Quinta and many others with a green fairway under your feet, a clear blue sky over head and mountains to your side that display an almost infinitely varied palette of reds and tans.

There’s only one thing better: living alongside such natural and man-made beauty. It’s no mystery why people continue to settle in La Quinta and the Coachella Valley as a whole; this area has the natural beauty, the recreational opportunities and the climate that makes for an ideal home base.

La Quinta real estate information
Take a moment to download our golf course resource guide. It’s really much more. It gives you an idea of relative home prices, country club fees and a listing of area restaurants.

And after you’ll mulled the golf course guide over for a little while, call us or drop us an email so we can answer your questions and help you find your ideal home.

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