Day 2 Mountain Palm Springs Undeveloped Campground Ocotillo, California

I woke up at 4am and happened to look out my little window.  The moon was bright and almost full.  It was casting shadows across the wash.  I got out of bed, walked outside in my pajamas and took this picture.

The picture may not look like anything much but the sky was filled with stars, the air was cool and crisp, and it was lovely!

Today was interesting and diverse.  I wasn’t so sure that when I saw that today’s trails were going to take us to a mine and to railroad tracks that it would be very exciting…I was wrong. 

Our first stop was at the Dolomite Mine.  This mine operated in the 1930’s.  They pulled dolomite marble and magnesium and calcium from the mountain.  The view from above the mine was outstanding.   

Our next trail was Mortero Wash. 

This led to the “impossible railroad.”  This section of track connected San Diego to the eastern United States.  It was completed in 1919.  It was difficult to engineer because of the volcanic rock and the gorges and canyons that had to be spanned.

This portion of the off-road trail was impassable for us.  If only he had bigger wheels and tires…I hear this at least once each day.  I suspect that when we get home the Jeep will get a few upgrades!

There is very little litter in the desert.  The one thing that we have seen a lot is mylar balloons and the colorful curling ribbon that gets tied to each one.  I have seen more than a dozen balloons tucked in among the cacti.

Another impassable section…I know…bigger tires!

These holes were in the wall of the wash.  The were lined with cactus burrs.  I wonder what lives here?

We found this memorial in the wash.  This young man lost his life here on the trail.

Lunch spot.

We took a hike at Piedras Grandes Cultural Preserve.  The Kumeyaay people lived here as long as 12,000 years ago.  These native Indians worked very hard to live well and thrive in the “hardscrabble” land.  There is evidence that these people enjoyed a good life.  This is a huge boulder field in the foothills of the Jacumba Mountains.    The boulders sheltered the families from the weather.  There are ancient pictographs and burn scars.  This place is sacred to the contemporary tribe members.  It felt sacred as we walked the path…the same path walked by people for thousands of years.  It was hard to grasp how difficult living here might have been.  This is a pretty harsh environment.  We are so spoiled and we have nothing to complain about! 

On the way back to the highway we passed through the windfarm.  There were about 100 wind turbines slowly turning. 

As I was making our dinner, Tim yelled to me to come and look.  The moon was rising.  It was orange and glowing and beautiful.  It loomed very large on the horizon.  No picture could capture it…we both tried!

Back to civilization tomorrow (for a little while).