Planning
This Thanksgiving we decided to try something a little different. Well different for us. Anza Borrego is actually a pretty popular Thanksgiving destination due to its mild weather and beauty.

First things first, I had to convince Mary that cooking a turkey out in the Desert was actually easy. A quick Web search revealed at least a dozen methods that people have used in the past, some succesful some unsuccesful.
My favorite was the "Trash Can" method where you actually impale the turkey with a 3 foot stick and cook it vertically inside of a  trash can.
This sounded like the easiest way to do it. Unfortunately once I began reading , I learned of the possibility of chemical contamination due to the galvanized steel used in most trash cans.
Uggh...scary stuff.
 
Trash can method.

Our Trip
We then decided on the more conventional method of grilling the turkey .  The key to this is that you need a turkey that will fit into your BBQ. Luckily Mary was able to find a 9 pound turkey which was the smallest Ralphs had.

Not a trash can but it worked great. (Mary)

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On our way out to Ocotillo we saw these 100' tall windmills. Seems like a good use for the abundance of wind out here.

Giant modern windmills (East San Diego)

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We decided to camp in the Torote canyon area of the park. Plenty of room for the dogs to run around and not as much cholla as other places we have camped.

No football games, traffic or comfy couch out here.