Southern California Landscapes on the IH10 Corridor

2 years ago
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Sonoran Desert Desert Center Coachella Valley Indio below sea level trough depression date palm palm trees San Gorgonio Pass Redlands

Filmed 05/30/2021 – Today would be the longest distance traveled in one day during our 15-day adventure to the West Coast and the Intermountain West. We left Las Cruces, NM at 7:50am and arrived at our hotel in Ontario, CA at 8:08pm (both Pacific time), for a grueling 12hr. 18min drive across the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts. With only one lunch break/hike in central Arizona, we made only necessary stops for gas and bathroom.

The video starts as we cross the Colorado River on IH 10 and enter California. Heading westbound into southern California, you first pass through the most desolate part of the Sonoran Desert. Saguaro cacti does not grow on the CA side because it is too dry. Saguaros need the summer monsoons of Arizona to live, that’s why the last saguaro is just 5 miles shy of the CA border.

Once we start to descend into the Coachella Valley, the change in topography and scenery gets very interesting. First, we drop to -50ft at Indio, then climb up into San Gongonio Pass just NW of Palm Springs. San Gorgonio Pass reaches a maximum height of only 2600ft along the Ih10 corridor, but the mountains on both sides are dramatically steep. Passing through this narrow corridor is exciting, to say the least. The blazing hot Sonoran Desert transforms into a temperate Mediterranean climate within a few short miles. Suddenly, the population increases and you enter the massive conglomeration of cities that continue nearly 100 miles without ceasing, all the way to the Pacific Ocean

Music Attributions:

Song 1: Little Latin Jazz Intro, by oymaldanado, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Artist: https://freesound.org/people/oymaldonado/sounds/453396/

Song 2: Energy, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound).
Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/energy

Song 3: The Jazz Piano, by Benjamin Tissot (also know as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/the-jazz-piano

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