Chance of seeing presidents very slim

So you want to get close to the President when he visits Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage Friday and Saturday? Maybe catch a glimpse of Barack Obama or Xi Jinping?

Good luck.

Sunnylands was designed to be a private retreat, and it remains just that. The property encompasses 200 acres of land largely surrounded by a well known pink wall.

Even on a day with no security, there is no place to stop along Bob Hope Drive or Frank Sinatra Drive that would afford you a look inside.

To the east of Sunnylands is a huge block of undeveloped, off-limits desert.

To the south is another large wall surrounding the private Desert Island Country Club.

The western perimeter of Sunnylands is abutted by 50 yards of undeveloped desert.

You could try to walk across that desert to get a glimpse of the president playing golf – if he decides to do so – but the view through the thick, tall trees is not great. And here’s guessing the Secret Service wouldn’t want you to get that close.

The closest you’re likely to get to President Obama and Chinese President Xi JinPing is across a large swath of desert in the Pavillion’s shopping center at the corner of Bob Hope and Gerald Ford.

That’s where hundreds of people are expected to attend rallies and “call on President Obama to take a stand for Tibet and pressure China to end their atrocities in Tibet,” according to Students for a Free Tibet, one of the rally organizers. Bay Area Friends of Tibet and the San Francisco Regional Tibetan Youth Congress will also be a part of the protest.

Rancho Mirage Mayor Richard Kite says Bob Hope Drive will be closed between Frank Sinatra and Gerald Ford drives during the presidential visit, June 7-8.

Frank Sinatra Drive will also be closed between Morningside Drive and Monterey Avenue.