897 February 10, 2023 Friday Farmers Market

I took my walk into town this morning.  I called Tim to meet me at Christmas Circle for the Friday Farmers Market.  We bought fresh croissants and a crusty baguette.  We bought some berries, greens, asparagus, and avocadoes.  We were there at a little after 9am and some booths had already sold out!

I am very glad that I took a rest day yesterday.  I had my energy back and I walked more than 4 miles. 

I found a salon with an opening and was able to get my hair cut today.  The woman who cut my hair has lived in Borrego Springs for a long time.  She had lots to share about the economy of the area and how it affects the people who live and work here.  It is a hard place to try to make it.

This afternoon, we took our bikes and rode from Christmas Circle in a 8.5 mile loop.

We stopped for a break. 

The sand verbena is lavender and lovely!  It has a lemony fragrance that we could smell as we were cycling.

We sat for a short time at Hawkwatch.  At this place, volunteers sit from February 21^st into April to watch and count the annual migration of Swainson’s hawks.  These birds come from Mexico, Columbia, and Argentina.  The hawks stop here to eat the caterpillars that come to feast on the blooming wildflowers.  I read that on some days in March there are hundreds of birds in the air at the same time.  Thousands of hawks pass through each spring on their way to breeding grounds that are as far away as Alaska.

We took crab dip, our baguette, bruschetta, olive tapenade, celery, and berries and went to the park for dinner.  It was mostly cloudy and so there was no sunset.  But when we got back to the campground, the sky was beginning to color.

896 February 8-9, 2023 Camping On A Faultline

After a good 3 mile walk in town, Tim and I rode bikes from Christmas Circle for 6 miles in the surrounding neighborhoods.

We packed the Jeep for another overnight adventure.  We drove back to Butte’s Pass where we collected some dead wood.  I turned over a piece of wood and found this spider! It is a Walckenaer’s Huntsman Spider. Their bite is painful but not dangerous…even so, I was lucky that he retreated to his hole! He is actually really pretty!

We entered Blowsand Canyon.

We turned onto Goat Trail and found the perfect camping site.  We were intrigued by the rock formations here.  We are sitting in the San Jacinto Fault Zone.  This is a portion of the San Andreas Fault System.  Looking at the cleft in the earth you can imagine the violent tearing and heaving that occurred here.  The geology is very interesting.  Sections of rock rise up from the chasm as crazy angles. 

There are boulders here that don’t look like anything else around.  These are as large as the Jeep.  They contain these beautiful pink striations of dense rose quartz.

We hiked around climbing rocks and admiring the work of nature.

We sat all afternoon in warm sunshine.  The weather was perfect…low seventies and NO wind.

Soon after sunset, we heard an owl and then several minutes later at least one more and they sang to us, a lovely soothing song. 

We cooked our omelets and enjoyed a fire.  The moon had not yet risen and we sat high on a ridge.  The dry desert air makes for a clear sky and the Milky Way was gorgeous!

Overnight it was warmer and windless and we were comfortable.  I never sleep as well when we are tent camping and each time I woke up, I could hear the owls calling to one another. 

This morning it was pleasant.  We had a morning fire and coffee. 

We drove down into the wash below and had our breakfast.  From here, Tim hiked a while.  I waited 20 minutes and then went to get him.

When we got back, we organized and repacked gear and then we rested.

As much as I love these adventures, it is so nice to get home and have a hot and soapy shower.  I put on pretty clothes and we went out to dinner at Kesling’s Kitchen.  The food was amazing!  I had shrimp remoulade with a sweet and savory olive sauce.  Tim had a Moroccan chicken salad.  The menu there changes every day.  We are looking forward to going there again!

895 February 7, 2023 The Slot

I took a nice walk into town this morning.  I had read about a desert botanical garden that I hadn’t yet seen.  I went to look.  5 years ago, this area was a dirt lot.  A bunch of community volunteers had a vision.  With perseverance and love, this garden was crafted.  It is absolutely beautiful.  I didn’t have the time to see all of it.  We had an appointment, but I will come back!

There are these signs posted in many of the shop windows.  Dollar General seems to be a fixture in every little berg that we travel through.  This town had long resisted any chain store…no restaurants…no McDonalds…no big grocery stores.  The store owners really do not want a Dollar General here.  While cheaper prices would really be helpful to the people who live and work here, there are local businesses that would suffer harm…a complicated issue.

We had some business to take care of today.  We contacted a notary public who was kind enough to come to the resort and assist us.  This lady has lived and worked in Borrego Springs for most of her life.  She had lots of stories to tell and had a perspective about this area that we never would have known.  It was a pleasure to visit with her and we were grateful for her help.

This afternoon, we drove to Buttes Pass and went to hike The Slot.  This is a half mile hike through a slot canyon.  The walls rise up 50 feet above the bottom.  The passage is very narrow in spots and there were a few places where we had to do some scooting, squeezing, and climbing.  It was a very fun!

We emerged into the sunlight at the end and looked for signage to indicate which way the trail went.  We decided to follow the footprints in the sand. 

We walked for about another ½ mile and ended up in a box canyon with a dry waterfall at the end…end of trail!

We had two options.  The first was to walk up the slide and around the ridge back to the Jeep.  The second was to retrace our steps and go back through the slot.  I was happy we chose option 2 and went back through again.  What a great hike!

We were down there in those crevices in the earth.

We took the Jeep and drove to Hawk’s Canyon then took a gravel road into Blowsand Canyon…4WD recommended.  This canyon was aptly named.  The road was covered with deep sand.  It was a pretty ride and somewhere that we had never been before.  We turned onto Goat Trail where we found a nice campsite with a tremendous view.  We plan to take the Jeep back tomorrow night and stay.

It was about 4pm when we got back.  Fish tacos on Taco Tuesday.  Day is done!

894 February 6, 2023 Getting Mud On The Tires

A new place to walk this morning!  The time passed quickly with phone chats to Mom and a good friend.

Tim made use of the Fitness Room here at the resort.

This is our site.  There are huge solar panels over a portion of the pull throughs.

Tim took a long bike ride this morning and I went to get him. 

This afternoon, we took a Jeep ride in the desert  though Coyote Canyon and to Sheep Canyon.

It was a pretty day and a pretty ride!

The stream is fuller than usual. 

One of the water crossings!

We got out to walk.  We could see some very large paw prints and sheep hoof prints near the water.

I love this drive and we enjoyed the day.

893 February 5, 2023 Welcome Back To Borrego Springs

One last beautiful walk in the desert. 

We had a short drive to Borrego Springs.  We drove up and over the mountains.  The clouds were dramatic.

There were portions of the road that were very narrow and winding. 

Today was Sunday and there were lots of cyclists on the road.  I cannot imagine how challenging it must be to ride these mountains…and how scary on these crazy twists and turns.

We descended into the town and arrived at Christmas Circle. 

We parked the RV and disconnected the Jeep.  I got fresh drinking water and a couple of groceries.  We drove to Palm Canyon RV Resort to check out our spot for tomorrow.  We still had not decided where we were going to stay tonight.  We thought we might camp in the desert on the edge of town.  We saw that the campground here was fairly empty so we went to see if we might check-in a day early.  Thankfully they could accommodate us.  We spent the afternoon catching up on life.  Laundry and tanks and emails and other mundane tasks. 

We went to Red Ocotillo for a nice dinner.

We will be here in Borrego Springs for the next month.  We are looking forward to sitting still for a while.  There are lots of places to explore and lots of things to do here in town.

892 February 4, 2023 Riding Around In The Desert

Another pleasant morning walk in the desert.

Our Jeep adventure today took us first to Jojoba Wash.  Here we rode among the Volcanic Hills.  The desert plants were almost lush; so verdant and dense.  The road was sandy which made for a pleasurable journey.  The scenery was outstanding. 

We came upon a section where the trail lead into the wash.  It was steep and lumpy.  Tim got out to check and determined that we could make it.  He had me act as spotter at the bottom of the hill.  My job was to make sure the Jeep tires straddled the deepest portions.  Tim and the Jeep did great!  This new Jeep is bigger and does not have the same ground clearance that our little Jeep had.  It will take some time to learn what it can do…until then we evaluate the rough spots.

It is so unusual to see puddles here in the desert.

We drove through the wash for a long while and then suddenly it dead ended.  The area ahead was full of large boulders.  We backtracked and found an egress road out and to the top.  It’s fun figuring it out together. 

We made our way out to S2 and then headed to Mortero Wash.  The views were spectacular and there were lots of places that would make nice tent camping sites. 

This was our lunch spot.

We drove to the railroad crossover. 

I sat on a rock just taking it all in.

We could see a line of Jeeps coming from the other side of the tracks and we went to see.  As we approached, we could remember coming here before, Piedras Grandes is a Native American Cultural Site.  We drove past today but we plan to come back and tour the site again and camp overnight in the tent.

We got back to the RV tired and happy after having another fun day exploring. 

We took a walk before dinner and then ate outside. 

The moon was already up and full and gorgeous. 

891 February 3, 2023 Exploring Indian Gorge

Last night was so bright.  The moon shone on the white sands.  I had my window shade up so that I could see.  I was looking for coyotes.  We have seen them almost every time we have stayed here.  I think that we could have gone walking around without a flashlight. 

Tim watched the sunrise.

My beautiful surroundings are a powerful incentive to get out and walk.  This morning, I walked out to the main road and then back to the RV across the desert.

We took the Jeep to Indian Gorge.  This is one of my favorite Jeep trails.  As we approached, we startled wildlife from their hiding places.  We saw a red-tailed hawk struggle to lift off, a small rodent caught in his talons.  We saw several black tailed jack rabbits bounding across the desert floor.  Quail shuffled along our path.

A crow making a whole lot of noise in this otherwise peaceful place.

It was warm but mostly cloudy with only a few smudges of blue in the sky and no wind blowing.  As we ascended into the gorge, the flora was greener and denser and there was more variety. There has been a lot of speculation about whether or not there will be a superbloom in the California desert this year.  Wildflower seeds can lie dormant for years.  When there is enough summer and winter rain, these seeds take root and this can result in lots of colorful blossoms.  We have already seen more flowers blooming than we usually do when we are here.

These bushes were swarming with bees.  We could here them buzzing and we steered clear!

We took the spur on the right to the end and got out to hike to the palms.

I decided to continue walking down the trail and Tim met me a short while later.

We took the spur to the left to its end and took another short hike there.  We enjoyed our lunch sitting on granite rocks and gazing at the view. 

Crunchy peanut butter with a honey crisp apple and Turkish figs was my perfect picnic…Tim ate his gruel!

Tim collected some firewood.

As we were driving, I noticed a huge domed boulder that looked like a cave.  There was a sign indicating that this was a sensitive area.  We parked the Jeep and went to look.  This has been a shelter.  There are fire scars inside.  Native American people have occupied this area for more than 10,000 years.  There is no way to tell how long this shelter was used.  On the back side there was a slab of rock that had cleaved off.  We could see manmade indentations in the granite used for grinding and collecting water.  Often, when I see something like this, I am reminded of all the people who have walked here and lived here before us.  Our lives and all our worries are so very small in the grand scheme. 

I was continuously scanning and looking for bighorn.  Looking for creamy colored haunches, for the telltale curl of the horns, listening for the clatter of hooves on the craggy rocks…but no sheep today.

We took the Old Stagecoach trail just enjoying the ride!

Can you see the purple verbena on the hillside?

It was nice enough this afternoon to sit outside in sunshine.

One more walk.

Watching the sun go down while grilling bison burgers and brussel sprouts with apples, walnuts, cranberries, garlic, and fig dressing.

I sat by the fire for a short time.  The last two nights we have seen bunches of bats flying together out of the rocks. 

890 February 2, 2023 Mountain Palm Springs

I was able to walk today on the trails at the Desert Museum.  It was 50 degrees this morning and the windmills were perfectly still…no wind!

The Spirit Of The Desert sculpture welcomes travelers to the museum.

Purple Cactus Sculpture.

I took the road to its end before turning back.

We drove on S3 through the small town of Ocotillo. 

We drove through fields of wind turbines.  We stopped to watch these cranes, hopeful that we might see them move this tremendous blade but that didn’t happen while we were there.

We passed through a Border Patrol Checkpoint and then we entered Anza-Borrego State Park.

We arrived at Mountain Palm Springs Campground before noon. 

Tim took a rather rigorous hike into the ravine.

I did a gentle hike to the palms.

We spent the afternoon sitting outside.  It was a gorgeous day and we were soaking up some rays!

I love that we can camp in this remote part of the desert in the RV.  We had to travel about a mile on a sandy road but we have the best site.

Grilled salmon and beet salad for dinner followed by a campfire.  Life is certainly good!

889 February 1, 2023 Imperial Valley Desert Museum

My walk this morning was through farm land. 

The Imperial Valley is at 150 feet below sea level.  The Colorado River in Yuma is at about 150 feet above sea level.  More than 100 years ago, farmers decided that they could use gravity to their advantage and with engineers, a system of irrigation was created to bring water from the river to the very fertile valley.   Because of this ingenuity, water rights to this area were established first.  Imperial Valley has primary access to the apportionment from the Colorado River.  90% of the nation’s winter produce is grown here and in southern Arizona.   The average annual rainfall is less than 3 inches.  Without that water supply, there would be no yield…no water, no farms, no food.

Our host owns alfalfa fields.  Alfalfa can be harvested and left to regrow for about 5 years.  It accounts for about ¼ of the crops in the valley.  The alfalfa is cut and baled.  The bales are stored outside until the moisture content is about 16%.  At that time, the bales are compressed to one third of their former size.  350 tractor trailer loads of alfalfa leave Imperial Valley 365 days a year.  One third of this alfalfa is taken to San Diego and shipped to Asia.

We left the valley and traveled to Ocotillo on S80. 

Spring mix.

This route took us through the area where the alfalfa is processed.

We could see the wind turbines from 20 miles away; some on snowcapped mountains.

We had a short ride to the Imperial Valley Desert Museum.  This is another Harvest Host site.  We toured the museum.  There we learned about the culture and heritage of the Kumeyaay people who have occupied this land for more than 10,000 years.  There were carefully preserved artifacts that included tools and pottery.  The exhibits were thoughtful and professionally designed.  We watched videos about bow and arrow making, indigenous legends, and the water supply in the Imperial Valley.  There were other displays about the desert flora and fauna.  We enjoyed our visit.

Later, at the suggestion of the director, we took the Jeep into the desert to see the Yuha Glyph.  This has been badly damaged by vandals and attempts to restore it to its former glory have been unsuccessful.  What a terrible shame to lose such a valuable piece of art in such a careless and disrespectful manner. 

Diesel for $6.99…and regular for $5.99…YIKES!!!

There was this old International Harvester desert truck at the gas station.  Tim liked the rock on the hood, it was his favorite part.

Back at the museum, we took our dinner out to the picnic area.  We enjoyed some sourdough wheat bread that we dipped into our EVOO and aged balsamic vinegar from our friend Clyde at the olive farm.  We had shrimp and fresh sugar snap peas and fresh blackberries. 

We had a good day!  I believe that it is so important that we stay curious, hold onto our sense of wonder, keep learning, and maintain our adventuresome spirit.

888 January 31, 2023 Desert Olive Farms

Overnight there was gentle rain for several hours.  When we awoke, it was 46 degrees, windy, and spitting rain.  I walked to the dumpster and back and then decided to wait for a short time and try again!

One last walk in the park.

Hummingbird posing for pictures.

Bougainville…so colorful and pretty.

Tim drove the RV to a gas station to fill with diesel before leaving Yuma.  We thought that the gas prices in California would be higher and this proved to be correct.  It was $5.79 per gallon once we left Arizona.

We passed the Imperial Sand Dunes not far from the state line.  It was very windy and sand was drifting across the highway. 

It was a short drive to Desert Olive Farms in Brawley.  This farm has a store in Yuma but it was never open in the evenings when we were downtown.

We arrived here after noon.  The host was not present but we were welcome to park and explore.  We took a walk.  The property is lovely and also serves as a wedding venue.

Acres of onions.

Romaine lettuce.

The olive grove.

The last vestiges of the pomegranate season.

There are rules to help keep the food supply safe.

A farm worker in a white pickup truck stopped to talk to us.  He let us know that they were going to have a helicopter spraying the romaine fields. 

We walked back to the RV, got into the Jeep, and drove out to watch the crop dusting.  First, the helicopter perched atop this truck and filled with chemicals.

We watched the pilot fly in great loops.

This evening, we watched the sunset.

Cowboy Clyde was our host this evening.  He was a wonderful storyteller and has a clever wit and dry sense of humor.  We learned about the history of Imperial Valley, farming, and water rights.  He took us into the workshop and taught us about how olive oil is made.  He taught us what real extra virgin olive oil is.  The mass-produced olive oils that are sold in our grocery stores are not are not the pure product that we think we are buying.  The food industry has lots of clever ways to label things. 

Clyde shared samples of olive oils and balsamic vinegars and at the end of his presentation, we purchased some to take on the road with us.

I loved this unique experience and am grateful for the opportunity to stay in this beautiful place.