Anza-Borrego (aka...the Twilight Zone)

Back to civilization, and phone service and internet and cable TV. Kind of a double edged sword as we really enjoyed our time in Anza-Borrego and the supreme QUIET that we enjoyed. But...we are of the generation (granted the tail-end) that requires contact via phone, internet, etc... And there was none in Anza-Borrega. Just books, camp-fires, stars, and mystical mountains and desert.

Our Frontyard

Our backyard

We arrived on Sunday and literally fell in love with the desert immediately. As I would learn later, a famous and historical past resident once said  " You either love the desert and embrace it forever or you hate it and never return". We will return. Our camp is at a San Diego County Park called Agua Caliente (Hot Water), so named for the hot, mineral spring baths that made the area famous. A private individual had owned this land until his death in the '50's. He willed it to the county with the stipulation that it be available to "all who needs the healing powers of the mineral baths". Well, who wouldn't need that!

Moonlight Trail behind our spot

Went for a partial walk down Moonlight Trail but it started getting pretty dark and we had no desire to be in the back hills in complete darkness so we turned around and returned to the BP. The desert is magical. All rust and gold. I am sure it it stunning in the spring when the cactus bloom and "spring" to life but there is something equally magical in the fall. The temps during our stay here remained in the mid 70's but felt pretty consistently like mid 80's to us Minnesotans.

Monday dawned bright and beautiful...and early. The coyotes woke me at exactly 5:15 (every morning but today). It was an alarming sound but I have since realized they had been out hunting all night and were simply calling out to the pack to come back together.

So I got up, had my coffee and got dressed . Out the door by 6 a.m. I went on the Moonlight Trail alone in the morning glow (and before the heat). It was gorgeous in the early morning sun and so peaceful and utterly quiet. That's the way to start a day!

After Jeff got up, we took a therapeutic spa (yes it is hot spring mineral water but once chlorinated, does it still count as therapy?). Then he and I did the Moonlight Trail again. After this second 2.5 mile hike, I took a chair and Jeff attempted once again to get the Direct TV to come in (for the Viking-Packer game, of course). But to no avail... so we settled for a good grilled chicken dinner and a few episodes of Deadliest Catch!
Tuesday started as Monday had...5:15 a.m. wake up call and beautiful, clear blue skies. Jeff and I had decided to drive over Banner Grade to Julian today as we had been told what a quaint and cute town it was. Well, no-one really mentioned that everything was pretty much closed on Tuesday's and what was open were an abundance of pie shoppes. Apples being their main product and pies being their big business. Nothing to do but tour the one open winery (good stuff, actually) and get lunch at the Julian Cafe.
Since Julian was pretty much a bust we drove back into Anza-Borrego but instead of going home we went to the little town of Borrego Springs, which houses the actual Visitor's Center for the park. The town itself was really nice, clean, scenic...and the visitors center very informative (plus I got to see and feed my first roadrunner...cute little buggers). I also purchased a book about Marshal South, who in the 40's moved to an area near our park called Ghost Mountain, where he lived with his wife, and 3 subsequent children, in solitude and absolute nature for 17 years. For some reason this guy's story fascinated me and as soon as I got home I started devouring the book.
On the way back, however, I had the scare of my life. I was driving a winding road wedged between two peaks when out of nowhere, two "top-gun" hot shots buzzed by us, very low, very fast and very much on their sides! I literally almost shit myself. We couldn't hear them coming because they were going faster than their own sound so the roar came AFTER they had passed right over our heads. Turns out, there is a town south of the park called El Centro where the "top-guns" actually train and though they are suppose to behave over the park, they apparently get a kick out of buzzing (and scaring) the general population. Yeah, thanks! Then that night, about 7 p.m., they started running night maneuvers with an Apache Helicopter circling the park, landing across the highway, taking off and repeating 8 or 10 times. So much for peace and quiet (at least for an hour and a half or so). After they left for the night, and quiet returned, Jeff saw a coyote crossing behind our site so he and I went on a "coyote hunt" through the park with flashlights and more than a little tip-toeing. Never saw another coyote but we did get up close and personal with an owl!
Wednesday I just had to hike up to Ghost Mountain to see the home site of Marshal South and family. I had, by now, read about half the book and was more than a little obsessed. So off we went to Blair Valley and after quite a time finding the site trail, hiked one mile uphill (and it was a tough mile) to the site. All the way up I kept thinking about this man walking this same trail with firewood strapped on his back, water jugs over both shoulders, bags of concrete, or a baby or two to carry...at 57 years old. Anyway, we really huffed and puffed our way up this hill and were more than impressed with the view, the site and more so, Marshal South's vision with choosing Ghost Mountain.

Blair Valley

Remains of South home



The hiking today must have really wore us out as both Jeff and I were in bed, and asleep, by 9 p.m. (which was just after the helicopters quite training again!).

Thursday we drove south in the park to  Mountain Palm Springs and the trails to the various palm groves in the area. Nice, easy walk during which we met another hiker named Drew, from the San Diego area. He was quite a talker and we ended up standing in a grove talking for a good half hour. He and his wife travel a good deal in their RV so he filled us in on his favorite spots.

After a good hike we returned to Agua Caliente and had one more spa treatment, a hearty steak dinner and a roaring campfire that was undisturbed by helicopters. The quiet last night was...so quiet. I swear, I could hear our neighbors breathing and that was about it! One more sunset, a million stars, and another early bed-time. And this morning, the coyotes even let me sleep in til 6!!

Sunrise

We were up and ready to go by 8 but had to putz around so we wouldn't get to our next destination and campground before the "check-in" time of 1 p.m. We  left about 10 and had an uneventful trip through the south exit of Anza-Borrego and then west on Hwy 8 to El Cajon. I realize we were passing within miles of the Mexican border and it was abundantly clear as we saw Border Patrol all over and then actually went through a border checkpoint.

They waved us right through. I guess 2 middle aged white people held little interest for the Border Patrol. Now, I could have had the BP stuffed with illegals and probably made a good deal of money transporting them to El Cajon! Damn! Next time....