A repeat of the ride on the 11th - Attention Time Travelers! Set your Way-Back Machines to the 60s, 70s and 80s for a 2-wheeled tour of the locations of past (and present) resorts and watering holes for the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Our tour will begin and end in Palm Springs but we’ll travel south to Cathedral City to see where most of the bars and resorts were located during the not-so-gay-friendly 60s, 70s, and 80s. Although PSP is an LGBTQ+ mecca today, it wasn’t always that way: Former PS mayors and city councils (we’re looking at you, Frank Bogert) actively opposed gay establishments so most gay and gay-friendly businesses found a warmer reception in the unincorporated areas to the south that eventually became Cathedral City.
On our ride, we’ll cruise by the sites of the following once-thriving bars and resorts: Warm Sands Villas, Camp Palm Springs, Daddy Warbucks, Oil Can Harry’s, Queen’s Attic, The Party Room, Sir James, Aunt Hattie’s, CC Construction Company, Dave’s Villa Caprice, The Villas, and The Desert Palms Hotel. Some of these were well-known, while others were more obscure or short-lived. If you ever experienced any of them, you are encouraged to share your memories with the rest of the group!
We will meet at the Mizell Center before heading over to Warm Sands, followed by a ride past the lesser-known gay resorts along San Lorenzo Street. From there we’ll pedal south toward Cathedral City using quiet streets and the bike path along Palm Canyon Drive, eventually passing behind the current Target/Trader Joe’s shopping center and then on to Perez Road. We’ll take a jog up to the current Cathedral City civic center then continue on to the most distant point in our travels: Palm Canyon and Date Palm Drive.
We will return by following the wash from Date Palm to Cathedral Canyon, then take the Whitewater Trail to the Tahquitz Country Club. Depending on how the group feels, we’ll stop for some refreshments and perhaps a bite to eat at the Tahquitz Creek Golf Club before continuing through the Prescott Preserve and returning to the Mizell Center.
This route features a varied mix of surfaces and bike routes, including dedicated bike paths, streets with bike lanes, and some quiet residential streets. Surfaces range from butter-smooth pavement to sandy trails and some broken asphalt. All street crossings will be at traffic lights or crosswalks with crossing lights.
The total length of the ride will be approximately 18 miles, which we’ll cover within about 3 hours. The route is mostly flat but there are a few gentle grades and a couple of steep-but-short sections under bridges.
Restrooms will be available at the Cathedral City Civic Center and the Tahquitz Creek Golf Club.
What to Bring: water (2 to 3 liters recommended), snacks, sun protection, and layered clothing. Carry emergency contact information.
All riders are strongly encouraged to wear helmets. Inflate your tires to the recommended pressure. You may want to bring a tire pump, spare tube, bike tools, and sunscreen.
Preparation for flat tires: Due to the potential for a flat tire, you are strongly encouraged to carry a spare inner tube that fits your bike. The trip leader will have some tools and a pump and can help with tire changes if necessary to help keep the ride on track.
Meeting Location: Parking lot of the Mizell Senior Center, located at the corner of Ramon and Sunrise. 8:00 AM.
Contact event leader: Jim N email
Cancellation: If you cannot make an event for which you have registered, please cancel as others may be on the waitlist. You may cancel directly from your profile settings or notify the hike leader.
Weather Policy: Inclement weather cancels.
Unless otherwise noted, registration for this event is limited to Great Outdoors members. To sign up as a member, click here
