Southern California - Palm Springs Ride Suggestions

I'm headed to Palm Springs for Thanksgiving and am looking for some good roads to ride. I have a 2 hour tempo ride to get in Thanksgiving day and am looking for a good route, then some longer easier rides on Saturday and Sunday ~3 hours decent pace. Is 74 ridable? Is there a loop through Joshua Tree?

no (paved) loop ride through joshua tree unless you incorporate part of hwy 62 outside of the park. it's pretty enough and the scenery looks different
doing a there and back ride from anywhere in the national park. it's about an hour's drive from palm springs. a caveat: expect thanksgiving weekend to
be very busy there.

if you're staying in downtown palm springs area, you can do this loop:

1. head north on indian, crossing over the 10 fwy.
2. right on dillon rd. which trends gently uphill.
3. right on 1000 palms rd descending back to the valley floor.
4. left at stop sign (washington/ramon). road turns into washington and crosses back over 10 fwy.
5. right on hwy 111 and follow along the base of the mountains for approx 1.5 hours back to palm springs.
this loop takes in part of the tour de palm springs route. total time would be closer to 3 hrs instead of two.

to cut it down to two hours:
4. (alt) right at stop sign (washington/ramon). road turns into ramon and descends directly back to the 10 fwy.
the pavement is not the best here though so watch out. ramon itself takes you straight back to palm springs but
isn't too scenic. for improved scenery...
5. (alt) cross over the 10 freeway and make a left on bob hope dr.
6. (alt) right on dinah shore (at top of hill).
7. (alt) right on el cielo.
8. (alt) left back onto ramon. 5 more minutes leads you back to indian & hwy 111 (aka palm canyon dr in palm springs).

if you want to add substantial hills:
1. palm springs tram road is at the north end of downtown ps and west off 111/palm canyon. very steep 3.4 mile road
2. frank sinatra dr. west side of 111 in rancho mirage is a short & punchy climb.
3. monterey ave./hwy 74 south of 111 in palm desert is a nice grade for several miles up to where the road starts winding
into the mountains. after that, hwy 74 south is at your own risk since there is zero/nearly zero shoulder, blind curves and fast/dangerous
traffic. would only attempt this: 1. with a group of 4 or more. 2. if you're really fast & strong and 3. not concerned about
leaving any loved ones behind. it's beautiful but dangerous. if in doubt, recon it in the car first...
4. heading back up 1000 palms rd. to dillon after descending it (1000 palms). it's arguably the prettiest road in the valley.

it's pretty hard to get lost. the mountains are always visible as landmarks and you'll eventually run into either (or both)
the 10 fwy or hwy 111 which runs along the base of the mountains south & west of the 10 fwy. mornings are best and
hwy 111 in the neighboring cities of rancho mirage & palm desert will be fairly busy on "black friday" weekend; they have the majority of
shopping destinations. i'll be out there on the weekend too. if you see a guy on a white coppi road bike, it's me. happy thanksgiving & happy riding!

That's a pretty good route. I'd avoid 111 where possible though, especially during waking hours where drivers are out and about. It's narrow and it's usually busy, but not so busy that traffic slows.

Gerald Ford is a good alternative (where applicable).