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Elite Land Tours, Inc.
540 S. Vella Road
Palm Springs, California 92264
PUC ID: TCP-17945 S
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Meet Our Guides
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Bill Ellsworth
Bill, a native Los Angeleno, has been coming to the desert since he was six - "boy, has he seen some changes." He is a retired investment professional who enjoys taking groups out of the city into the world of the desert. Bill is a member of the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens and in his spare time enjoys a round of golf.
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Bruce Dodd
Bruce Dodd is an award winning wildlife artist (Sculptor) who has traveled the world studying nature. From Australia's Great Barrier Reef to Botswanas Okavango River Delta, Bruce has encountered a spectacular array of wildlife and looks forward to new encounters with the clients of Elite Land Tours.
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Bruce Rathbun
Bruce has been an avid rock climber in Joshua Tree National Park and the Valley since 1986. He retired from a federal job (air traffic controller) and moved to Palm Springs permanently in 2002. He volunteered at San Jacinto State Park before coming to Elite. He currently enjoys working on remodeling his mid-century modern house and taking breaks to explore the local canyons and mountains.
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Casey Parks
Casey Parks is a Southern California native. Living his childhood on Balboa Island, it is no surprise that he loves everything there is to do with the ocean and tourism. He is known to friends as ‘Captain’ Casey. He spent four years in Catalina as a Tour Guide and Captain. He even drove the Glass Bottom Boat! He is a graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in Recreation Travel and Tourism.
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Craig Woodson
Craig is from a small town in Wyoming. His adventurous spirit and love for the outdoors started at an early age. He would spend many weeks exploring the remote wilderness of the Windriver Mountains. Craig later moved to Utah, where he found his love for the desert. Rock climbing, biking, motorcycling, camping, and hiking became his passions. Craig is a recent graduate of the University of Wyoming, with a degree in Elementary Education and a Minor in Archaeology. With the Colorado and Mojave desert as a backyard, he loves to educate people about the desert's hidden wonders.
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Greg Gilman
Greg is a native of the area, having been raised just on the other side of Mt. San Jacinto when Palm Springs was young. He moved out into the world away from the valley where he became a school teacher. Then because of his love of travel, got into the travel industry where he worked as a tour guide/director for many of the top tour companies in Europe, South America and Japan. He has now come home to renew his love of the history and the natural wonders of the desert.
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Jill Hayes
Jill Hayes, a southern California native, has lived in the desert over 25 years. She loves exploring the desert, on foot, bicycle, or four wheel drive vehicle. Jill spends her time in "civilization" modeling for various clothing lines and spent time raising money for handicapped children. Her interests include; Off-road expeditions, camping, canoeing, hiking, biking, snowboarding, and much more. Besides being an accomplished outdoor photographer, Jill is a member of the Joshua Tree National Park Association, The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, and is a self taught naturalist. Her favorite creatures are insects and spiders (and an occasional bat).
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Jon Rock
Jon has been a tour guide with Elite Land Tours since the company started. He loves the desert and enjoys giving tours, and educating our guests on our deserts. "I really enjoy giving tours to kids. They are like sponges and soak up all the knowledge you give them." When Jon is not giving tours, he is out hiking in the local mountains.
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Kevin Small
Kevin, a California native, is an avid outdoorsman who has hiked and climbed throughout the mountains and deserts of California. Now living on the Central Coast of California, he owns an award winning Landscape Architecture company. Kevin's knowledge of plant life, geology, the natural environment and interest in local history lead him to constantly explore and learn about the varied environments of the area. From Santa Barbara to the sand dunes at Point Sal and the rugged coastline of Big Sur, Kevin always looks forward to showing the guests of Elite this spectacular area.
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Mark Farley
Mark is a current member of the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, the Joshua Tree National Park Association (where he attends classes at the Desert Institute), and the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy. Mark is a Master Trainer for the Tread Lightly! organization. He plans to share the Tread Lightly! principles with others concerned about impacts on the environment. His hobbies include biking, hiking, rafting, traveling, and exploring.
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Tom Nowakowski
Tom was born in Poland. He came to the U.S. fourteen years ago after doing some research on the National Park System. He fell in love with what he discovered. Tom is an avid backpacker and naturalist. He hiked from Mexico to Canada (Pacific Crest Trail) and from Georgia to Maine (Appalachian Trail). That totals over 5,000 miles of walking! Not to mention his numerous European hikes in the Alps and Pyrenees. His two greatest passions are the outdoors and Tai Chi.
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William Blodgett
William is a third generation native of the Coachella valley and grew up climbing rocks and playing in the sand. Now as an Archaeologist very little has changed. A student of the Univserity of Leicester, William has worked with United States Forest Service and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. He has extensive knowledge of local history and prehistory, which combined with an understanding of local Archaeology paints a complete picture of the desert landscape in a historical, and human context. With an energetic and inquisitive spirit William lives for the time he gets to spend wandering the desert, each expedition becoming an adventure unlike the last.
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