Annual Meeting & Conference

Opening Day Tours
Monday 22nd October, 2012

Tour 1

Palm Springs Air Museum
http://palmspringsairmuseum.org
2pm-4pm

Cost: $15

The Palm Springs Air Museum is located at 745 North Gene Autry Trail, meet at the museum front desk for a guided tour of the museum, with a special focus on the restoration work that's been undertaken on these amazing machines.

The Palm Springs Air Museum is a non-profit educational institution whose mission is to exhibit, educate and honor World War II combat aircraft and the role the pilots and American citizens had in achieving victory. The Palm Springs Air Museum is home to one of the world's largest collections of flyable WWII aircraft; within their air-conditioned hangars you can get up close to many of these aircraft.

Aircraft are flown often in conjunction with education programs and seminars. Operational aircraft also periodically visit and are open to the public. In addition to flying aircraft, the museum holds many related artifacts, artwork, and library sources which are used to illustrate the museums mission. Original combat photography is used to take the viewer back in time, vividly showing the collection in operational use during World War II.

Tour 2

Ranger guided hike of Andreas Canyon
http://www.theindiancanyons.com
1pm - 3pm

Cost: $12
(Max: 20 places)

Meet at the canyon trading post for a guided tour through the ancient canyons in which the Agua Caliente Cahuilla (pronounced Kaw-we-ah) Indians made their home. The canyons and associated resources are especially sacred to the Indians today and are historically important to scientists and lovers of nature. Abundant water and hundreds of plants and animals found throughout the area ensured stable living conditions. Crops of melons, squash, beans and corn were grown, animals were hunted, and plants and seeds were gathered for food, medicines, basket weaving etc. Many traces of these communities exist in the canyons today, including rock art, house pits and foundations, irrigation ditches, dams, reservoirs, trails, and food processing areas. The Andreas Canyon is an oasis in the desert, where more than 150 species of plants can be seen. A scenic foot trail leads through the canyon, passing groves of stately skirted palms, unusual rock formations and the perennial Andreas Creek, where one can still see the bedrock mortars and metates used centuries ago for preparing food.

Although it is a short walk you should plan to wear stout shoes and a hat, and please carry water with you.

Location map: http://www.palmsprings.com/points/canyon/images/map.gif

Trail map: http://www.palmsprings.com/points/canyon/images/andreas_murray.jpg