Summer Caving out in the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves
(June 2005)
What do you do when summer arrives and the temperature is hitting triple digits out in the Desert ?
You wedge yourself in the tiny slot canyons and the various caves around the Arroyo Tapiado area of Anza Borrego and later pull out the BBQ to grill hamburgers and hot dogs.
When my friend Mark from work suggested this trip we were a little apprehensive. We had never been out to Anza Borrego in the summer but have heard the stories of the thermometer hitting triple digits. Mark assured us it would be a LOT cooler in the caves.
"Caves ?" ; I answered. "Now this could be interesting.....!"
Apparently the Arroyo Tapiado mud caves have been around for close to 5 million years and are some of the most extensive mud caves on the planet. If you are luck you can find fossils of creatures 1-2 million years old in this area.
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| Kaiel, Bob and Mary |
Some of the entrances are hard to see.
John and Mark emerge from a cave. |
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A helmet with light is necessary for
some of the more interesting caves. |
Looking up towards a "sinkhole" opening
in one of the larger caves |
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| The group in Arroyo Tapiado |
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