Grapes sound good - I'll see if I can find some. Kevin likes apples, and so maybe I'll take one of those. I have a hard time finding granola bars that do not have HFCS, and those make my thirsty anyway, as does peanut butter. I do not keep peanut butter on hand (or any nut butters), but I am taking nuts.

Fruits, nuts, pepperoni sticks. An insulated bag and a blue ice or two expands the options considerably.

Fruit salad packed in a cooler with ice packs. Perhaps a salad? Take a container with a lid and fill it with dressing so it doesn't get soggy. Vegetable tray? Pack a little bag with apples, peaches, nectarines, maybe strawberries?

We have a travel food staple: almonds, cashews, raisins, and M&Ms. Throw them in a large bag or other containers and mix. When it's hot, peanut M&Ms work better. Take a couple of 3-oz paper cups as "serving dishes." And lots of water. This takes care of the food requirement and you can order a nice salad or whatever when you get back to civilization. Does Indio count as civilization? If nothing else, they have good dates. My favorites are Deglet Noors.

I hear the flowers are spectacular this year! Have a great trip.

I love hard boiled eggs; they are easy to keep cool in a cooler (I'd prefer deviled eggs but they are hard to transport). I cook hard boiled and peel at home. Some cherry tomatoes and fruit/fruit salad as Suzanne suggests. TJ's sells these great little salame sticks in a double pack....I guess I always crave protein when I'm eating fruit in the heat...

That pic of the salame sticks reminded me.... The canned stuffed grape leaves at Trader Joes are good room temp/ warm and totally safe since they're canned. We've tossed both in the bag we take to the Rose Bowl Flea Market and on road trips several times (with fruit, nuts, water, etc.)

I often take California rolls in a cooler when it's hot.

Another vote for hard boiled eggs for the protein. For most people they're fine at ambient temperature, and they won't spoil on a day trip. Crackers and breads can be awful in the heat (though bread as a sandwich outside is okay if it's not too thick and the filling is moist), but flat things like tortillas are okay. We usually take an ice chest with sandwich fixings if we're going to have a proper lunch in a picnic area. Everything in ziplocks so the melted ice stays out, and often rolled up in lettuce leaves. If you're well versed in ice chest management, small yoghurt cups sitting in the ice melt are wonderfully cold and refreshing.

The kinds of vegetables they package for snacking are also very refreshing, like baby carrots and sugar snap peas, and don't require chilling. Celery has a lot of water in it, but is better from a cooler. Jicama sticks are great, but they especially benefit from plastic bags rather than containers to stay moist.

Also, hot things from hot places... that is, room temperature your hummus will be fine. Also dates, halvah, and similar.

If you're going to be passing through Indio, don't forget the date shakes!

Have a great time.

I think I will pick up some dates in Indio, and maybe we'll take some yogurt cups - I had not thought of that. Also, celery sounds good, and I bought some at the farmers' market last week-end.

I will definitely plan a trip to Trader Joe's, as they have good snacks and ready-to-eat foods. I do like the sesame sticks, but those can become addictive for me.

I really do not want to make or take sandwiches and do not think I will have an appetite for bread or crackers, although I might be able to eat some lavash with the hummus. Kevin picked up some lavash today at the Syrian market.

Indio definitely counts as civilization, as there is a continuous city from Palm Springs, including Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, and Palm Desert, and so I can definitely find whatever I may need to buy when I get there - I just have to know what to look for. And dates are one of my favorite snacks! I can visit Shields Date Garden while I'm there.

We have an over the shoulder cool bag and I make lunch "boxes". Literally, fill indiidual boxes with melon cubes, another with a mixed salad (chicken, cherry toms, diced cheese, cucumber, radish..anything), fruit salad- all easy to eat with a spork. A freezer pack and we're ready to go. Lots of water of course. Your trip sounds amazing.

Ratatouille or caponata - both great at room temp (10 minute out of the cooler in the desert will do it).

Either of those plus boiled eggs will make a nice cooked meal.

Fruit + nuts for dessert.

Beautiful. Had no idea the traffic would be that bad, yikes.

Seems like having a few choices of familiar things is the right direction.

We take a big road trip every year and pack easy snack meals. A well rounded charcuterie plate works for us. A little bit of everything as we are never sure what we want so it provides choices. Celery, carrot sticks, fresh yellow beet chips, radish slices, olives, fridge pickles, or cornichon, etc. A few cheeses cut small. Pre-slices salami. My humus, a small pate'. A thin cracker. Anything seasonal like sugar snaps in the Spring. Grapes, pear and apple slices.

I freeze ahead a few juices...a mixed veg, a citrus mix with green tea, both with fresh ginger and turmeric. And freeze water bottles as ice. Some not frozen. As the juices thaw i can add some of it to my water. (a couple dozen in the freezer now from a gift box of fruit)

I always make a pecan almond dried fruit mix sometimes coconut flake and dried ginger or whatever i have nice and toasted. Some dark chocolate chunks. Often never touch it but keep a baggie in the glove compartment as the driving can be unsettling.

A cloth or bandana in a zip-lock is handy for using as a clean-up or just to cool off the neck in the heat using your water. Room temp water is supposed to be better in the heat but the frozen thawing juice blends can be used to keep the snack cool, then added to your water.

I try not to pack anything new like an unknown cheese. Our fancier deli slices good lean salami paper thin.

My packing is overkill for your needs but for longer trips it works great. I only food saver a few. (one trip cooler water got into some of them, yuck.) The rest are just rubber banded....the ones we use the first part of the trip. The container lid is a nice tray/plate.

Lars, we were out to Anza Borrego about 3 weeks ago and at least got to see the start of the flowers. We have been taste-testing the date shakes in that area and while Shields is classic, Oasis is ... maybe even better! And they have terrific dates. Hope you have a great weekend and would love to see photos!

Sleevendog, you sound very experienced, and I will use your tips - especially the one about freezing the water bottles and juices. We have multiple coolers, and so I think we will take at least two, since we will have plenty of room in Kevin's pickup. They won't do us any good in our garage anyway.

HB, thanks for the tip about Oasis - I will look for that in Indio. I've always wanted to visit Indio for one of the festivals there - I think they have a tamale festival in addition to the date festival, and I've never done more than just pass through. Oasis Date Gardens is south of Indio in Thermal, but it's on the way to the park from Indio and we will be going through Thermal to get to Anza Borrego from our motel. I'll make a point to stop there to get dates. Their cafe looks interesting too, and maybe we can pick up something there to take with us for lunch! That way it would not have to be stored for very long.

I think I might also take an umbrella for shade. Now if I can just find my other walking stick. I bought a pair of them, but I only see one of them in my closet. One is usually enough, but if we do much climbing, it is good to have both of them.

BTW, San Diego NBC news is supposed to be at the park's visitor center Friday morning, but I'm sure they will get there before we do. The park is completely within San Diego County.

Somewhere in the desert do try their famous Fresh Date Milkshakes. I can only taste them in my mind and it's impossible to make them without the ambience of the desert since it's not anywhere near me.

Date tamales! i'm all for that.

I'm all for seeking out good food on a trip. We do have a few good stops along they way....like a great lobster roll, cold smoked salmon. It is the processed junk food that reeks havoc on the digestion.

A small cooler of familiars is comforting even if you don't touch it. Water and thirst quenching organic fresh juice is always good.

Dates from Indio! I remember taking my parents there as my father adored dates! One cannot beat a fresh, meaty Medjool date fresh from the trees! Have fun!

I ended up making a deviled chicken salad (using celery), and I also took hummus with lavash and crackers. Unfortunately, I forgot to take plastic utensils, and so we had to buy those there.

Here are some photos; I have not gotten far in my editing of them yet:

What beautiful photos to wake up to this morning -- made my day! The photos are beautiful and what a fascinating landscape, can't get enough of it! Hope you had a wonderful weekend and thank you for posting photos!

Let me just say that traffic was not bad at all! There was a slight slow-down as we approached Borrego Springs Friday morning, but no more than a 5 minute delay, and the scenery was beautiful, and so there was no reason to rush. This is the only place that was somewhat crowded:

We never made it to Oasis Date Restaurant, as they were closed by the time we got there. We did go to Shields Date Garden three time - first to pick up same dates to take with us for Saturday. I bought an assortment that includes Zahidi, Medjool, Blonde, Khadrawi, Deglet Noor, and Abbada, although I cannot tell which is which, although I can I identify the Blonde dates. All of them are very good, and I only regret that I did not buy a larger package. There are only slight differences in flavor and texture. We had breakfast there Saturday morning and went back Saturday evening for dinner, since Oasis was closed. Food was very, very good both times, and the setting for dinner in the evening was gorgeous - Kevin took photos that I will post later.

Saturday for lunch we had our picnic at what looked like a stagecoach stop (photos to follow), and we made rolls/wraps with lavash and chicken salad. We did not eat any of the crackers.

Traffic on the way home was light as well, and so I'm not sure why there were warnings about heavy traffic. I think that was just put out by the San Diego news, for whatever reason. A lot of the photos I took really do not do justice for the views we saw in person. A lot of the hills were covered with bright flowers, but they were sparse enough that they did not create a full blanket of color the way the wildflowers in Texas do. There were also some hills covered with barrel cactus and/or ocotillo, and the ocotillo flowers and barrel cactus are not in full bloom yet. Still, since it was in the mid 90s while we were there, I do not want to go back later in the year when it will be even hotter. It is a dry heat, however, and so it was not really uncomfortable, but definitely swimming pool weather.

Wonderful photos, Lars.

The beauty a desert is able to create, with so little water, is truly magical.

Sol

Stunning - and the blue of the sky.......