Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Jackaloped...

Other than the usual desert snow-birding activities, it is always fun to try something new.  Golfing friend Fred, along with wife Pat, invited Jeanette and I to join them for happy hour at Jackalope Ranch in Indio.  We met there at 4:00 pm Monday.
Entrance to Jackalope Ranch - Highway 111 in Indio, CA
Beautiful grounds
In all the years we have spent a few months hanging out in the Palm Springs area,  we had never been to Jackalope Ranch.  Fred and Pat thought we would really enjoy the place.  And they were right.  The ambiance here is captivating.  The happy hour drinks are cheap (relatively speaking) and the happy hour foods are really, really good.
Jeanette and Pat enjoying some chat.
Walking the ground, with so many waterfalls, green space, flowers, trees and more, is a treat.  We see ourselves returning here again.
Out in the garden, Fred, Pat and I enjoying the early evening in the garden.
And this place does get busy; very busy.  Getting there at 4:00 pm offered plenty of seating choice.  Within 30 minutes though, the place is transformed into a bustling full house of patrons - indoors and out.

The gardens are stunning

This work of wood art is worth the visit here.
I took the time to thoroughly inspect this beautiful hand carved wooden motorcycle.  The detail is second to none.  The craftsman covered the detail so well.  I can understand why the restaurant does not want anyone touching it.  It is a full size wooden replica of a 1940's Harley Davidson.  
One of the many waterfalls on the property.

Another beautifully carved wooden art object.  And one that can be touched and appreciated.
Looking out from the front entrance.
The jackalope


 From Wikipedia:

The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore (a so-called fearsome critter) described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. The word "jackalope" is a portmanteau of "jackrabbit" and "antelope", although the jackrabbit is not a rabbit, and the American antelope is not an antelope. Also, many jackalope taxidermy mounts, including the original, are actually made with deer antlers.
Two brothers, hunters with taxidermy skills, popularized the American jackalope in Douglas, Wyoming, in the 1930s by grafting deer antlers onto a jackrabbit carcass and selling the combination to a local hotel. Thereafter, they made and sold many similar jackalopes to a retail outlet in South Dakota, and another taxidermist continues to manufacture the horned rabbits in the 21st century. Stuffed and mounted, jackalopes are found in many bars and other places in the United States; stores catering to tourists sell jackalope postcards and other paraphernalia, and commercial entities in America and elsewhere have used the word "jackalope" or a jackalope logo as part of their marketing strategies. The jackalope has appeared in published stories, poems, television shows, and video games, and a low-budget mockumentary film, and the Wyoming Legislature has considered bills to make the jackalope the state's official mythological creature.


And that covers things from here.
Thanks for dropping in.

5 comments:

  1. Now that sounds like a fun place, need to check it out next time there.

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  2. looks like it was a fun time! thanks for sharing the 'happy hour' festivities!

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  3. We went there while we were in Indio in 2013. Pretty good restaurant, and definitely interesting.

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  4. We had dinner there one night...a great spot to visit!

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