by surfponto
29. October 2012 19:15
We took a quick overnight trip out to Anza Borrego to hike the tracks a bit and explore the Indian Hill area.
I had not been out to the southern Anza Borrego desert since they started construction of the Ocotillo Express wind farm and was saddened to see the damage.
Where once stood large forests of Ocotillo, now resembled something out of an apocalyptic nightmare. The monstrous wind towers dwarfed anything around them and along with the huge SDG&E switchyard and imposing Sunrise Powerlink transmission towers have forever industrialized the tranquil desert around Ocotillo.
Ironic isn’t it, that something marketed as "Green" has d...
[More]
by Administrator
6. July 2012 23:56
In one of Baja's most picturesque desert landscapes filled with Boojum Trees, massive Cardons and truck sized boulders; there is an ancient cave filled with colorful geometric shapes and humanesque forms.
Credit for these colorful pictographs is given to the Cochimi Indians who inhabitated a significant portion of Central Baja thousands of years ago.
We set out in the noontime desert heat and made our way up the sandy swithchback up towards the cave. The triple digit temperatures quickly dropped as we entered the large cavern.
There we were greeted by bright yellow, orange, red and black etchings that were remarkably similiar to the drawin...
[More]
by Administrator
19. April 2012 17:09
The Island is one of those areas that we have driven by for twenty years and never stopped. To be honest we are not sure it is even called the Island. It is a freeway island, sandwiched in between the high speed lanes of Interstate 8. The Jacumba Mountains flank its' northern edge while the In-Ko-Pah Gorge lies to south.
Driving east I was surprised to find some late season snow near Pine Valley.
Bighorn Sheep, freeway debris, Sunrise Powerlink towers, Native American artifacts, target practice folks and beautiful desert all stuck between the high speed lanes of the Interstate 8 Freeway
The Island is h...
[More]
by Administrator
9. April 2012 14:50
We finally had a free weekend, so we decided to drive out to Anza Borrego to see how the wildflowers were progressing. Our plan was to camp in Carrizo Gorge but as we approached the turnoff we noticed at least 20 cars parked at the entrance. Not sure what was going on but we quickly drove by to find some where a bit more secluded.
We ended up camping in Indian Valley which was a great choice. We found a great spot set among the blooming Ocotillo plants and set up our camp.
Now onto our Anza Borrego Wildflower report :
The Ocotillo are putting on an amazing display in southern Anza Borrego. The stalks are covered with emeral gre...
[More]
by Administrator
26. February 2012 05:16
I left the coast on an overcast morning with a cold north wind blowing. Daren had invited me to check out some pictographs he had found around the Jacumba area so I was excited to make the trip.
Once I hit Lakeside the clouds disappeared and the clear blue skies beckoned me eastward. We had planned to meet at the Subway / gas station in Jacumba , so I arrived a bit early to pick up a sandwich.
The place was busy with people heading east towing all types of sand toys. Funny how the desert means different things to different people. To some there is nothing better than blasting up the dunes at Glamis, while to others a quiet hike ...
[More]
by Administrator
31. January 2012 23:43
MuMu the FJ40 Land Cruiser conquers the Squeeze in Anza Borrego
Pulled this one out of the archives.
Fast forward 17 years later, we still own "MuMu" the Land Cruiser but unfortunately she has been retired to the garage with the occasional trip to the grocery store. :)
by Administrator
17. January 2012 03:04
"Looks like we have some pretty thick fog", Mary commented as we made our way east past Alpine towards Anza Borrego.
What started out as an overcast morning on the coast transformed into a damp, drizzly mist that shrouded the freeway. Lucky for us, as we started our descent into the desert town of Ocotillo, the fog lifted and the mountains blocked any further advance of the wet weather.
The S2 highway was deserted on this late Monday morning as we headed north towards the Indian Gorge turnoff. The Ocotillo plants swayed in the wind adding motion to an otherwise still desert morning.
The wind, which was blowing hard at the Torote Canyon ...
[More]
by Administrator
31. December 2011 14:59
We left Leucadia on a damp, foggy winter morning in hopes of enjoying some clear desert skies. Our destination was the mud caves at Arroyo Tapiado in the Southern Anza Borrego Desert.
The Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves are the result of centuries of rain and flash floods which over time have formed an intricate labrynth of tunnels , sink holes and slot canyons.
While we have been out to the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves a handful of times, this time the plan was to visit some of the caves we had not yet explored.
Once we arrived we established our "base-camp", donned headlamps and entered the first dark cave opening. Now if you have any...
[More]
by Administrator
27. November 2011 18:59
Snapped a closeup of a Monarch Butterfly while we were camping in Carrizo Gorge on Thanksgiving.
We also managed to mount the Maggiolina Rooftop Tent onto Mary's Toyota Tacoma which takes a little bit of tweaking. :)
by Administrator
24. October 2011 01:00
Borrego Days marks the start of the desert season in Anza Borrego. Temperatures are beginning to drop from their summer highs allowing hikers, campers and 4-wheelers to return and enjoy the beautiful Anza Borrego Desert.
Unlike most of our trips to Anza Borrego, the Maggiolina Rooftop tent, propane stove and other various types of expedition gear were left behind. We had an invite to stay with friends in Borrego Springs at their beautiful rancho style home. (Thanks Jon and Elena)
After a quick morning hike along the old De Anza trail, Mary and I headed over to the Borrego Days festival, checking out some of the Galleta Meadows s...
[More]