Hiking to an Oasis!

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We said sad goodbyes to Walter and Cindy, and beautiful San Diego on Monday morning, and drove east to Anza Borrego State Park. After a beautiful drive through the hills, over the mountains and into the high desert valley, we arrived at the trailhead for the hike into the Borrego Palm Canyon. The hike is wonderful, following a small stream through boulders and flowers into a canyon that ends in a real palm oasis! The palms are the only ones that are native to California.

We passed by the Salton Sea, after leaving Anza Borego. There had once been much development around the accidentally (an attempt to steal water from Mexico gone bad) man-made lake, with lots of water sports and fishing available. Not any more....many abandoned properties..roads with names and pavement leading nowhere. People still live around the lake, and there are a few RV parks. Near the north end there are are many date palm plantations.

Our next stop was Palm Springs, where we checked into our hotel in downtown, took a quick shower, and (after getting dressed of course) headed back out to meet Garth and Val at their condo. We had a great evening with Garth and Val and their friends Peter and Vita. The next day we hung around the hotel for awhile, savoring our last morning with palm trees and hot sun.

We drove northeast, around Joshua Tree and towards Mojave National Preserve. On the way, we passed many tiny cabins spread across the flat scrubland of “Wonder Valley“. (The lack of any obvious charms made us "wonder" why one would live there…) Most were abandoned, and a few had been enlarged and were occupied. We later found out that the cabins were built after WW1 for mustard gas survivors, as they thought the air would be good for the soldiers. The idea didn’t work out.

For the next two days, we would drive on all sorts of roads nearly all by ourselves....

We took a break in the train depot "town" of Kelso (not named after Kelso, WA), where we met a very helpful ranger and had much needed coffee.

We left Mohave by mid-day, heading towards the east entry of Death Valley.

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Photos

View into the high desert
We are arriving at Anza Borrego Park...

Heading out
This is the beginning of the Palm Canyon trail in Anza Borrego. We finally have great weather!

First palms
These are the only type of palm native to California.

Snack break under the palms
It was cool and damp here...lots of birds.

Looking back down the canyon
There are big horn sheep here, and people we met on the trail had spotted one, but we never saw it....

Bill and boulder
Amazingly large rocks and logs were washed down by flash floods in the past.

This is the only one of these plants I saw
Can't find the name....

Dead stinky fish
I was really sorry that I made Bill drive to the shore and get out!!!!

Kelso Train Station
Now a museum and restaurant.

Twenty Mule Team!
We had a model of this when I was a kid...the Borax Company must have sold them....Mom, do you remember?
The mules had to be very smart, as they responded to individual names....