710 January 19-20, 2022 Overnight In Sandstone Canyon

Happy Birthday Debbie!

After a nice walk in the state park and after Tim got done with his stretching and weight lifting…Tim is really liking the fitness room at this resort…and his bike ride; we drove to Sandstone Canyon for another overnight camping trip.

We have been to Sandstone Canyon several times before and it is one of our favorites!  It never disappoints!

We drove as far as we could and decided to camp at the far end of the canyon.

Before we got set up, we took a hike past the campsite, where we found a slot canyon.

We enjoyed our dinner by the fire.  Because we were in a canyon with deep walls, it got dark very early…and very dark!  The sky though was lit with stars and gorgeous!  The full moon had not yet risen when we climbed up into our loft.

Sometime during the night, the moon came out and brightened the whole world.  The sand around us glowed white in the moonlight.

Tim was up at daybreak watching the rising sun and the setting moon.

We took a hike back into Sandstone Canyon.  We walked 1.5 miles and there was still no end in sight.

Many people have said that the desert just looks like more rocks.  To us, the desert is alive.  The allure for us here is the starkness and the resilience of the place.  The Anza-Borrego Desert only gets 6 inches of rain each year.  The plants and animals here have all adapted to survive and thrive in this atmosphere.  Seed pods are carried by wind or water or animals into the wash. Seeds can lie dormant for years until there is enough moisture to propagate and grow.  It amazes me to see recognize these signs of life.  As we walked through the wash, there were scattered wildflowers some green and some just starting to blossom.  I see so much more than “just rocks!”  This was a great hike!

Bits of cholla break off and are carried along…sometimes caught in the fur of an animal, sometimes by water or wind, sometimes in Tim’s foot/tennis shoe. The only cholla growing here are high on the ridge. This bit will try to root itself in the sand and grow…but the wash isn’t such a great growing place for a cactus…

We walked by these pictographs three times before noticing them on the canyon wall.  We wondered who put these here and how long ago…someone trying to survive here in this desert.  

We drove the long way back to Borrego Springs windows down and music up!

This evening, we went into town to try the Mexican restaurant, Pablito’s. We ate outside on the patio; the evening mild and the food delicious. It brought back thoughts of dinner here three years ago with Kyle and Allison with pitchers of mango margaritas…such fun and such wonderful memories