Welcome to Yakima, the Palm Springs of Washington...

After leaving Ron's Hillside Desert Botanic Gardens and heading out of town I spotted a sign that made my day, considering where I had just spent the last few hours...

Of course I had to know more and turned to the Internet. Here's an article in which the owner of the sign explains why he put it up— and spoiler alert—it had nothing to do with the Hillside Desert Botanical Gardens:

"The purpose of the sign was to bring people from Seattle area to Yakima because this is the Palm Springs of Washington," said sign owner Gary Lukehart. And simply put, that's it. Gary Lukehart owns the land and the sign. He put up the original billboard back in 1987 using a rather simple comparison. "Why would you call it Palm Springs? Because we have a lot of sunshine over here, that's what we have in common with Palm Springs," Lukehart said."

"People in Yakima were generally pretty supportive of the sign so NBC Right Now wanted to hear from Seattlites about the Palm Springs of Washington. Some residents didn't like it as much. "I've been to Palm Springs, it looks nothing like Yakima," said one Seattlite."

Obviously the problem is those Seattlites might be coming to Yakima, but not visiting the Hillside Desert Botanical Gardens. If they were, well the Palm Springs comparison would make much more sense.

After all where else in Washington are you going to find this density of Echinocereus in bloom?

Nowhere...

Maybe not even in Palm Springs, you know, the other one, the Palm Springs in California.

So beautiful...

Thanks Ron, for welcoming me into your garden once again...I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Palm Springs of Washington.

Weather Diary, July 3: Hi 72, Low 60/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.