Come springtime, many southern Californians turn their attention east towards the Anza Borrego Desert.  The attraction is the annual wildflower blooms, that can instantly transform this unforgiving landscape into a flourishing garden. 

Unfortunately this annual pilgrimage is in jeopardy as the Anza Borrego desert is under attack from a relentless invader, innocuously named Sahara Mustard.

Sahara Mustard is considered an invasive species and lately has been choking out many of the native wildflowers in the Borrego Valley and surrounding areas.

So you are probably asking yourself, "What can I do?".  Well you can head out to Anza Borrego on February 8, for a weeding orientation, and then attend one of three weeding sessions which are scheduled in late January and early February.

Weeding sessions are currently scheduled for :

Saturday February 12

Saturday February 26

Session times are from 9 am until 12 and from 1 - 3 pm. Volunteers are asked to bring their own gloves and weeding tools. Please meet at the north side of Henderson Canyon Road, 1/2 mile east of the intersection with Borrego Valley Road.

For more information you can check the California State Parks website.

Check out some of our Anza Borrego Wildflower pictures from last year.

Casey over at Modern Hiker recently reviewed a great new app for the iPhone called CalParks. Being a bit of an iPhone fanatic I immediately downloaded the free app to check it out.

What is nice is that the CalParks app will use the iPhone's built-in GPS to locate California State Parks close to your location. According to the app, Anza Borrego is 52 miles away from my location and appears in a nice sorted list with other State Parks.

Clicking on Anza-Borrego Desert State Park brings up the general info page which has a nice overview of the Park as well as options to view trail maps, check out photos and read about the Park's history.

Another nice feature is located under the "Explore" tab at the bottom of the screen. From there you can access guides and community trips which let you view trail maps, get directions to the start of the trail and even download the map data to your iPhone in case you are out of a cell coverage area.

If you have a iPhone I highly recommend you download the CalParks app and give it a try. I am hoping in time they add to their trail database, and offer some of the more remote trails out in Anza Borrego, but for now this app fits the bill.
Thanks again to Casey for pointing out this cool new app.

Join guest photographer Andy as he explores the Anza Borrego Desert at night. These awesome photos were taken on a recent overnight backpacking trip into Bighorn Canyon by members of the forum.

There has been an unprecedented assault on our deserts and backcountry in the name of renewable energy. While the Anza Borrego Desert State Park was spared the bulldozer's blade back in 2008, many so called "green" projects have been popping up all over California.

Although these remote solar and wind projects may seem environmentally friendly on the surface, there is a dark side that seems to be ignored by the media.

In order to be financially viable, large scale solar and wind projects require thousands of acres of public lands to be scraped clean in order to make room for the dishes or towers. These are areas that have important biological and possibly cultural significance. For example, the area proposed for the Ocotillo Express Wind Farm is critical desert habitat for Peninsular Bighorn Sheep and is also home to the endangered flat-tailed horned lizard.

While the utility companies, politicians and corporations look upon these areas as an expendable resource (1), once these areas are developed they are forever gone. Do we really need to go "green" by paving over untouched wilderness?  Utility companies such as SDG&E would have you believe yes, but they are merely maximizing profits by building up a huge infrastructure of transmission lines and sub-stations. The true environmentally friendly alternative is to generate the power where it is being used and covering our homes and businesses with photo-voltaic panels.

Unfortunately as I write this, the Ocotillo Express Wind Farm has now moved to the environmental review stage and looks to be fast-tracked through the approval process. I urge you to take a few minutes to email the BLM offices and tell them this area should not be used for a 15,000 acre wind farm. There are better ways to deliver clean energy to the people of San Diego without destroying our desert ecosystems

(1) “Some people look out in the deserts and just see empty space. I see a gold mine there for clean energy.” – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bureau of Land Management e-mails to send comments:
caocotillo@blm.gov
Cedric_Perry@ca.blm.gov
Comments need to be received before January 12, 2011

Thanks to the Basin and Range Watch for following this issue.

Bob

I spent Thursday morning out in McCain Valley protesting SDG&E's Sunrise Powerlink ground-breaking ceremony along with the Protect Our Communities Foundation and other concerned San Diegans.

This high profile invite-only event had our governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in attendance as well as other Sunrise Powerlink supporters and local politicians.

Many people, myself included, would call this event premature since the Sunrise Powerlink is being challenged in the courts, but SDG&E moved forward anyway. SDG&E also unveiled its' new high tech helicopter that apparently will be helping with construction of the Sunrise Powerlink (if it does unfortunately go through.

Attendees were brought in by the busloads, and SDG&E even went as far as to have a water truck hose down the road to keep the dust from flying.Kind of ironic to think SDG&E was worried about a little dust when they are intent on destroying some beautiful areas of the San Diego backcountry. Go figure. 

We weren't allowed to go past the gate so we set up outside with signs and shouted at the invitees as they drove past. Never saw the Governor but apparently he was there patting SDG&E supporters on the back.

Here are the pictures from today's protest (Large Thumbnails).

Here are the pictures from today's protest (Small Thumbnails).

I had barely rinsed off the dirt and dust from our Thanksgiving trip to Carrizo Gorge, when we found ourselves heading back out to Anza Borrego to meet up with a couple friends for a day hike. Our destination this time, was at the opposite end of the Anza Borrego Desert, a remote area called Rockhouse Valley.

While the adjacent canyon, informally titled Rockhouse Canyon, shares its' namesake with our favorite hiking area to the south, the two areas are worlds apart. Rockhouse Canyon "north" is a curving, narrow canyon with vertical walls on both sides which eventually opens up to the broad expanse of Rockhouse Valley. A majority of the hike is on BLM land and interestingly enough, you find yourself crossing over the San Diego County line and into Riverside County early into the hike. The area is also known for its' numerous  Cahuilla Indian sites, some which date back 2000 years.

Our journey began with a crawling, bumping ride up the jeep road past Clark Dry Lake. Once we passed the  Butler / Rockhouse Canyon junction the trail became increasingly tough. We would hit a rough spot and John, our hiking partner, would say " I think this is as far as I made it in my Chevy SUV. I took this as a challenge and put the Landcruiser in low range and continued up the narrow trail towards Rockhouse Canyon. I was determined to get us as far in as possible, or at least further than John was able to drive.  

Along the trail we had noticed a few Ocotillo that seemed to have gotten into the holiday spirit and turned red. We wondered if this was a different type of Ocotillo or simply a phenomenon which we had not seen before? If anyone has any ideas please add your comments below.

Once we arrived at the trailhead we headed off into the canyon. We immediately found ourselves surrounded by sheer rock walls that rose dramatically around us. The soft sand and slight uphill grade up through Rockhouse canyon made our trek a bit slow, and at one point we even had to scale up a huge dry waterfall. There was evidence of the recent rains all around, and we remarked to each other that we would love to witness a flash flood through this canyon. OK from high above, but still it would be an amazing spectacle.

Exiting Rockhouse Canyon we entered the huge expanse of Rockhouse Valley and began scouring the area for the rock house ruins. The valley itself is amazing, with 8700' Toro Peak towering over its' northern edge and numerous ridges running along the valley floor. It has the feeling of a large desert amphitheater only silence not music is its' main attraction.

After a bit more searching we found the three rectangular rockhouse ruins. According to Diana Lindsay's "Anza-Borrego Desert Region" Guide Book one of the houses belonged to "one of the last chiefs of the RockHouse Valley Indians", Manuel Torte and his family. The other rockhouse was apparently built over a century ago by a prospector mining for gold in (Mojave) Rockhouse Valley.  

The lower rockhouses marked the end of our journey and after a few pictures we began the three mile hike back to the LandCruiser. The slight downward grade, made the return trip much faster and after dropping our friends off, we were enjoying dinner in Borrego Springs.

Rockhouse Valley is a great area to explore if you are interested in the history and beauty of the Anza Borrego Desert. Long lost mines, Native American sites and incredible desert scenery help to remove you from today's hectic pace and give you a glimpse of a simpler life.

Rockhouse Valley Hike Photos (Small Thumbnails)

Rockhouse Valley Hike Photos (Large Thumbnails)

Our annual Anza Borrego Thanksgiving camping trip is something we always look forward to. While it sounds like a big hassle to lug all the food, tables, barbecues and drinks out to the desert, the rewards of sunshine and desert solitude are worth it.
Nightime temperatures were in the the low 30's, but the Maggiolina Rooftop Tent kept us pretty warm. We camped in  Carrizo Gorge, which is our favorite area of Anza Borrego, and did day hikes up the East Fork as well as Four Frogs Canyon.

The Ocotillo are simply amazing this time of year. During the dry summer months the Ocotillo resemble dried up sticks poking out of the desert soil. Once the winter rains start  they become a brilliant emerald green.

I am going to keep this post short since they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so choose one of the links below to see our trip report.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone,

Bob

Thanksgiving in Anza Borrego Pictures (Small Thumbnails)

Thanksgiving in Anza Borrego Pictures (Large Thumbnails)

On a recent overnight camping trip to Mount Laguna I snapped this picture of the Anza Borrego Desert far below.
If you look closely you can see the Salton Sea in the upper left of the picture.

     High up on a ridge overlooking the vast expanse of Anza Borrego 's Indian Valley is a room size rock shelter once used by Native Americans to honor and perhaps foretell the coming of the summer solstice.  To the Native Americans, the sun was all powerful and dictated when crops would ripen and perhaps when the time had come to move to higher more hospitable elevations.

To monitor the arrival of "the longest day of the year" native american priests or shamans would paint pictographs which would illuminate at the right time of the year on the rising sun. It is also believed that rocks were arranged in a certain way to capture the sunlight and create descriptive patterns which the shaman would interpret.

We had heard sketchy details of this secret Indian Valley solstice cave for years. There were scant references in a few guide books and websites but hardly anything that could qualify as a map with an "x" on it. With the help of Daren who we met off the  Anza Borrego forum, we pieced together enough clues for another attempt at locating the hidden solstice cave.

So, on a crisp, clear santa ana morning we fired up the trusty Land Cruiser and joined the thousands of commuters heading to work. Lucky for us, our 9 - 5 would be spent in the Anza Borrego desert hunting for pictographs.

Arriving at the turnoff at Indian Gorge, there was evidence of the recent rains everywhere. The Ocotillo plants which had been brown on our last visit, were now a brilliant emerald green and newly sprouted grass lined the sandy wash.  

Once at the trailhead, we filled our water bottles, slapped on the sunscreen and scanned the surrounding mountains for any clue as to the cave's whereabouts. No such luck so upward we went, scaling the rocks below Sombrero Peak looking for any signs of the cave. Besides a few short lines in Jerry Schaad's book our only clue was that the cave had to face east to catch the morning sun. Not really much to go on.

After hours of searching, the large rocks started to look the same and we began to worry that once again our quest to find the solstice cave would be unsuccessful. The catclaw had taken its toll on our legs (note to self: long pants next time), and the cold Bohemias down in our Engel Fridge seemed a little more enticing then spending another hour out on the rocks.

Suddenly from far below I heard a faint "I found it!".  Our journey was over, we had located the hidden solstice cave. We sat for a while enjoying the spectacular view from this small rock shelter, taking pictures of the numerous sun pictographs covering the ceiling. 

Our hike back down the ridge resulted in a few more catclaw scratches, but our discovery had made it all worthwhile.   

Is the secret of the Indian Valley solstice cave revealed when the morning sun rises out of the east during the summer solstice?  Not sure but I am already planning on being there on June 21  to see for myself. 

Indian Valley Solstice Cave Photos (Large Thumbnails - High Banwidth). 

Indian Valley Solstice Cave Photos (Small Thumbnails - Low Bandwidth). 

       The first meeting of the year for the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Botany Society will be held Monday, November 8, at 10 a.m. in the Daniel Discovery Lab at the Park Visitor Center.  A freelecture on the evolution of plant photosynthesis by Dr. Joanne Ingwall will precede the business meeting, and all are invited to attend. New certification classes for the Botany Society will begin January 3, 2011. Anyone interested inattending the classes should contact Larry Hendrickson at lhendrickson@parks.ca.gov.

Also, mark your calendars for the 2^nd Annual Botany Festival and Plant Sale on Saturday, November 27, at the ParkVisitor Center:

Cross border plant specialists are the featured speakers at the 2^ndAnnual Botany Festival and Plant Sale that will be held at the Anza-Borrego Desert StatePark VisitorCenter on Saturday,November 27, 2010. Also scheduled are field trips, plant walks, a demonstration of the Native American use of plants, and a native plant sale. The lectures and demonstrations are free of charge and open to the public. The festivalactivities are continuous from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More...

Jon Grasson has done an excellent job of putting together an awesome resource for Desert lovers everywhere.

Dezert Magazine, an online periodical, is reminiscent of the printed Desert Magazine that ceased publication in 1985 after 40 + years of circulation . I was honored when John asked to include one of our blog entries in the first issue.

Check it out if you have a chance.

Best,

Bob

Many people never see a Bighorn out in the Anza Borrego Desert. The once thriving Bighorn population has now dwindled to somewhere around 280 by official Park estimates. The Bighorns blend in very well with their environment and will stand still for hours making them impossible to see.

On two previous occasions we have been lucky enough to encounter the elusive Bighorn. The first time was two hours into a hike to the Goat Canyon Trestle, while our second encounter was with a bachelor herd of Bighorn rams near Indian Hill in the southern end of Anza Borrego.

Our latest encounter did not require a 3 hour hike and in fact occurred when Linda and I were leaving the Park. We had just spent the day in Indian Valley, unsucessfully hunting for a solstice cave, and were heading up the steep grade of the I-8. 

I was looking down to see if my Landcruiser was getting hot (it has been overheating) and when I looked up there he was, a full adult male Bighorn Sheep. He crossed in front of our vehicle and headed off into the rocky terrain that lines the freeway.

Linda and I were dumbfounded and I quickly pulled off into the shoulder so we could snap some pictures. The ram looked back at us and then disappeared into the rocky terrain.

Bighorn Sheep Photos are here.

If you really want to escape the summer beach crowds of San Diego, but still want to play in the sand, you could always take a 2+ hour drive east to the Anza Borrego Desert.

Our motivation was simple, June gloom had continued two weeks into July, shrouding the coast in clouds. We had forgotten what sunshine felt like.

Mind you this is not journey for those who can't take a little heat. When we pulled up at the Carrizo Gorge turnoff, temperatures were already close to 100' and promised to rise throughout the morning.

Suprisingly, we were not the only foolhardy souls out in Anza Borrego braving the  triple digit temperatures. When Mary and I pulled off the S2 at Carrizo Gorge we noticed a couple of guys parked at the trailhead. After chatting a bit, we learned that they were doing research on the Tamarisk groves in the area. Apparently Tamarisk is considered an invasive spieces in the Colorado Desert due to its tendency to compete with native desert vegetation. They asked us if we were familiar with the area, so we directed them south down into Carrizo Gorge where we have previously seen many thickets of Tamarisk trees.

By this time Daren had arrived so we jumped in our 4 Wheel Drives and drove down Carrizo Gorge to the turnoff at RockHouse Canyon. 

As we predicted, the 3 mile hike up the canyon was hot, dry and completely devoid of hikers. All of the wildflowers and cactus blooms that we had marveled at in months past were now gone, leaving behind an arid desert landscape. We didn't spend too much time exploring the canyon, but both Daren and I did manage to get impaled by cholla spines. Ahhh, got to love the Desert. 

Despite the heat, I am beginning to enjoy Anza Borrego in the summer months or off season. It is nice to be able to escape the summer beach crowds even if it is only for a little while. 

Disclaimer: If you dare to brave summer in the Anza Borrego Desert, please be prepared. Bring plenty of water and wear a hat. If you are not an experienced hiker, stay reasonably close to your vehicle which should be in good working condition.
When we arrived back at the LandCruiser the temperature was 110'F which gives you an idea of the extreme temperatures you may encounter.
If you are near Borrego Springs it is a good idea to check in with the Park Ranger before you head out on a hike.

Photos from the trip are here (Large Thumbnails).

Photos from the trip are here (Small Thumbnails).

Not that I am terribly surprised, but I was hopeful that Forest Supervisor Metz would show some backbone and stand up to SDG&E / Sempra.

Unfortunately this was not the case and Supervisor Metz caved to political and corporate pressure and agreed to let SDG&E route the Sunrise Powerlink through the Cleveland National Forest.

This is a sad day for San Diego and anyone who likes to get out and enjoy nature with out the tell-tale signs of man.

The character of the Cleveland National Forest will be forever changed due to corporate greed, deceitful tactics and the unwillingness of the US Forest Service to put their foot down and say "No"!

Worst part is that Metz had to adjust the Cleveland National Forest "Management Plan" to allow the line, an action he claims was "insignificant". 

Like Mary said , "I'm sure Grover Cleveland is rolling over in his grave!" 

I am hopeful this will get stopped in the courts.

Here is a copy of the letter I sent in last month. 

Full Story at Sign On San Diego 

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Tucked away in the southern end of the Anza Borrego Desert is an engineering marvel that, due to its' remoteness, has only been viewed by a relatively small number of people. The Goat Canyon Trestle was built in 1932 after an earthquake collapsed one of the tunnels of the Carrizo Gorge section of the San Diego Arizona Railroad.

At two hundred feet tall and 750 feet long, it remains to this day the longest, tallest curved wooden trestle ever built in the United States. The sheer ruggedness of the mountainous terrain as well as the searing desert temperatures warranted the name "The Impossible Railroad".

The preferred route is to park near Mortero Palms and take the trail that leads you up and over the Jacumba Mountains dropping you down into Goat Canyon after 3 miles or so. This is pretty much the standard route and is published in a few hiking books and on a few websites.

While we have hiked out to Goat Canyon Trestle along the "popular route", I have always had it in the back of my mind to park at the north end of Carrizo Gorge and then hike up to where it intersects Goat Canyon. Mary and I tried it once a couple years ago and eventually gave up. There is no clearly defined trail up the gorge, and a majority of the hike had us dodging cholla, hopscotching across river rocks and squeezing through catclaw. Still I was itching to do it and amazingly Mary agreed to accompany me.

Saturday morning we loaded up the LandCruiser, slapped on the sunscreen and drove out to meet up with Daren at the Carrizo Creek turnoff. After quick introductions, we hopped in our vehicles and lumbered up the Carrizo Gorge jeep road. The trail was deserted apart from a few jackrabbits, and after an hour of bouncing up the trail we were parked and off hiking into the gorge.

Now I am usually not one to worry about rattlesnakes , but the combination of the thick undergrowth and Daren's rattlesnake stories had me a bit spooked. Suddenly, almost as if Daren had a magic crystal ball, the stillness of the desert was interrupted by a loud piercing rattle. No these weren't maracas, but a 4-5' long Diamondback rattler coiled up into strike position. We quickly detoured off the trail and continued deeper into the gorge, vowing to pay better attention our steps.

A couple miles into the hike we realized we were not covering as much ground as we had hoped. By our calculations the Goat Canyon juncture was still a couple hours away while in the meantime the sun had moved directly overhead.

At this point we made the decison to bushwhack up the side of the mountain using the train tracks as our goal. We made our way up the loose material, sweating, cursing and dodging cholla until we finally arrived at the tracks of the Carrizo Gorge railway.

From here the hike was easy since we merely had to follow the tracks for about another mile and a half. Along the way we passed through two-story tall tunnels  which  have been blasted through solid rock and are supported with massive wooden beams.

Further down the tracks we passed by some old box cars perched precariously on the edge of the gorge and after a bit more hiking we found ourselves standing on the middle of the 200 foot high Goat Canyon Trestle.

Looking west down into Goat Canyon we realized the approach from Carrizo Gorge would have been all but impossible. There is a towering dry waterfall at the mouth of the canyon that looks deceptively easy on Google Earth. Our view from high atop the trestle said otherwise.

We explored the trestle area for some time until hunger eventually got the best of us. Far off in Carrizo Gorge was a LandCruiser with cold beer and sandwiches, so we reluctantly started our long journey back.

Goat Canyon Hike Photos are here (Large Thumbnails)

Goat Canyon Hike Photos are here (Small Thumbnails)

I left early Wednesday morning with the plan to do a solo day hike out to the Goat Canyon Trestle in the southern Anza Borrego desert.

According to weather reports the rain that was hitting the coast wasn't suppose to hit Ocotillo until Thursday. Sure there were high wind warnings for  the deserts and the mountains but hey, what's a little wind ?

As I began to drive up the grade past Pine Valley for my eventual descent into the desert, I quickly realized that this was not an ordinary Spring storm. Rain had quickly turned to snow as I approached the Sunrise Highway turn-off. Snow? Wait, isn't  Memorial Day weekend with its' beach barbecues and fun-in-the-sun just around the corner!? Not only was there snow, but the wind was whipping up some pretty good flurries near the Tecate Divide. Visibility was pretty bad and I strongly considered turning around. 

Fortunately once I began dropping down into the desert, things took a turn for the better. The skies cleared and the Jacumba mountains seemed to deter any further advancement of the storm into the Anza Borrego desert. 

"It was going to be a great hike", I said to myself, as I pulled up to the trailhead at Mortero Palms. I started to open the door of my LandCruiser only to have it jerked out of my hand by a sudden gust of wind. The rain squalls quickly followed as the wind seemed to force the rain up and over the Jacumba mountains.

Retreating to the warmth of the LandCruiser I made the decision to abandon the remote hike and explore the Dos Cabezas area. Luckily the rain seemed to be concentrated to the west so I was able to stay pretty dry exploring the areas east of the mountains. After exploring some new areas, I had lunch while watching the long branches of the fiery tipped Ocotillos get battered by the wind.

It is amazing what these hearty desert plants can put up with; searing temperatures, drought, flash floods and gale force winds don't seem to have an effect on them. While most of the year the Ocotillo resembles a group of long, spindly, dead branches sticking out of the sand, come Spring given enough rain, they begin to green up and  will explode with bright orange buds. The spiny covered branches of this amazing desert plant can reach heights of 20 feet and is well suited to the dry, well-drained soil of the southern Anza Borrego Desert.

By far my favorite desert plant out here. 

Pictures from the Dos Cabezas trip are here (Small Thumbnails)

Pictures from the Dos Cabezas trip are here (Large Thumbnails)

Slideshow from the Dos Cabezas trip are here

Join David, a member of our Anza Borrego Forums, as he hikes up the Wilson Trail for a solo overnight backpack trip.

The trail to Pinyon Ridge is called the Wilson Trail. It follows an old Jeep road for about 5 miles and ends in a beautiful little valley just to the east of Wilson Peak.
This is the sign that greets you as you pull off S-22 and head for the trail head.

More...

April 04, 2010

The girls over at DzrtGrls.com forwarded me some great pictures from  the recent 7.2 earthquake. The quake itself occured just over the border in Mexicali on April 4, 2010 and apparently shook things up pretty well in Anza Borrego. These pictures are from the Fishcreek / Sandstone Canyon area and are from a post on the Ford Truck Enthusiast forum.

We missed this by one day on our recent trip to the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves.

What you should take away from these pictures is that camping in a narrow canyon is a very bad idea.

There are more pictures and a trail report over at the Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

04/04/2010

Tucked away in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park is a place that seems to have more similarities with moon, or at least what I would imagine the moon to look like.

Arroyo Tapiado or "Mud Wall Wash" is an area of southern Anza Borrego that has some of the most extensive mud caves in the world. A few of the dark, twisting passages can be hundreds of feet long ending in rooms with two story ceilings, while other areas require you to suck in your gut and crawl on all fours.

Archaeological excavations have uncovered fossils of mammoths, sabre-tooth tigers and other animals dating back millions of years which adds to the otherworldly feel of the area.

When exploring a place like Arroyo Tapiado it is always nice to have a guide, or someone in the know. Fortunately for us one of my friends from work Mark, is an experienced "spelunker" and is always up for a day of exploring. He was also the one that guided us around the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves 5 years ago.  We were also able to entice few more of our friends to join us, so after a quick meetup at Starbucks we jumped in the four-wheel drives and headed east towards Anza Borrego.

Our first stop was the Plunge Pool cave and the surrounding slot canyons. We hiked a bit up the canyon until lunch time and then headed back to the vehicles. Out came the BBQ and grill-master JP took center stage grilling up an assortment of hamburgers, veggie burgers and hot dogs. Once everone was stuffed with BBQ food it was time to don headlamps and squeeze into the narrow entrance of Plunge Pool Cave.

The cave is a fairly short trek but opens up into an amazing two story cavern with a small skylight. Upon our arrival into the cavern, a family that had been sitting in the dark having lunch decided  5 more mouths were too many to feed and quickly left. We spent some time enjoying the coolness of the cave, and then decided it was time for something a bit more challenging.

The next mud cave on our list was "Hidden Cave" which was a short hike down the wash from our camp. This particular cave will reinforce your fears of tight places or possibly cure it. The passage has you crawling on all fours and squeezing between narrow sections in complete darkness, save your headlamp.

If you have not been out to visit this amazing part of the Anza Borrego desert you have to put it on your to do list. Be prepared to get dirty and do a lot of crawling, ducking and climbing. Another thing I should mention is that if you are claustrophobic you may want to stay away from some of the tighter caves like "Hidden Cave".

Rest of post coming soon....

 Anza Borrego Mud Caves Trip Photo Album (Large Thumbnails)

 Anza Borrego Mud Caves Trip Photo Album (Small Thumbnails)

03/25/2010

The wildflowers and cactus blooms have arrived in the southern Anza Borrego Desert

When my sister Linda viewed last week's wildflower update post she insisted I take her on a mid-week flower hunting trip. After much arm twisting I agreed and here is what we found.

We had this great encounter with a couple of Jackrabbits in Indian Valley. Once they realized that we weren't a threat they chased each other around the LandCruiser for a good ten minutes. Linda commented that it was probably some rabbit mating ritual being Spring and all. 

Check the rest of the Wildflower Photos Here (Small Thumbnails)

WildFlower Photos (Large Thumbnails)

Try the slideshow (beta)

Deep in the rugged expanse of Carrizo Gorge in the Anza Borrego desert, there is a small cave of pictographs that few have ever seen. The area is surrounded by large unstable mountains, choked with catclaw, and littered with large truck size boulders. The Carrizo Gorge also marks the transition from the Colorado Desert to the dry San Diego coastal mountains.

We have visited the area numerous times. At one point Mary and I tried to scout a route to Goat Canyon along Carrizo Gorge. While this is doable, we were eventually turned back by thick groves of catclaw that proceeded to tear at our skin and clothes. 

Fast forward to a couple months ago; while Googling "Anza Borrego Pictographs" I found an image of what appeared to be dark, ghost -like apparitions painted on a cave wall. The caption read "Rock Shelter, Carrizo Gorge, Anza-Borrego State Park. I did a little research to try to narrow down the location of the rock shelter but came up empty handed. Finally while talking to retired Park Superintendent Mark Jorgensen at an ABF sponsored hike, I got the clue I needed. 

I decided I would do this trip solo because deep down I didn't think I would find the shelter in Carrizo Gorge and I really didn't want to drag friends and family along on a wild goose chase. My back up plan was to hike to the cattleman's house in Rockhouse Canyon to take pictures and also scout the area for wildflowers. 

Flower season or not, mid-week in the southern Anza Borrego Desert is empty. Driving up the Imperial Highway I counted two parked cars, occupants frantically pointing their cameras at anything with a hint of color.

I turned off at Carrizo Creek and made my way up the jeep trail of Carrizo Gorge finally parking at the trailhead of Rockhouse Canyon. The majority of Rockhouse Canyon actually sits on BLM land just outside of the Anza Borrego State Park and is designated as part of the Carrizo Gorge Wilderness. The trail itself was in years past an old jeep road, now closed it is slowly being reclaimed by the desert.

The trail up the sandy wash was lined with color. Desert Dandelions, Chuparosa, Desert Chicory and Brittle Bush were in abundance adding a sweet fragrance to the dry desert air. I explored a few small caves and rocks and finally arrived at the rock house.

According to historians, the rock house was built by cattleman Darrell McCain back in 1933. McCain built the cabin against two large boulders and added a small fireplace and a window that overlooks the expansive valley. It is always fun to sit in the rock house and gaze out the window much the same way the McCains might have done almost 75 years ago.

I explored the area a bit, snapped a few pictures and then headed back down the wash to the trailhead. After lunch and a short solo bongo session (seemed appropriate)  I jumped into the LandCruiser and lumbered further down the Carrizo Gorge road. First thing I noticed is that the trail has gotten much worse. I am not sure I would have ventured much past the East Fork turnoff without 4WD and low range. My guess is that the winter rains have affected the trail and that Carrizo Gorge has seen alot of flowing water in the past few months.

After bouncing along in low range for thirty minutes, the trail had become impassable, blocked by large boulders and over-growth. I parked my LandCruiser and began scouring the area for signs of a cave.

First thing I found was a "water drop" of a dozen one gallon containers. (This area is a frequently used route for Mexican immigrants making their way through the desert.)  A few minutes later I was able to locate the cave.

The pictographs are very dark, leading me to believe they have been touched up at some point. Nevertheless the cave is impressive with morteros and an spectacular view down into the Carrizo Gorge.

I sat in the cave and finished my water in preparation for the long drive back down the trail. The only sound was the water rushing over the rocks of the creek and a few birds that seemed upset by my intrusion.

Looking out over Carrizo Gorge I thought to myself, "Hmmm, not a bad spot." 

Photos from this trip are here

Carrizo Gorge Pictographs (Large Thumbnails)

Slideshow version of trip

San Diego Reader Published Version - Desert Treasure

What I love about living in San Diego is that within two hours you can leave the coast, drive over the mountains and then drop down into the desert. Incredible diversity in my opinion. 

With that in mind, I decided to take the day off work and check on the wildflowers out in the Anza Borrego desert. My preferred area of Borrego is the southern section where you can get away from the crowds, hike up a trail and be completely immersed in the solitude of the Desert.

 
Driving up the S2 I knew I was in for a great show. The road was lined with Desert Dandelions, Lupine amd Brittle Bush. The only downside was watching a Border Patrol Humvee casually lumber up the shoulder of the road plowing through patches of wildflowers. Wasn't really sure about his reasoning but... 

Group of Beavertail Cacti ready to explode with flowers

Trio of Blooming Barrel cacti deep in Carrizo Gorge

Desert Dandelions in RockHouse Canyon - Anza Borrego

Staghorn Cholla off the trail in RockHouse Canyon

It looks like it will be a great weekend out in the Anza Borrego Desert for those seeking wildflowers and cactus blooms. Temperatures are suppose to be in the 80's on Saturday so bring a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water. Be wary of where you pull off to check the wildflowers as many areas of the highway will have deep sand on the shoulder. If you do get out there feel free to post your trip on our forum,

Most important have fun and take lots of pictures. 

You can check the rest of the wildflower pictures here. 

I signed Mary and I up for a day trip with the Anza-Borrego Foundation to Harper Cabin in the central part of the Anza Borrego Desert. My reasoning for signing up for an organized tour was two-fold. First the hike was being led by Mark Jorgensen who probably knows the Anza Borrego Desert better than anybody, and second while we know the southern area of the Anza Borrego Desert fairly well, we are not very familiar with the central area. We are "down-southers" according to Mark. 

The tour was set to leave at 8AM from the Tamarisk Grove campground so with our neighbor's Don and Kathleen in tow we packed sandwiches, filled water bottles, lathered on sunscreen and headed east in our trusty Toyota Landcruiser.

Once we arrived quick introductions were made, and we jumped back into the Landcruiser and followed Mark Jorgen's red Jeep for the short drive to the trail at Pinyon Wash. The drive up Pinyon Wash takes you through some beautiful backcountry of the Anza Borrego Desert. Numerous Agave, with their stalks reaching for the sky and the crimson tipped Ocotillo lined the trail.

The easy hike began under a cloudless desert sky, with a little bouldering up a small canyon. The narrow canyon eventually opened up into the vast expanse of Harper Flat where we explored an old Indian camp rich with morteros, metates and pottery shards. We then continued up the valley into  the narrow tributary of Harper Canyon.

The hidden treasures of Harper Canyon are the multi-level dam that was built back in the 1920s and the cabin which was used by the Harper brothers. Like many cattlemen that came before them, Julius and Amby Harper tried to utilize the abundant vegetation of the Anza Borrego Desert landscape to graze their cattle. They were able to tap into some of the underground springs of the area and went as far as building a dam to control water flow down the narrow canyon. Unfortunately the dams eventually filled with sand and the Harper brothers abandoned their cattle operation years later.

Today all that remains of the Harper brother's endeavors are the sand-filled dam which forms two massive steps up the canyon, and the cabin, where according to rangers, one of the Harper brothers spent his honeymoon.There is also a stone structure at the mouth of the canyon which we are guessing served as some sort of outpost.

We sat, ate our lunches and imagined the effort it must have taken to construct such an operation in this remote area of the desert. The solid concrete walls of the dam are close to 10 feet tall and have stood the test of time. The cabin itself has not done so well, its' support system of Agave stalks long gone.

After lunch at the cabin, we hiked back down Harper Canyon realizing we were probably following the path the Harper brothers took so many years ago. Of course they probably didn't have a LandCruiser with solar panels and a fridge waiting for them at the trailhead. 

Special thanks to Mark Jorgensen, Bert Gildart and the Anza Borrego Foundation for making this a fun and memorable trip.

Hike To Harper Cabin Trip Photos are Here

I took another scouting trip to the south end of the Anza Borrego Desert to see how the wildflowers and cactus blooms were progressing. It looks like we have another couple weeks for a peak bloom in the southern areas. There are many cacti with buds that are ready to explode.

This beautiful Barrel Cactus near Indian Hill was getting a jump start on its neighbors.

We also noticed a few small Fishook Cacti with tiny rings of flowers.

Penstemon pseudospectabilis(?) nestled between the rocks.

Unfortunately on our search for wildflowers near Arroyo Seco del Diablo and Arroyo Tapiado we noticed a large amount of Sahara Mustard in areas that were previously covered with Sand Verbena. From doing some research I found out that Sahara Mustard is a real problem in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. This fast growing invasive plant smothers native wildflowers by steailing sunlight and soil moisture. 

Another thing that really bummed us out were these illegal ATV tracks up near Indian Hill.

This yahoo basically took his ATV right through an area of cholla, beavertail and other cacti and tore things up pretty bad. It sucks to see someone with such a blantant disregard for the environment, harm the desert  this way.

If you want to become an expert on the various wildflowers in the Anza Borrego Desert or just interested in learning more, I recommend the field guide Desert Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert. If this guide doesn't have it , it probably does not exist.

Photo Slideshow from this trip

Mary and I left early Sunday for a day trip out to Anza Borrego. Our destination was Piedras Grandes in the southern end of the park. While Saturday's heavy rains had  dissuaded us from doing an overnight trip, Sunday had dawned with blue skies and warm temperatures. Perfect weather for an Anza Borrego trip.

After a quick stop at the Subway in Jacumba we dropped down into the desert around 9:30 AM. We drove up the S2 scanning the vast desert for any sign of desert wildflowers. A few budding Ocotillo and some yellow Brittle Bush flowers but not much else blooming. As we bounced up the Mortero Wash trail, we caught up to a 4Runner who had stopped to take pictures of an incredible Agave. Not ones to miss out on a good desert flower picture, we grabbed our camera and began snapping away.  The Agave or "Century Plant" has an average lifespan of 25 years, all of those preparing for its' culminating display of brilliant golden flowers. It is always fun to be on hand to witness such an event.

Our next stop was the trailhead at Piedras Grandes. Suprisingly, there were a couple of trucks already there,  so we drove a little further up the trail and parked. The Piedras Grandes "Big Rocks" area is well known for its abundance of cultural artifacts and habitats. Hiking up the former jeep trail, we were amazed by the sheer number of cave shelters and amazing rocks. We found the deepest mortero we have ever seen as well as the largest Yoni. There were also numerous water cachments carved out of the large boulders that held water from Saturday's rain.

About 1.5 miles up the trail we came upon the famous "Horse and Rider" pictograph. The pictograph depicts a figure of a man on a horse which according to Diana Liindsay's Guide is the only "known representation of horse and rider in Kumeyaay rock art". This had led archaeologist to deduce that this pictograph may have been drawn to record the Kumeyaay's first encounter with Juan Batista De Anza back in 1774. 

Unfortunately this amazing piece of history was no match for careless campfires and much of it is damaged and hard to make out. Luckily, there is a small sign that recreates the drawing from an archaelogical survey done back in the 70s.

It is nice to think that in this technologically obsessed world , a place like this even exists.

As we hiked back to the Landcruiser on a trail that we have driven in years past, we realized that some places in the Anza Borrego desert are better traveled on foot.

Hike to Piedras Grandes Photos are here

In the small desert town of Ocotillo, CA the winds may be changing.

Pattern Energy, a San Francisco based energy company is proposing to turn 15,000 acres of public lands bordering the Anza Borrego Desert State Park into a 561 megawatt wind farm with 240 wind turbines.

Unfortunately for the small town of Ocotillo and the Imperial Valley, little would be gained as the power would be funneled to San Diego over the infamous Sunrise Powerlink.

John Calaway, Pattern Energy director of wind development states that the area would benefit from 400 construction jobs during the two year construction period of the Ocotillo Express Wind Farm.

Let me get this straight, Pattern Energy is "promising" 2 years of construction jobs and in return residents and visitors alike get to stare at 240 four hundred foot tall wind towers for the rest of their lives? I don't know about you but I think Pattern Energy is getting the better end of that deal.

If you do the research you will find that communities from California to Maine have been fighting industrial wind farms for years. Concerns over noise levels, destruction of views and effects on wildlife have prompted communities nationwide to oppose projects such as these.

Once again our public lands are under attack from corporations looking to fast track these projects with little public feedback. The race for alternative energy should not come at the expense of the environment.
Why are we tearing up our fragile deserts in the name of green energy when instead we should be covering our homes, businesses and parking garages with solar panels ?

Stay tuned for more updates.....

Bob B.

Ocotillo Express Wind Farm Draft Plan of Development (1.51 mb)

   Our trip began with a late afternoon stop at the Lazy Lizard in Ocotillo. Mary and I had planned to head straight out to the campsite but Linda would have none of it. "We are stopping at the Lazy Lizard, aren't we ?",  she inquired as we started to drive up the S2. Hard to argue with that so, three beers, two t-shirts and a few dollars lighter the three of us were heading up the sandy washboard road of Mortero Wash.

After our last  failed attempt to find the railroad construction camp, I was determined to try again. This time I was lucky since recently I had been sent a scan of a topographic map with an "x" marking its' location.

Now, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I am pretty new school, and need a GPS with a waypoint to pretty much find anything. Consequently when I received the map from a member of our forum my first question was "OK how do I get this onto my iPhone".  

Our hike to the railroad construction camp took us through some of the most beautiful areas of the Anza Borrego Desert. Numerous Ocotillo and other desert flora are in abundance here. The temperature was perfect, and the intense blue sky seemed to accent the large boulders prolific in the area. The Ocotillo were covered with bright green leaves and a few even had bloomed with beautiful orange flowers.

We took a quick detour to check out the pictographs at Indian Hill, and then continued north through the Desert using the map and the GPS to guide us. The first thing we found were thousands of old rusted tin cans, which I assume were discarded by the railroad workers. Pretty incredible to think that many of the cans were over one hundred years old and were still intact.  

The camp was constructed to support the railroad workers who were blasting tunnels through the Carrizo Gorge a century ago, so standing amongst the dilapidated wood structures is like getting a glimpse back in time. There is one wall of the camp still standing constructed of old blasting powder cans and held together by mortar.  There are also the remains of an above ground gravity feed water system which was quite necessary in the arid work conditions the workers had to endure.

The railroad construction camp is not easy to find , but if you are interested in the history of this area it is well worth the journey. Who knows I may even send you a map with an "x" on it. 

While we were hoping to see more flowers on this trip, it seemed we were 2-3 weeks early.  There were signs that this years flower bloom could be a good one. The Ocotillo looked very green and healthy, and we saw a few Chuparosa bushes that were beginning to bloom.

Guess it means we have another excuse to head out to Anza Borrego in a few weeks. 

Photo album is here

The Forgotten Artist: Indians of Anza-Borrego and Their Rock Art

SDG&E has scheduled a series of "Community Council" meetings in communities that will be affected by construction of the Sunrise Powerlink. In their words the purpose is to "keep the community informed so that accurate information is available and inconveniences can be kept to a minimum."

If Alpine is any indication of "keeping the community informed" then SDG&E has not been doing its' due diligence. Many Alpine residents who attended Monday nights Community Council meeting still feel like they are being left in the dark about the  undergrounding portion which will run under Alpine Blvd.  There were questions with regards to EMFs which SDG&E could not answer, as well as concerns over where the two million gallons of water required for the project would come from.

Regardless of what SDG&E states, the construction of the Sunrise Powerlink will have a devastating effect on the town of Alpine. No amount of mitigation will undo the damage that two years of construction will have on the businesses in Alpine and the quality of life for its' residents.

News Crews ready for the fireworks	Alpine sings "We don't want the Sunrise Powerlink"
	.
SDG&E's Jose Lopez explains the undergrounding process to a tough Alpine crowd

It looks to be a great year for wildflowers out in the Anza Borrego desert due to the record rains we had in January.

We are planning on heading out this coming Valentine's weekend to scout out some areas. From what I have been reading, late February into mid March will be the peak, so make your plans to head on out. This year I am extra excited since we finally picked up a decent camera. Hopefully you will be able to tell by the new pictures we upload.

I am hoping to report back Monday so check back.  For now enjoy these pictures from our previous flower hunting trips.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has a wildflower hotline for Anza Borrego, (760) 767-4684. Updates will begin when the flowers start to bloom.

Pink blossoms of a Beavertail Cactus	Brilliant orange flowers on an Ocotillo
Sand Verbena (pink) and Desert Primrose (white)	Desert Dandelions
If you want to become an expert on the various wildflowers in the Anza Borrego Desert or just interested in learning more, I recommend the field guide Desert Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert. If this guide doesn't have it, it probably does not exist.

I spent a couple hours Saturday, helping the ECCAC get the word out to members of the Lakeside community about the Sunrise Powerlink . The East County Community Action Committee has been doing a great job of informing back country communities about the destructive path of this project.

What amazed me was the number of people who had no knowledge of the project and its' route through El Monte Valley and other protected, open-spaced habitats of San Diego's backcountry.

Many east county residents feel they have been blindsided by SDG&E and are now having this project dumped in their backyard. One attendee pointed out that he was going to be able to see 150' towers from every window of his Alpine residence due to its' path around his house.

It is great to see the dedication the ECCAC is putting into fighting the Sunrise Powerlink. They are working untold hours attending community meetings, speaking and distributing literature to make sure that everyone is aware of the project.

For up to date news regarding the project check their website here.

Just when I feel like I have seen everything there is to see in the Anza Borrego Desert, I read a BLOG or catch a book entry about someplace new and exciting. This time around it was an abandoned railroad camp in the southern end of the park. The ruins are almost 100 years old and were built to support the construction of the Carrizo Gorge Railway.

According to Jerry Schaad's book, the railroad camp ruins are located NW of Indian Hill so I felt pretty confident we could find them.

With this fresh on our minds, we packed up the LandCruiser in the late morning on Sunday and headed east. The straight week of heavy rain in San Diego had also brought a lot of snow to the local mountains. Traffic heading up Sunrise Highway towards Mount Laguna was completely stopped. Seems a lot of people wanted to go play in the snow and were busy purchasing Adventure Passes and putting on their tire chains. I breathed a sigh of relief that we were continuing east, far from the hordes of snow lovers.

  An hour later , we found ourselves driving up the sandy washboard trail of Mortero Canyon. A couple of lifted jeeps passed us on their way out but otherwise this area of the Desert was empty.

There was evidence of water everywhere. Parts of the trail were completely submerged, and as much as I wanted to test the capabilities of our diesel Toyota LandCruiser, Mary my voice of reason said otherwise. 

Since our normal departure point to Indian Hill was a bit "crowded" (2 cars), we stopped for lunch at the end of the trail and tried to figure out the best route. No sooner did we cross the tracks to head up the wash when a herd of Desert Bighorn males appeared.  The group moved silently along the cliff above us and occasionally would stop to make sure we weren't making any sudden moves. Their movements along the crumbling cliff were nothing short of amazing. They moved nimbly from rock to rock just as you or I would step up a curb. Finally, the one large male that appeared to be the leader led the group of seven up the cliff and out of sight. 

We continued our hike, still in a state of awe and commenting that we need a better camera. In our 15 years coming out to Anza Borrego we have only seen one Desert Bighorn, which illustrates how rare these animals are. To see a herd of seven moving up a cliff in unison is just amazing.

We never were able to find the railroad construction camp which at this point seemed somewhat trivial, but vowed to come back one day and find it. Who knows maybe we will get lucky again.  

Our Desert Bighorn photos are here

Desert USA Desert Bighorn Page

The plight of Anza Borrego's Desert Bighorn Sheep

The Forgotten Artist: Indians of Anza-Borrego and Their Rock Art

Although the Sunrise Powerlink has been re-routed to avoid the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, the battle continues for many residents of San Diego's backcountry. One such community, Alpine is being faced with having 6 miles of  12 ' trenches dug along its' main artery to accomodate the 2 parallel 230KV lines. Representatives from SDG&E  state that the "undergrounding"  of the Alpine portion of the Sunrise Powerlink, will take two years to install; one year for the conduits and another year to pull and splice the massive cables.

According to San Diego County supervisor Dianne Jacob, Alpine will be "significantly impacted" by the construction.

Many Alpine residents who attended last nights town hall meeting expressed concerns with traffic flow obstruction, EMFs from the powerlines, noise from the construction and the disruption of businesses along the route.

One particular Alpine resident, Michelle Steinbuck, questioned the intelligence of routing the two 230KV lines in such close proximity to the Alpine Elementary School.

I left the meeting with a renewed hope that the Sunrise Powerlink is not a done deal. There is staunch opposition from backcountry residents who feel this project is being ramrodded down their throats.

Currently the BLM approval of the Sunrise Powerlink is being challenged in court, and the U.S. Forest Service has not issued a decision on whether or not to allow the line to go through federal lands.

If you haven't contacted Cleveland National Forest Supervisor William Metz please take the time to send him an email at wmetz@fs.fed.us. Tell him that Forest Service lands should not be sacrificed for this unnecessary project.

If you prefer regular mail Supervisor Metz can be reached at;
Supervisor William Metz
Cleveland National Forest
10845 Rancho Bernardo Rd.
Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92127

Our annual Thanksgiving tradition is to spend Thanksgiving with our family and then head out to Anza Borrego the following day for a couple days of desert fun. This year turned out to be one of the more memorable trips we have had, so sit back and I will try to explain what transpired.

Friday morning found Mary and I heading out to Carrizo Gorge to meet Jan, Gina and crew at one of our favorite campsites. Jan had left the night before to get the Imu Pit ready. Imu Pit ? you ask. Well yes, this year after 5 successful years of grilled turkey perfection we opted to try the Polynesian method of cooking the turkey in a pit in the ground. The process itself is a bit more complex and requires banana leaves, burlap sacks, chicken wire and 4 or five hours of patience.

When we arrived Jan informed us that our preferred campsite was occupied. We were a bit disappointed, but our group had set up camp a little ways down the canyon which was fine. We quickly prepped the turkey which meant, wrapping it in the banana leaves, covering it with chicken wire, and placing it in the pit underneath the wet burlap sacks. Plywood was placed over the pit and dirt shoveled over everything to keep in the heat. We even brought one of those fancy turkey thermometers with a remote so we could monitor the temperature sitting comfortably sipping refreshments.

As with the grilling method, the "Imu Pit" method also requires a lot of waiting. We passed the time playing bocci ball, harassing tarantulas and munching on some awesome grilled tacos prepared by Steve and Kat.

After 4 hours, numerous games of bocci ball and the occasional adult beverage the turkey thermometer hit 160' . With great anticipation we pulled the concoction out of the pit and begin to unwrap it. What we saw laying between the banana leaves was something I won't soon forget. Instead of a grilled brown turkey, our bird looked whiter than when it had gone into the pit. As was eloquently put by one of the members of our group,  "It looks like a white, wrinkled baby butt !".

Seems there is a reason you won't find many references to an Imu Pit turkey on Google. The traditional Imu Pit method relies on steam created by the coals and held in by the various layers of leaves. While this works for a pig, it proved to be ineffective on our two turkeys. 

Funny thing is that I think the turkey was actually cooked at this point but the ghost white appearance was hard to get past. We quickly threw it on a grill and charred it. 

The next morning we were woken up by some strong gusts of wind and light rain. Let me clarify; the wind was strong enough to blow my new REI sleeping bag out of the rooftop tent and alight it perfectly on top of the lit Coleman stove which resulted in a flaming explosion of down feathers. The resulting mess ended any hopes of a mornng cup of coffee. It was at this point we decided to cut our losses, finish packing up the Landcruisers and say our goodbyes.

Mary and I had originally planned a trip to the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves but the rainy weather thwarted our plans. Instead we pointed the Landcruiser north towards Borrego Spring. Our destination was the "creature desert" just outside of Borrego Springs. Thunderstorms punctuated by periods of sun created an amazing display of rainbows along the S2.

We dropped down the S3 into Borrego Springs wondering how we were ever going to find the sculptures, when suddenly off to our right we spotted what looked like a prehistoric mammoth! We quickly pulled the LandCruiser off the road and grabbed our camera....

The Creature Desert
     The creature desert is the creation of  sculptor Ricardo Breceda who was commissioned by Dennis Avery of Avery lables fame. Breceda's creations vary from turtles, to farm workers, to life size dinosaurs and are scattered throughout the Borrego Springs area.
As Mary and I drove through the desert looking for the sculptures we felt a bit like like dinosaur hunters from the movie "Jurrasic Park".Our favorite were the raptors and the life size Tyrannosauruses.

While the sculptures themselves were impressive, seeing them in the context of the timeless Anza Borrego Desert made the experience that much more authentic. 

If you find yourself in the Borrego Springs area I highly recommend you check out these amazing sculptures.

Trip Photo Album is Here.

Creature Desert Slide Show

Believe it or not a week after my solo Torote Canyon trip I found myself camping in Mortero Wash with Mary. We were actually trying to scout out some places for our post Thanksgiving trip.

Hilights of our overnight trip were :

• Flooding in the desert town of Ocotillo
• The mystery box cars in Mortero Wash
• Incredible red moon rising over the Salton Sea 
• Numerous jackrabbit sightings in Carrizo Creek. 
• Pie in Julian on the way out. :-)

The evening temperature was perfect and the semi-full red moon was surreal. Wish I could figure out how to take moon pictures with my cheap Canon camera.

Photo album is here.

While most people were trying to escape the record high temperatures by heading to the beach, I decided  to head out to Anza Borrego for the day. This trip would be solo since my claims of a fun desert adventure fell on deaf ears. Mary simply wasn't buying it. She said something about triple digit temperatures and that was that. She was right, the weather had been over 110' for the past week out in Ocotillo but that failed to dissuade me. 

I dropped down into Ocotillo around noon figuring if I was going to experience the desert in the summer why not do it at midday when temps would be peaking?

As expected, Ocotillo was a ghost town, without a soul around. Seems those residents that live out here year round were holed up in their homes watching their satellite TVs with their air conditioners cranked.

Heading deeper into the desert, I did see one brave soul on a motorcycle. He had stopped in the shade of an Ocotillo at the Carrizo Badlands overlook but he was the exception to an otherwise deserted highway.

Further along S2, I turned off the road at Indian Gorge. I shifted the transfer case into low, more for fun than necessity, and lumbered up the sandy, rock strewn trail. While the trail into Indian Gorge can be traversed in a high clearance 2 two-wheel drive vehicle, the soft sand and boulders do require your attention. Getting stuck out in the midday desert sun would not be fun, and could be downright dangerous. 

The trail head to Torote Canyon is less than a mile up the jeep road and is marked by a small weather-beaten sign. It was here that I parked the LandCruiser and proceeded up the canyon.

The hike is a relatively easy hike up a sandy wash. Almost instantly the canyon walls rose around me and I found myself fully immersed in the solitude of Torote Canyon.

About a 1/2 mile up I came to the first "Elephant Tree"  which seemed to be growing directly out of rock. The Elephant Tree's twisted trunk gives Torote Canyon its' name, 'Torote' being the Spanish word for twisted.

At this point I opted to turn around. I would leave the rest of the hike for another day when the temperatures were a bit cooler.

Check out the photos here

People sometimes ask me how come we don't spend much time out in Anza Borrego in the summer months?

Well to answer this question I looked at this nifty little iPhone App and checked out next weeks temperatures in Ocotillo (the gateway into southern Anza Borrego).

 Death Valley has nothing on us. 

Even though the legality of the Sunrise Powerlink is still being questioned, SDG&E is wasting no time in sending survey crews out along the proposed route.
In some cases,  according to this KUSI video they are using threats and coercion to gain access to private property.

Check out this "Turko Files" video from KUSI (You need Flash Player)

Even though the Anza Borrego Desert State park has been spared from the destructive path of the Sunrise Powerlink ; the battle is far from over. 

SDG&E's Southern route goes through portions of Cleveland National Forest as well as land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management. Formerly untouched areas such as the Carrizo Gorge Wilderness Area will forever be marred by 150 foot steel towers.

Wilderness aside, what about the East County residents who live in the rural San Diego backcountry? It is estimated that the Sunrise Powerlink will affect 3000 east San Diego county residents. This destructive impact can never be mitigated.

That is where the ECCAC comes in. On June 11 , the EEAC along with the Protect Our Communities Foundation and Backcountry Against Dumps will be hosting a free property rights legal workshop for affected property owners. The workshop will be conducted by knowledgeable attorneys who are familiar with the issues involved.

Impacted property owners can register for the workshop by contacting the ECCAC via email at info@eastcoutyaction.org or call 858-627-1426

Download Workshop Flyer (PDF 89.94 kb)

If the Governor has his way the Anza-Borrego Desert will be off limits due to state budget cuts.

Anza Borrego is on the chopping block along with 219 other parks in the California State Parks system. According to an article in the Union Tribune, the parks being targeted do not have enough visitors to offset the costs associated with keeping them open.

Governor Schwarzenegger's budget would cut $213 million from the state parks budget over the next two years.

So let me get this right, Californians who have had to trim back on their vacation budgets can no longer take a weekend mini-vacation to their local state park?

Please take a minute and sign the petition rejecting this proposal and save our state parks.

Thanks,

Bob

If you are local to San Diego don't forget to stop by Hazy Meadows Ranch in Lakeside on Saturday May 30 from 11:00AM to 4:30 PM.

The fine folks over at the East County Community Action Coalition are putting on a awesome fund raiser to help with the legal expenses in the fight against the Sunrise Powerlink. There will be fantastic live entertainment during the event along with some great raffle prizes.

The Hazy Meadow Ranch is located at  15466 El Monte Rd in Lakeside. Please see flyer below for more information.

Download Flyer (135.72 kb)

In an effort to escape the Memorial Day beach crowds, Mary and I left Leucadia and pointed the LandCruiser east. Our destination was Combs Peak located in the northern end of Anza Borrego.

At 6193 ft or 1888 m Combs Peak has the distinction of being the highest mountain in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park as well as one of the highest, most remote peaks in San Diego County.

For reference here is a list of the top 10 mountain peaks in San Diego 

Our two hour drive led us through some beautiful parts of the San Diego backcountry, and after an additional 5 miles off road we arrived at the junction of Lost Valley road and the Pacific Crest Trail. Lost Valley Road, while unpaved is a fairly easy drive as was made evident by the various assortment of vehicles we saw heading in the opposite direction. At one point we both did a double-take as a SUV towing a huge Airstream camper came bouncing down the road towards us. 

We parked next to a Toyota Tacoma with Alaskan plates, grabbed the Delorme GPS and headed north up the PCT. The trail itself is in great shape and we were surprised to see a fair number of wildflowers as we made our way towards Combs Peak.

The hillside was dotted with the burned remains of Coulter pines, their branchless, blackened trunks still standing upright.

After 2 miles the hike turned into a scramble as we veered left off the trail and headed for the summit. There is somewhat of a worn path leading up the mountain, but at times we found ourselves scratching our heads trying to figure out the best approach. Using the various ducks (trail markers) as guides we were able to reach the summit in thirty minutes or so.

Once at the top, we unwrapped our sandwiches and sat down to relax and enjoy the 360' view... or so we thought. Suddenly I heard "Hey I think these flies are biting me!". Mary was right, these were not merely annoying house flies but some type of morphed devil flies that were intent on sucking our blood. We quickly wolfed down our sandwiches and high-tailed it back down the mountain.

We will do this hike again at some point, but next time we will bring the bug repellent.

Pictures are Here

We left the coast on a sunny Sunday morning and pointed the LandCruiser east out to one of our favorite areas of Anza Borrego. A quick stop at Starbucks and Subway to fuel up and we were our way. This time we had a couple of Anza newbies, our friends Steve and Haeja.

Late April the temperatures begin to approach triple digits out in the Anza Borrego Desert so we knew this was one of our last trips of the season. Our plan was to hike from the East Fork of Carrizo Gorge out to the seldom visited Carrizo Palms. The palms are located in a remote location below the Carrizo Gorge Railway and are a bit difficult to get to.

Our hike began with a short 4wd trip up the Carrizo Gorge/Creek wash to reach the East Fork turnoff. 4-Wheel drive is not really necessary for most of the drive althoughyou have to make sure to stay clear of the softer sections of the trail. Tubbs our new diesel Landcruiser had no problem traversing the sandy wash in 2 wheel drive and we occasionally slipped him into 4 wheel drive to test it out.

We parked and rigged up the Brunton Solaris to run our Engel Fridge while we were hiking. There is pretty much nothing better than a cold beverage after a hot, dusty desert hike and the solar panel lets us run the fridge with no fear of killing our battery. Water bottles were filled, hiking boot laced up and we were off.

The hike up East Fork is relatively easy although it is slow going due to the soft sand and the ever so slight incline. There are numerous dry waterfall sections to navigate but nothing too technical. 

There was a decent breeze which made the 90' heat bearable and after about an hour and a half we arrived at the first group of palms.There was a substantial amount of water and suddenly Steve looked down and announced, "Hey there's a frog in the water!".  After picking him up, we quickly realized it was two frogs and scolded ourselves for disturbing their intimate moment.

After an hour of relaxing in the shade of the palms we decided to head back to the truck. Unfortunately, the breeze that had cooled us on the hike up had now subsided and the temperature felt much hotter. Our pace quickened as it was now a race to get down the trail to the waiting lunch and cold beverages.

Until next time....

Bob

Pictures Are Here.

I just caught this article in the San Diego Union Tribune giving Sempra a big pat on the back for expanding its' solar presence in the Nevada desert.

While this looks all warm, fuzzy and green on the surface we have to take a step back and look at the shortcomings of this approach.

1. Once again the Desert is being used as a sacrifice zone.
2. We will need more transmission lines to get this power to the population centers.
3. It maintains Sempra's control of energy production and distribution to the consumer.

Environmental issues aside, we as consumers should be asking our politicians, "Why can't we have financial incentives in the form of rebates and buyback credits to install local PV technology on our homes and businesses?"
Currently solar pioneers can at best break even and they are forced to give any excess energy back to the grid for free.

Maybe if this was addressed it would negate the need for these massive solar installs in the Deserts of the southwest.

Bob

The Anza Borrego wild flower season

is coming to a close so we decided to take a day trip out to explore the Canyon Sin Nombre area with a group of friends. Canyon Sin Nombre translates to "Canyon Without a Name" which makes it sound a bit more ominous then it really is. Sure there are some deep sand sections and some boulders to negotiate, but in general a stock 4WD can traverse this section of the Carrizo Badlands without any problems.

We left behind overcast skies on the coast and by the time we reached the Tecate divide the sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant blue.  

Our first stop was the overlook just south of Canyon Sin Nombre, which offers a specatcular view of the Carrizo Badlands. The wind was cranking at the top and didn't subside until we jumped back in our vehicles and started descending down the jeep trail into the canyon. I opted to put the transfer case in low range to get a feel for how low the gearing is. I was impressed at the snail like pace the LandCruiser was able to maintain without stalling. The common theme in all of the LandCruisers we have owned (5 in all), is how comfortable they feel once the pavement ends. 

We arrived at the mouth of one of the larger slot canyons and parked our vehicles. What initially started out as a wide trail quickly turned into a twisting, rock scrambling hike up a narrowing gorge. In a few places the walls were so tight you actually had to twist  sideways to squeeze through.

The crew did great negotiating the trail and we eventually arrived at the top which gave us a chance to take in the view of the surrounding badlands area.

After hiking back down to the canyon floor, we sat in the shade, had lunch and watched the "Dust Devils" whip by.
It was a bit hard to keep the sand out of our sandwiches due to the wind, but hey isn't that what the Desert is all about?  

Pictures are here.

I drove out to Alpine after work to attend the town hall information meeting that SDG&E was holding to answer questions about the controversial Sunrise Powerlink.

SDG&E had all the bases covered here. Besides cookies and drinks, residents could get color GIS printouts of where the line would run in reference to their property. You simply had to give the technician your parcel number and voila you get a map printout with an ugly green line bisecting it.  You know green for"Green Energy".

Many residents seemed caught off guard with various portions of the approved route especially with how close it ran to some property lines.

None were more surprised then Rick and Candy of Lakeside who learned that the powerline was to be routed directly behind their house in Lakeside obstructing their scenic mountain view. They also were surprised to learn that SDG&E had marked a access road/staging area on an easment  adjacent to their property. According to Rick this was the first time he had heard this.

It is unfortunate that East County residents are being asked to bear the brunt of this project. The burning question that comes to mind is, "What if this was suppose to go through Del Mar or Rancho Santa Fe?". How far do you think this project would have gotten?
My guess is that it would not have gotten out of the planning stages.

Bob B.

Leucadia

 Pictures are here.

What started out as a quick day trip to see the wildflower bloom in Anza Borrego, turned into a trip back in time.

Our original plan was to do some hiking and take pictures of wildflowers but at the last minute I decided we would try to find the pictographs at Indian Hill. There are numerous sources on how to find this magical place but most are sketchy at best. Many feel that the less exposure this area gets the better.

That being said this is not a post on “How do I find Indian Hill and the pictographs?” . Rather it is a virtual tour of the area that you can take from the comfort of your computer chair. If you do decide to venture out to the desert to find Indian Hill, do the research, study the history and most important leave no trace that you have been there.

The weather could not have been more perfect. Brilliant blue desert skies with barely a hint of clouds welcomed us as we headed north up the S2 into the Park. We turned off at Mortero Wash and proceeded to the trailhead. The desert seemed strangely quiet, and I remarked that most are probably up near Borrego Springs hunting for wildflowers.

The hike took us straight up a large wash which was covered with tiny yellow desert wildflowers which I believe are called "Wallace's Woolly Daisy" or Eriophyllum wallacei. We really had to pay attention to where we were stepping in order to avoid crushing them.

After a mile or so large mounds of rocks began to appear. I knew one of these was  Indian Hill so we began to look around.  Kaiel and I climbed up some of the huge boulders to see if we could find anything. No luck; the problem was there were numerous rock hills in this area. Which was the correct one ?

Finally after going back and forth between various hills in the area, Mary spotted a rock that looked similar to a picture we had found on the Web. Bingo!,  we were getting closer and after some more searching found the "Blue Sun Cave".

The cave was truly incredible! Numerous pictographs covered the wall in an attempt to tell a story of long ago. I counted three "sun" paintings of various colors including the "Blue Sun" which gives the cave its' name.

While this area was used by Indians as far back as 3000 BC, the pictographs themselves are a relatively recent addition of the last 300 to 400 years.We spent some time taking pictures and exploring the other caves and rock carvings  before hiking back to the FJ Cruiser.  

This is an awesome hike and one that is relatively easy......

Photos are here

The Forgotten Artist: Indians of Anza-Borrego and Their Rock Art

I have been reading multiple reports that the wildflower season is starting out in Anza Borrego.

Even though we were out there less than 2 weeks ago for our hike to Goat Canyon, it looks like Mary and I are going to do a day trip to scout out some of the lesser areas known to put on impressive wildflower displays.

Something like Spring 05 would be nice where we came around the bend in Arroyo Tapiado and saw this.... 

In an effort to win over East County ratepayers , SDG&E opened up a month long series of informational meetings in various East County locations.

 Unfortunately for SDG&E  the first meeting in Lakeside was met with fierce opposition.
Local residents are concerned with the destruction of views in the pristine  El Monte Valley as well as the El Capitan Open Space Preserve. 

Is this really a place for a series of 150' tall metal towers ? No, particularly for a powerline that is not needed, is not guaranteed to carry energy from renewable sources, and damages the environment.

There are many alternatives for meeting our energy demands here in San Diego. Stringing a gigantic extension cord from the backcountry to the coast is yesterdays technology and has merely won out due to corporate greed.

Up Coming Meetings

Campo  |  Mountain Empire Community Center

Tuesday, March 3, 2009, 5:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.

San Diego  |  Scripps Ranch Library

Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 5:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.

Alpine  |  Alpine Community Center

Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 5:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.

Imperial Valley  |  El Centro Community Center

Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 5:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.

Jacumba/Boulevard  |  Jacumba Highland Senior Center

Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 5:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m

Goat Canyon Trestle has been called the highest wood trestle in the United States. It was constructed in 1932 after an earthquake collapsed one of the railroad tunnels in Goat Canyon and is 600ft. in length and 180ft. tall at its'highest point. Due to the complete remoteness and volatile nature of the terrain, the Carrizo Gorge railroad is nothing short of an engineering marvel.

It has been 4 years since we have hiked out to the Goat Canyon Trestle from the Mortero Palms trailhead. I have been itching to do this hike again and finally it looked like things were falling into place. This time we were accompanied by my sister Linda and later by our friend's Jan and Gina .

We arrived in Ocotillo around 2PM and after a quick beer at the Lazy Lizard ,  found a nice camp spot near the junctions of Mortero Canyon road and Jojoba Canyon road.

We had actually camped here years back and it was great to see that nothing much had changed. OK well there was now a huge face on the side of the water tower at Dos Cabezas and someone had built a make-shift wood table at our site but besides that it looked the same as it had 4 years ago. 

What is nice about this location is that it has a 180 degree view to the east and a lot of big rocks to climb if you get bored. That night we feasted on Tandori chicken grilled on the open fire while occasionally gazing upwards in the hopes of seeing some falling stars.

Jan and Gina showed up the next morning to join us on the hike, so we all headed over to the Mortero Palms trailhead. Unlike last time, we now had a Delorme PN-40 GPS to guide us to the trestle. I was also able to download a GPX file so we could follow a route right to the trestle. 

We parked and immediately headed up the northwest wash. For the first 1.5 miles or so it is a strenuous non stop climb until you reach the crest between Mortero Canyon and Goat Canyon. Half way up you enter the dense Mortero Palms grove which is really spectacular. We stopped for a bit to rest and enjoy the shade of the palms knowing we still had some more climbing to do. There were signs of water everywhere around the Mortero Palms grove and the desert plams looked extremely lush and healthy. After numerous trips to various desert palm groves out here, I am starting to prefer palm trees with their natural "skirts" and not the trimmed version we have on the coast.

Cresting the hill and exiting  Mortero Canyon we were greeted with a huge rolling desert meadow of cholla, agave and numerous barrel cactus. This was the only flat part of the hike so our pace quickened in anticipation of seeing the trestle. The trail is a bit hard to follow at this juncture but with the help of the GPS and the numerous "ducks" people have left, we soon began descending into Goat Canyon. After about 3/4 mile the trestle came into view.

Even though I have seen the trestle 4 or 5 times the first glimpse always put me in a state of awe. The fact that this was built out here in this inhospitable terrain is amazing!

We stopped at the overlook to rest and have lunch. It was decided that we would turn back at this point which is about 300 yards or so from the trestle. Problem is from this point on there is a precipitous drop-off that must be carefull navigated and it was getting late in the day.

We were satisfied with the view for now and would leave the Goat Canyon Trestle for another trip.

Hike to Goat Canyon Trestle Photos (Small Thumbnails).

Hike to Goat Canyon Trestle Photos (Large Thumbnails).

Goat Canyon Hike Slideshow

GoatCanyon.gpx (15.37 kb)

At 4229 feet Sombrero Peak is the highest point in the southern end of Anza Borrego Desert State Park. We have observed this impressive mountain over the years from various vantage points but never made the trek to the  top.  As Jerry Schaad describes it :

"Climbing Sombrero Peak is a feat attempted by relatively few people, but not because of its height (4229 feet above sea level), which is quite modest. Rather, the peak is remote from paved roads, and its boulder-guarded flanks discourage those who are not willing to put up with either a long march to its base (from the west) or a shorter but sweaty eastern approach up from the desert floor."

With this quote fresh in my mind, Mary and I left San Diego with Indian Valley as our initial destination. We dropped down into Ocotillo around 3PM and headed north up the S2 towards the Indian Gorge turn off. The turn off itself comes up really quick so if you blink you will miss it.

We pointed the FJ Cruiser west and negotiated the sandy narrow trail through a thick forest of smoke trees which in the Spring will be covered with an impressive display of purple flowers. To the right is the turnoff to Torote canyon which we will check out someday, but today our goal was to find a camp site before dark. Indian Gorge opens up into the vast expanse of Indian Valley which is surrounded by large mountains on 3 sides. The jeep trail itself is pretty easy and for the most part can be navigated by a car. There are some soft sandy sections and the occasional boulder to keep it interesting, but we stayed in 2-wheel drive until we reached our campsite. Interestingly enough for how huge this area is there are limited camping areas due to the thick Desert flora on both sides of the trail. We found a sandy section nestled next to some rocks and set up camp.

The desert sunset was amazing and became more intense as the sun dipped behind the mountains. We cooked dinner, had a few beers and turned in early in anticipation of the hike the next day.

The next morning we decided to to get an early start, so after breakfast we drove to the end of the jeep road donned our hiking boots and were off. The approach to Sombrero Peak is basically straight up the mountain. You find yourself climbing over huge boulders while trying to avoid being impaled by the various species of cholla, agave, and other cacti.

As we climbed further up the mountain we were able to see huge expanses of the southern Anza Borrego Desert. On one side you could see both forks of Indian Valley, while on the other side you could see Bow Willow, Mountain Palm Springs and Carrizo Creek in the distance.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Wisps of clouds floated above the otherwise clear desert sky. Lizards who had been peacefully sunning themselves on rocks quickly darted away in alarm upon our noisy arrival.

After two hours of bouldering, avoiding cholla and agave, and crawling through narrow crevices of catclaw,  I found myself summiting Sombrero Peak. (Mary opted to stop about 400' below) To my surprise there was a geo-cache at the top bolted to a rock. I signed the guest book contained inside the worn green cannister, snapped a couple photos and proceded back down the mountain.

The trek back down was a bit faster since we took a more direct route, still we found ourselves covered with numerous scratches when we arrived back at the truck. 

Not what I would call an easy hike but well worth it. 

Check the photos here. (Large Thumbnails)

Check the photos here. (Small Thumbnails)