Windmill Tour Will Blow You Away

A new whirlwind tour takes visitor through a windmill farm near Palm Springs, Calif.

The 200 windmills, some of which tower 150 feet and have blades that swing through half a football field, have long attracted attention from travelers on Interstate 10. They’ve even been featured in films, including Rain Man.

The mills are powered by the near-steady wind that blows between two mountain ranges. The generated electricity, up to 300 kilowatts an hour, is sold to a regional utility; the mills are owned by a private firm.

The tour, which lasts about an hour, is said to be the first of its kind in the world. It takes visitors on golf carts - powered by mill-generated electricity - through the space-age landscape, and offers lessons about the promise and challenges of pollution-free, wind-generated energy.

The tours, offered by a private company, EV Adventures, run Tuesday through Saturday at 9 a.m. in La Quinta, Calif. Cost is $18 for adults and $14 for children. Call 1-888-795-9689 or (760) 251-1997 for information and reservations.