Discover the Wonders of the Desert on the Return to Los Angeles, via the Salton Sea and Coachella Valley

After driving through fairly desolate desert landscapes for the past hour, no doubt something as ordinary as an air-conditioned grocery store is a welcome sight, as are Tower Market's ChargePoint Stations. While the EV charges, head inside to stock up on cold water or other beverages and any road trip snacks for the day. Don't worry if the vehicle's not 100% charged — there's another stop to charge up before the final drive back to the Greater Los Angeles area.
Type: CCS 2 Stations Power: 50 kW

It's worth the detour to backtrack a bit and check out the Salton Sea State Recreation Area on the east side of that massive body of water you kept catching glimpses of on the drive to Thermal to charge up at Tower Market. (Nope, that wasn't a desert mirage.)
The Salton Sea has a strange-but-true origin story — the basin was occasionally a lake when the Colorado River naturally overflowed, but in the early 20th Century, the entire volume of the Colorado River inadvertently ended up here for 18 months as engineers worked to fix a breached river dam. Water from the Colorado River still keeps the essentially river-fed sea replenished enough to maintain the lake as a natural habitat, although increasing salinity means fewer fish can survive here.
Informational exhibits at the Visitor Center provide great context about this surreal sea in the desert (that plausibly shouldn't exist). Naturally, such a large body of water in the desert is a beacon for migratory birds and millions pass through annually — there's a nice platform not far from the Visitor Center that overlooks the lake, and a short trail, too. Note that the Visitor Center (but not the recreation area) is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

It's a marvel that anything grows out here in the desert, but one crop that thrives particularly well in the dry, arid climate are date palms. It's no surprise then that Coachella Valley — also referred to as the Greater Palm Springs Area — grows around 95% of all dates produced in the US.
Shields Date Garden has been in the business since 1924 and is the perfect roadside stop for a bite to eat and the opportunity to sample the locally-grown specialty a couple of different ways. Open from 8am until 2pm daily, breakfast at The Cafe at Shields is served all day and lunch is available after 11am; dates turn up in in omelets and pancakes, in a couple of salads, on the house burger, and as a bacon-wrapped stuffed date appetizer. One iteration that absolutely should not be skipped is trying one of Shields date shakes — sweet dates and a rich, creamy milkshake are a perfect pairing.

Today's route continues along surface streets through Indian Wells, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City — all of which are collectively known as the Greater Palm Springs Region within Coachella Valley. (And yes, the region's also home to the famous music festival of the same name.)
It's fascinating to see how so many residential communities not only survive, but thrive, in this climate with no natural water source to call its own — everything you can see is all thanks to water from the Colorado River.

This ChargePoint Charging Station couldn't be more perfectly positioned in the heart of downtown Palm Springs. From here, you'll be able to get back to Los Angeles without needing another stop along the way.
Type: CCS 4 Plugs Power: 62 kW

Home to an excellent collection of modern and contemporary art, as well as a large permanent collection of western art of the Americas (and quite a nice gift shop), its easy to while away an hour at the Palm Springs Art Museum while the EV charges.
If the museum happens to be closed — or you'd rather check out the shopping and the action on South Palm Canyon Drive, one of Palm Springs' most famous thoroughfares — do not skip a stroll down palm-lined Museum Way in front of the museum, to properly introduce yourself to, and snap a photo with, the larger than life Marilyn Monroe sculpture that greets visitors in front of the museum. At 26' tall, she's definitely a sight to behold.
Thursday: 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm Friday – Sunday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

After the better part of a day spent touring this desert region, it's a fitting last stop here to see it all from an aerial perspective — from the Salton Sea to Downtown Palm Springs and beyond.
In addition to providing 180-degree panoramas from viewing platforms atop the 8,516-foot mountain summit, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is simply one of the coolest things to do in Palm Springs, period. The 10-minute ride up and down the mountain in a free-hanging, slowly-rotating tram car (the largest such in the world) is quite an adventure in and of itself, and the summit is always some degrees cooler thanks to its altitude — which makes it an especially refreshing afternoon respite from the desert heat this time of day.
While advance reservations aren't required, they're highly recommended, to ensure you can walk onto the next tram car departing. When booking advance tickets, give yourself a buffer of 10-15 minutes to park and walk to the lower boarding station.

Housed in a charming Craftsman-style home that once served as an exclusive cottage retreat for movie star guests and the owners of the long defunct Raymond Hotel, The Raymond 1886 is a delightful little restaurant to celebrate the completion of this incredible three days on the road.
Featuring a full bar with specialty cocktails and a menu of elegant yet understated California cuisine, which changes with the seasons, it's always a good idea to start with some small bites for the table — artisan bread and house butters, harissa-marinated olives, the like. A short list of entrees has just enough variation of surf and turf (and always a vegetarian option) that everyone will find something that appeals.
Reservation are strongly suggested; if the weather's pleasant enough, request to be seated out on the lovely garden patio.
Tuesday – Thursday: 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm Friday: 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm Saturday: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm Sunday: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm

One last treat on the drive back to Los Angeles: The chance to drive California’s oldest highway (and 3rd oldest in the country), also the official beginning of California's 110 Freeway that eventually expands to eight lanes.
Also known as the Arroyo Secco Parkway, the route is quite fun to drive, winding through some of the residential communities of Northeast Los Angeles before dropping into downtown L.A. It almost makes you nostalgic for the what early planners were envisioning when they conceptualized these sorts of roads.