Coachella 2019 Day 1

An understatement, to say the least that attending Coachella hasn't been a longtime dream. Well, wish granted. Just last year January when tickets for the 3-day festival were released, I found myself anxiously biding on an online waiting room for about an hour or so while at work (because sales follow Pacific Standard Time). Take note, it only took 20 minutes for Weekend 1 to be sold out. But at long last, the odds were on my favor and thankfully got tickets for Weekend 2. Also sidenote: Thank you to my patients who were there at that time for being so supportive and for putting up with this irrelevant first world problem hahah.

So Day 1 or Pre-Coachella Day started with checking in at Renaissance Hotel Palm Springs and a tour of the Palm Springs Windmills. It is said that the San Gorgonio Mountain Pass seats more than 4,000 windmills supplying energy throughout the whole Coachella Valley. A single turbine alone can generate over 300 kilowatts a month, that's like a month's electric bill of just one household. Imagine 3,999 more. This landmark has since become well known after Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible III was set in this location.

Getting there is relatively simple: The wind farm is along the I-10 Freeway and Highway 111 just northwest of Palm Springs. Tip: Ask permission to park at the Fedex Ground Station (690 Garnet Ave) and from there walk by foot closer to get nice and decent background shots of the windmills.