The Savage Traveler: Out West Adventure: Part 1--Salton Sea and Agua Caliente

February 19-21: (Tuesday) Although it was windy when we woke up it wasn't stormy or even very cloudy. We closed up the camper and drove down to Hwy. 62 heading west. On the outskirts of town we stopped at the Hwy. 62 Diner for breakfast. Marv got the “Tire Patch” (pancakes, 2 eggs, & 4 pieces of bacon) and I got their waffle special (the same but with a waffle instead of pancakes). Either one would have been ample for us to share, and neither of us finished ours, but it sure was good! Back on the highway the clouds coming over the mountains and down the canyon were like a giant cotton batting. As we tried to get good photos out the window, the highway turned to the south and we plunged down a canyon, going from 2900ft to about sea level in a few miles. Coming out of the canyon at Desert Hot Springs there is a forest of wind turbines and the winds were buffeting the truck, probably at around 40 mph or more. Desert Hot Springs made a bell go off in my head because I’m sure that was where my dad was sent for Officer Training School before he shipped out to North Africa. Mom was with him until he shipped out. Since we weren’t in a huge hurry we decided to check out the area by following signs to a Historical Site and the Visitors Center, thinking it would be about General Patton and the army training area that we were told was there. It turned out that the Historical Site was about the hot spring baths that were in the area. A woman at the Center told us some roads we could take to get to a nearby military base but I don’t think she realized what we were seeking. But it was a nice drive along the base of hills and somewhat out of the wind until we got back on I10, this time heading east to the Salton Sea Recreation Area. On our way we talked to a guy at Agua Caliente Park and found out that they were expecting rain, not snow, but winds of 40mph and gusts as high as 75mph. As the ranger at Joshua Tree had told us that morning, “Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor”, and we were willing to give up the charge for that night to avoid the weather. We were driving across the Imperial Valley and passed field after field of green growing things, acres of date palms, and huge vineyards. All of this is in the midst of the Colorado Desert and therein lies the tale of how the Salton Sea came to be. In the late 1900s the government put in a canal to divert water from the Colorado River to the rich alluvial soil of the valley. But the farmers/ranchers weren't satisfied with the amount of water they were getting. So some of them went into Mexico and added two other canals that fed into the government canal. Then in 1905 there was bad flooding from snow melt and heavy rains. The three canals overflowed and merged and the entire Colorado River was diverted into the plain of the valley, where it ran for 16 months, eventually forming a lake 50 feet deep, 35 miles long, and as much as 15 miles wide, 230 feet below sea level, and right on the San Andreas fault line. It was originally a fresh water lake, but lack of outlet and tons of fertilizer runoff each year have slowly made it a saline sea about 50% more salty than the Pacific Ocean. It’s a fascinating story and somewhat eerie to see. In the fifties it was a highly sought after recreation area but the increasing salinity means that tilapia is about the only fish that still does well. Now there are many abandoned resorts and restaurants, reminders of what once was. We set up our camper in the “New Loop” of the recreation area, which is a circle with some sites with electricity and water, and some with no hook-ups. There are only a handful of sites taken. We rode our bikes up to the headquarters and visitor center and ate our lunch on the beach there, all by ourselves. Then we rode as far as the camp road goes and back, stopping briefly to see some displays along the way. There are other campgrounds in the recreation area but budget cutbacks have closed many of them and the whole area is looking a little neglected. After riding we changed into MSU gear and drove south for several miles to explore a little more. There really wasn't much to see but long stretches of gravelly shoreline. The lake is very important for migratory birds and there are several refuges along the shoreline. We saw egrets, white pelicans, killdeer, and lots of gulls. As it got later we turned around and headed back towards the cities to the north to find someplace to watch the big MSU/Indiana basketball game. We eventually settled in at an Applebee’s in La Quinta where we were disappointed to see MSU lose at home by 4 points, after being up 4 points with just over a minute left. There goes a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. L We drove back to the camper and talked to Marv’s Mom who had checked herself in to the Burcham Hills Rehab Unit until she feels stronger and better. We both enjoyed a hot shower before spending the rest of the evening on the computers.

Down into Imperial Valley with the cold front coming over the mountains

Cotton Batting Clouds

Wind Farm

White Pelican on the Salton Sea

The Salton Sea

(Wednesday) It rained a little bit early in the morning and with the clouds it only got into the mid-fifties overnight. We packed up the camper and, ignoring the GPS who wanted us to go north around the lake, we headed south the length of the Sea and eventually almost to Mexico to pick-up I8 towards San Diego. Along the way Marv was upset when he inadvertently reset our Trip odometer information. Within the last day or so he had told me we had driven 4100+ and had exactly 16mpg. We’ll have to extrapolate from that for the rest of the trip. All the way around the Sea we were below sea level. We got off at Ocotillo in the midst of a giant wind turbine area, where they were again placed on the east side of the mountains where the wind pours down the slopes. It was interesting to drive in the midst of the behemoths. We were again in the midst of the Colorado Desert, specifically the southern edge of the Anza Borrego State Park, which is the biggest state park in the nation. Around us was miles of desert land full of sotol, century plant, Cholla, and mostly, Ocotillo which was just beginning to bloom. We drove north through the desolate park, seeing very few other cars and only a scattering of campers in the “dry” campgrounds. We went through some spectacular canyon lands and rose from below sea level to about 1300ft. as we arrived at Agua Caliente Regional Park, of the San Diego County Park system. There are hot springs here that have been visited and enjoyed by people for thousands of years. Now there is a campground with about 100 sites, and two outdoor spring fed pools that are a natural 90° and an indoor spa heated to 102° with Jacuzzi jets. When we checked in we were told that they had heavy rain and strong winds last night so we were just as happy that we had forfeited our first night and stayed at Salton Sea instead. After setting up we made lunch. As we ate Marv noticed some birds on the little tree next to the camper. Looking closer we realized that more than a dozen orange and bright blue birds (Western Blue Birds?) had gathered on the branches. They stayed long enough for us to get some pictures and then they all left, not to be seen the rest of the day. We walked around the campground and spent some time talking to a very friendly builder who was working on setting up the 7 cabins that will be available in a month or so to rent. Though the sun was shining brightly the air temperature was only about 59° so we chose to enjoy the indoor heated spa. There were about a dozen people in the large doughnut shaped pool which will hold 30 people. We struck up a conversation with the people who are camped several sites away from us (with no one in between), who had seen a TrailManor just like ours at their last campground. We chatted with them and then were joined by another man discussing camping, campers, and the freedom of being retired and traveling. The couple had been gone since Dec. 20 and was going to Patagonia Lake and Tucson before returning to their home in Colorado in a few months. The spa closed at 5:00 and by then the sun had disappeared over the mountains leaving long shadows on the rocks across the canyon from us. We went back to the camper to read and finish off the spaghetti sauce from the other night. Frogs were chirping like crazy in the narrow creek that runs through the campground and the stars were out competing with a very bright half moon. We have a good PBS signal but no 3G or phone so we worked on the Journal and watched a Northern Exposure before bed.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

GPS as we drove around the Salton Sea (-212 sea level)

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Campsite at Agua Caliente

Western Blue Bird in the tree next to the camper

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Blooming Ocotillo

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park with blooming ocotillo

(Thursday) It got down to about 44°, which we’re getting pretty used to now. The sun was shining brightly once again but the air was slow to warm. After eggs and toast and putting chili in the Crockpot to cook for dinner we decided we really had to be in touch with the family to see what was happening with Marv’s Mom. Since we had heard so much from the next door neighbors about Borrego Springs 45 miles north and the hiking trails and small village there we set off in the truck to find it. Much of the way we were driving through Anza Borrego Desert State Park lands and the scenery was spectacular once again. We climbed up to a pass near Box Canyon, where the Mormon Battalion had dug through the walls of a narrow gorge to make the first road passing through to the coast of California. Later it was used as the Butterfield Stage Coach route. We dropped down through the mountains and came out at the wide valley which contains Borrego Springs. The State Park is sort of doughnut shaped and the community of Borrego Springs is in the doughnut hole. We had phone service within the village so we called Mom and talked to her until someone came in to do her “intake” meeting. We drove on to the Anza Borrego Visitors Center. There we found out that the Desert is named for the Spanish explorer Anza, who came from Mexico in 1775-1776 leading 1000 colonists and, finding his way through passes for the first time, made his way up the coast where they founded San Francisco, and the big horn sheep known as Borregos that are indigenous to the mountains. Because it had taken us about 1½ to get there we were feeling a little pressed for time. So we stayed long enough to get some photos of a Century Plant that was blooming and then we set off for the hike to Palm Canyon. This 3 mile round trip trail took us up the canyon to a natural Palm Oasis. The trail was mostly wide and sandy and easy to walk until we got within about a quart of a mile, where it became much rockier and required some scrambling and creek crossing. It was sunny and in the high fifties at the beginning but the sun was soon blocked by clouds so it wasn't uncomfortably hot for climbing as it can often be. Along the way we saw lavender and jojoba blooming, the later alive with bees. We also saw rosa-something with its red honeysuckle-like blossom that attracted hummingbirds. We also saw a road runner on the trail but sadly, no borregos. As we arrived at the Oasis there was a bit of a jam up of people because a man had fallen and dislocated his shoulder. The group he was with was hurrying back down the trail to get help for him. So we didn't actually enter the Oasis but sat on the rocks beside it and enjoyed a little snack of string cheese and a Clementine before going back down the trail. We were passed by a Ranger and two paramedics going up to render aid. As we got back to the trailhead we found all of the Borrego Springs fire department and many Park personnel with emergency vehicles and walkie-talkies and a great hubbub. A helicopter arrived as we pulled away and we had to wonder what this rescue effort was going to cost! It made me happy that my ankle sprain had happened in the middle of a flat field within walking distance of the camper. We drove back into town and called Mom again to finish our conversation and went to a Mexican restaurant with WiFi for a 2:00 lunch. When we felt like we had done everything we could from so far away we drove back to the camper and arrived in time for a long soak in the hot spa. We also had another chance to learn more about the trails in the area from our neighbors, who are also leaving tomorrow. Marv made cornbread to go with the chili and after dinner we did the dishes and read and blogged as usual.