905 February 20-21, 2023 Piedras Grandes
I began Monday with a great walk through the state park and all the way to the trailhead. I crossed the desert on a trail that took me through the middle of the park. It was a nice day to be out and walking and I did more than 4 miles.
Hummingbird.
We packed the Jeep for an overnight adventure. We had briefly visited Piedras Grandes a couple of weeks ago when we were staying at Mountain Palm Springs. We saw a couple of very promising campsites and decided we would come back.
We left from Borrego Springs and drove the winding roads up and over the mountains and down to the lower portion of Anza-Borrego State Park.
We had driven for an hour and still had a long way to go. I took over the driving. We had driven 60 miles when we entered Mortero Wash. This is a dirt road with several washouts and some minor rock obstacles.
We took a break when we got to the railroad tracks and Tim drove us into the cultural preserve.
We got out and hiked around the large boulders. There is evidence that The Kumeyaay people inhabited this place for 12,000 years. Over 600 generations have lived here. There are signs of ancient life everywhere. The people took shelter here among the large boulders. There are rain basins, matates for grinding, pictographs and fire scars. The relics that were recovered now reside in museums. This is considered sacred ground.
We found a campsite in a cove of rocks. It was thrilling to know that we were staying in this timeless place. As I stood on the boulders looking at the landscape, I was aware that I was seeing the land much as it existed centuries ago…albeit for the wind turbines in the distance.
In the eastern US, I know that there is also a history of ancient people. This legacy was largely erased, buried under our cities as we sought to conquer the existing indigenous nations. Here in the west, there are these preserves. Very small tributes to represent thousands of years of life; reminders that there is a very rich culture where native peoples thrived. It is so very humbling.
We were there all by ourselves. We saw no other hikers touring the monument. One 4WD truck passed us at dinnertime but then there was no one else.
The sun set behind our boulders before 4pm. I kept moving to be in the sunshine.
It was quiet and the wind was still.
Some evening color.
Of course, we had a fire and of course, there was stargazing.
Deep in the night we heard the songs of coyotes.
Morning coffee but no fire because it was 50 degrees and sunny.
We hiked this morning up into the hills of giant boulders.
The trail from the beginning.
This is where we stopped, looking back. We had only hiked about 1/2 miles but we had picked our way through and over the boulders.
We took a different way back to the highway through the maze of wind turbines.
There is no way to take a picture to show how scenic this drive is. Enjoy this video.
Sand verbena in large patches; purple and stunning.
By the time we were approaching Borrego Springs, the winds were beginning to pick up. The forecast is for sustained winds in the mid-twenties with stronger gusts. A perfect afternoon to be inside and rest.
Borrego Bread made a warm sourdough bread delivery which was a terrific snack!
