Day 2 Palm Canyon Resort Borrego Springs, California

We began the day with a drive through the giant metal sculptures at Galleta Meadows. 

From there, we took the Coyote Canyon Trail.  The wildflowers here were so pretty and again there were lots of “tourists!” 

This trail was one of our favorites when were in Borrego a couple of weeks ago.  The Valentine’s Day rain had rendered the trail impassable and we were disappointed.  We really wanted to share this ride with Kyle and Allison.  The trail was reopened just 2 days ago…still we had heard that the drop-off to Sheep Canyon was still closed for repair.

The were tens of thousands of painted lady butterflies fluttering all around us.  I was so delighted…I felt like a little girl, giggling as we walked and they brushed past us!  These butterflies overwintered in Mexico.  They are migrating north in search of a place to lay their eggs. 

Painted ladies and ladies painting in the desert.

We continued into Coyote Canyon.  We passed a group of cyclists who recommended that we take the hike to Cougar Canyon.   The drop-off to Sheep Canyon was open after all!  We ate our lunch and hiked along and through Indian Creek.  The valley was especially wonderful, green and lovely!  The kids hiked up and into the rocky canyon.

There were these very dark rain clouds hovering over these mountains all day long.  The other cottony white clouds were moving quickly across the sky but these steely grey clouds stayed put on the other side of the craggy peaks.  At one point there was a vividly intense rainbow beneath the charcoal layer.

Kyle, Allison, and I went into town for supplies.  We had hoped to bring back pizza but all we could find was pizza that looked like gas station pizza.  It was our last opportunity to go out for dinner.  We went to Carlee’s and Kyle treated us to a delicious dinner.

Kyle, Allison, and I stayed up drinking wine and playing UNO.