By Scott Shephard

A few minutes from the noise and bustle of Palm Springs, with all its Mid-Century Modern glitz, lie the Indian Canyons. Managed by the Agua Caliente Band of the Cahuilla Indians, the Canyons, including this one known as Palm Canyon, give the impression that you are stepping back in time and even into another world.

Cradled between the San Jacinto mountains and the Colorado Desert, the canyons present a true oasis - both literally and figuritively. The Indians sought refuge here centuries ago and so do tourists and other explorers like us.

Our small group was among the first to venture into the cool, quiet shade of the massive palms and so we felt like we had the place to ourselves. But when we headed out, the trail was filling with other refugees. For us, it was worth getting up early to enjoy this remarkable place.

Canon R5 f/4.0 1/180 sec ISO 100