The Mysteries of a Palm Springs Oasis

HDR photo of a Palm Springs oasis

A Palm Springs oasis offers peace and serenity, especially if you catch all the details clearly. The mysteries associated with an oasis lie in the local Indian legends about the land, in this case the Agua Caliente tribe who have inhabited the area long before the city was established. 

In this sharp photo of a Palm Springs oasis in the Indian Canyons, you see trees changing colors, rocks, palms, grass and a mountain--all the elements you'll find in a Palm Springs oasis.

Oases in Palm Springs are formed where the water collects after flowing down the mountain. The water is usually made up of melting snow so that the oasis floods in spring after a winter of abundant snowfall above. By late summer the water stagnates, but stays crystal clear because of its isolation in the desert.

The serenity of the oasis is best expressed in Western thought and pop culture in the song Midnight at the Oasis, which goes something like this:

Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed
Shadows paintin' our faces
Traces of romance in our heads
Heaven's holdin' a half-moon
Shinin' just for us
Let's slip off to a sand dune, real soon
And kick up a little dust
Come on, Cactus is our friend
He'll point out the way
Come on, till the evenin' ends
Till the evenin' ends
You don't have to answer
There's no need to speak
I'll be your belly dancer, prancer
And you can be my sheik