Anza Borrego Desert State Park

We packed up and prepared to leave Lake Cahuilla, but delayed actual departure as long as possible, as our destination was only a short drive away and we knew check-in time was 2 PM. Parks often let campers in a bit early, but apparently that's not the case at Anza Borrego. We arrived about 20 minutes before 2 PM and though we completed the check-in process we were told we'd have to go park by the visitor's center and wait until 2:00. So we did, and of course we toured the visitor center too. 

It's nice, and subtly designed to blend with the landscape. The displays are very informative and really well done. Visitors are greeted by a model of a prehistoric bird that's sure to get everyone's attention!

Once 2:00 rolled around we breezed on through the gate and locate our site. We were situated toward the back of the campground, which is on the lower slopes of a steep canyon. We had a view of the the campgrounds various sections as well as beyond into the valley and the nearby town. 

Steve had a real challenge shoehorning the rig into our site. Be advised when visiting here, the roads and sites are all lined with boulders of various sizes. What looks spacious may not have adequate room for tires when backing in longer rigs. In spite of the challenges we were settled in just in time to watch the Superbowl.... the only TV we watched while we were in the park. 

Our site is in the Palm Canyon campground, one of the most spacious and scenic of the loops, and we are quite near the entrance to the trail that leads up to the palm grove in the canyon. There's a small pond at the base of the trail that is apparently home to several types of frogs. Their happy spring songs really added to the evening atmosphere when we stepped out for the night- time dog walk and a little star gazing. 

The plan while here was to meet up with Steve's brother Dale. He camps here often (usually boondocking) and knows the trails and the sites pretty well. I wanted to try out the trail next to us, up into the canyon, so fit that in early, before Dale arrived. 

The trail is smooth gravel at first then quickly becomes a tumbled, circuitous and sometimes steep path of sand and boulders. The official trail is carefully outlined with smaller stones and pieces of drift wood and palm tree that were damaged during a fire in 2020. The park folks here are pretty serious about hikers not stepping off the official trail so they leave no doubt as to where you should step!  

Water was running freely in the creek, which the trail crossed twice, as far as I went. I had decided to be back in camp by 11 AM, so had to turn around before I made it all the way to the palm grove.  

I arrived back at camp just as Dale was arriving..... perfect timing!

After a short visit we departed for touring some of the sites. First stop, Glorietta Canyon.

There are boondocking sites available on the road it. The park has their regulations for that type of camping posted frequently in all the areas where it is allowed. The trail here is a moderately steep, but very picturesque hike. At the moment, shrubs and wildflowers are thinking about blooming, with a few early achievers popping out here and there, but still offering great photo opportunities. 

Leaving Glorietta we continued our exploration out on the flatland at the base of the hills, suddenly out of the sagebrush here were huge dinosaurs all around us. 

They were rearing, lunging and gnashing their teeth! Well, not exactly, but a good suggestion of doing so. There is a long history of life in this desert, and there's a paleontology research center adjacent to the park, so the dinosaurs fit right in.  

The artist who created the statues and the story of how they came to be has been told in detail by others so I won't try. Here's the best rendition I've found, complete with plenty of photos and videos of the amazing work. The link will take you to several years worth of the authors exploration and study of artist Ricardo Breceda's amazing work. 

Next on the agenda, Font's Point, and a truly amazing example of geologic history. East of the town of Borrego Springs, the viewpoint is reach by traveling through a dusty dry wash.

Parking is in a designated area, and there's no clue of the vision that lies ahead. Walk up the sandy path and when you approach the ridge the view suddenly opens up to reveal a view that rivals the Grand Canyon. It's breathtaking to say the least.  The link above provides how to get there and other relevant information, in addition to plenty of photos.

Dale treated us to dinner at Carlee's cafe (wonderful food!) and we all went back to our camps to rest up for the next day's adventures. 

I the morning we met Dale in town an visited the Anza Borrego Natural History gift shop/bookstore and arboretum. They really have a traffic selection of all kinds of gifts and books and the plant collection in the garden has some specimens labeled so was helpful in identifying things we'd been passing when hiking.  Dale headed home, and we went back to camp planning to relax and start packing up when someone announced big horn sheep on the move so we grabbed our cameras and slowly moved over to the hillside directly opposite our site. Wow, we counted eight at one time, but as they gracefully navigated their way across the rocky and very steep slope they certainly didn't stay in an organized group, so we snapped away to get as many views as we could. There are several shots in the album, sorry so many but they are fascinating to watch!

Lots more photos in the album!

Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park

Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park   This is part of the Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District. If you're looking for outdoor recreation activities in southern California this is a good place to start. (Cahuilla is pronounced "ka-WEE-a")

This picturesque park is older than most we stay in, but well maintained. The sites with utilities are spacious, and there is a range of price, so check the website for particulars. 

There is a spacious boon-docking area surrounded by a variety of desert trees, including palms. It offers a good view of the lake, so that may be of interest in addition to the sites with utilities. It's a nice little lake for fishing, perfect for young children, though anyone would enjoy it. The park offers other amenities too. 

There is a wading/swimming pool at the far end of the campground, with a playground nearby.  There are also game courts of various types, and beyond that area is a "Equestrian and group camping" area. That area is off in the distance behind the palm trees in the lower photo. 

The lake is alive with birds of various types at different times of the year. Right now pelicans and other shore birds are the primary population. There is no swimming currently due to an invasive mussel infestation problem, and fishing gear is inspected for that same reason.

The campground restrooms are clean, and adequate in size as most campers are self-contained. They have 2 coin operated showers. The structures are clean, though it needs a bit of paint and a few repairs here and there. The camp site spaces are large and each has a tree - eucalyptus in most cases, and they are kept pruned up so they don't interfere with the roofs of RV's.        
Depending on your needs, one of the best features is that this park is close in to many of the entertainment related activities that are held in the Coachella valley. We are here to visit family that lives nearby, as it seems many of our neighbors in the campground are here for the same reason. 
According to Wikipedia this lake is prehistoric in origin, and there's quite a geologic record of it's existence, including the changes over time. It was once large enough to extend southward into Mexico. 


 The hills surrounding the are beautiful to watch as the light changes. The deep erosion from thousands of years past create ever changing shadows, and the colors in the slopes change from lavender to deep blues, grays and browns as the sun and clouds shift throughout the day.

The park is named for the Cahuilla tribe. The Cahuilla language is of the Takic division of the Uto-Aztecan family of languages, the most well-established linguistic family of the Americas. The Cahuilla people were the first known residents of the Coachella Valley. In the 1700's the population is thought to have been about 15,000.
Though once considered the smallest Native American tribe in the entire (the tribe was once down to just eight people), the Augustine Band's population is still tiny, with only about 2,000 enrolled members in the various bands linked to at the bottom of the home page under "Tribal Links".           

We enjoyed out stay here very much. It's a quiet, relaxing place to enjoy walking, photography, fishing, or just cloud watching! Our next stop is the Anza Borrego desert! Here's an early morning view of the lake just as we are leaving.

Great summer reading

Serendipity: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.

That's how I found Bad Water, and my new favorite author, Toni Dwiggins

After finishing the classic reminiscence "Loafing Along Death Valley Trails: A Personal Narrative of People and Places" by William Caruthers, I was searching for non-fiction on the topic of Death Valley.  Having practically grown up in the ghost town of Garlock, a gold mining town that's not all that far from the great valley itself, I already know the area pretty well. I've already read much of what's been written, so I'm always looking for something new to add to my list of titles. In my search results, amongst the titles I've already read, or rejected, was a novel that looked interesting.

If you think you'd like a great who done it with a large helping of geology on the side, or if you are one of the many thousands that have become fascinated with the mysteries of Death Valley, or if you like to ponder the many ways a domestic terrorist could attack a critical system, you'll love Bad Water.

This is Toni's first novel in her Forensic Geology series. I felt the first few chapters are just a bit rough, but once the plot gets going the writing smooths out and as the plot develops it takes over. Young Cassie Oldfield and her mentor Walter Shaws are the forensic geologists called in to help solve a case that's far more complex and deadly than the authorities have ever guessed. It's a hard one to put down, and hot weather definitely fits the story line, so enjoy it this summer!

I've just started Toni's second novel, Volcano Watch. Stay tuned for a review on that title.

Toni's books are available in paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon. More about her on Amazon's author page.