Going Furthur: Anza Borrego Again

Southwest Palm Oasis

looking down to our camp from the ridge

We moved back to California and the Anza Borrego State Park. With over 650,000 acres, 500 miles of roads, and several mountain ranges this place is fascinating. We bumped into Doug and Frankie again at a small primitive camp at Mountain Palms in the SE part of the park where we stayed for several days and hiked the canyons into several different hidden palm oasis. The weather is back in the mid 80's with nights in the 50's and we are happily back into shorts and t shirts from dawn to dark. The dark night sky is alive with the stars and moon and the other campers in this area are friendly and social and we have had group campfires with live music. The trails are rocky with some scrambling around and over big boulders, and in some places non-existent or poorly marked, but with maps and open ground we were able to find some beautiful spots. While the desert looks pretty boring from a distance, when you get close there are lots of plants, cactus, and small flowers in bloom. Many of the rocks and boulders are granite and there are mica flecks everywhere that shine in the sun as you walk through the sand. We hiked several miles every day and we can feel that the sun has gotten a lot hotter than a few weeks ago .... it feels like a northwest summer day.