The Hummer rolls over the rugged terrain of California's vast Colorado Desert. My niece and nephew - Kaela, 6, and Brochton, 10 - giggle in the back, swaying with every bump and dip.
William, our tour guide and a student of archaeology, shows us the cactuses and arid plants you can eat in what appears to be the uninhabitable landscape. He points out lizards, snakes, roadrunners, vultures and owls to the children, who squeal with delight at every wild creature.
William steers the bulky Hummer into the narrow Box Canyon, alongside billion-year-old rocks. The boulders looming overhead wouldn't seem precarious if I am not aware we are inside one of the most notorious earthquake fault lines in the world: the 1,300km San Andreas Fault. From the canyon's floor, I can see we are sandwiched between two land masses, one slightly higher than the other.
'Most guests ask me, 'So California will really fall off into the sea one day, right?'' jokes William. 'It won't - we'll just eventually have Los Angeles end up by San Francisco.'
I ask about the chances that the fault will collapse while we're inside it? 'Well, anything can happen. But we wouldn't take visitors here if it was that dangerous,' he says. The children seem disappointed at this news, like we have cheated them out of being in a real disaster movie. They remain mesmerised nonetheless.
An inside tour of a major earthquake fault is just one of the many unusual family adventures available near Palm Springs, California. This mellow oasis town of 50,000, two hours east of Los Angeles is better known as the glitzy getaway for Hollywood stars since the 1920s. In fact, so many big names had their second homes here over the decades, Palm Springs has become the centre of a holiday home rental market of former celebrity addresses.
Travellers can stay in the former homes of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Elvis' honeymoon house or cowboy legend Gene Autry. Many of the houses are in the 1950s mid-century modern style that Palm Springs is famous for, and even in the 21st century the houses remain impressive. When I walk through the closet of the late Elizabeth Taylor in her 930-square-metre estate, I am dumbfounded to find a cathedral skylight, French windows and a cream chaise lounge large enough to sleep on. Her adjoining bathroom was the size of a New York studio apartment, complete with a fireplace, a wrought-iron chandelier and a marble bathtub. You can rent out this seven-bedroom, 9?bath mansion for a little more than US$1,000 a night. Or for US$1,500 a night you can choose the five-bedroom, Space-Age home where Elvis and Priscilla Presley first lived. It's full of 1967 furniture and decor, just like when 'The King' slept here.
