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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/18/2012
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Decided to post SOMETHING cuz a little warm spell seems to be keeping the Borrego crowd away. It's still officially Spring, folks! Built in the 1920's, everyone has seen this desert landmark. If you haven't actually stopped for a visit, you're missing a panoramic view of the Colorado Desert and 20th Century Americana.
Desert View Sign by tomteske, on Flickr
Desert View Tower by tomteske, on Flickr
Desert Tower Sign by tomteske, on Flickr
The tower's views of the desert are matched only by its eclectic content ranging from books, art, taxidermy to Indian artifacts and old photographs. Presumably a post card with one of the many taxidermy specimens.
Tower Cat by tomteske, on Flickr
The view from the top provides a nice view of the Valley below and the many remnants of previous roads up the grade.
Desert View3 by tomteske, on Flickr
Desert View2 by tomteske, on Flickr
Desert View by tomteske, on Flickr
The whimsical rock art in back of the tower was carved in the 1930's.
Rock Art by tomteske, on Flickr
Rock Art2 by tomteske, on Flickr
On your way to the tower, you can't but see some really eclectic Americana strategically placed by the road. Apparently the owner didn't appreciate alien paparazzo and marched out yelling at me. Decided it was time to head to Table Mountain.
In Ko Pah Aliens by tomteske, on Flickr
In Ko Pah Alien by tomteske, on Flickr
In Ko Pah Alien Camper by tomteske, on Flickr
Table Mountain is partly in ABDSP so this is still a legitimate post! According to Lawrence Hogue in "All The Wild and Lonely Places", Table Mountain was home to at least two Kumeyaay villages and is "one of the most abused places in the Anza-Borrego region." Used by cattle ranchers till the 1970's, it was the site of the infamous 1880 "Jacumba Massacre" when natives were confronted by ranchers about slaughtered cattle. Will McCain along with 4-19 nameless Kumeyaay were killed. This marked the end of Kumeyaay presence in the area. The area is now dotted with abandoned mines and a few houses.
The road to Table Mountain.
Mica Gem Mine Rd by tomteske, on Flickr
Cross under I-8 and you're on your way.
Mica Gem Mine Rd and I-8 by tomteske, on Flickr
The Mica Gem Mine ruins. The shaft is filled in.
Mica Gem Mine2 by tomteske, on Flickr
Mica Gem Mine by tomteske, on Flickr
Some of the dirt roads lead to private property. Spelling apparently is not a requirement for the outback.
Civel Code by tomteske, on Flickr
The Little Randsburg Mine ruins. Only a few pieces of wood and an old barrel are nearby.
Little Randsburg Mine by tomteske, on Flickr
Wanted to head up the road to the top of Table Mountain and check out the Indian village sites but was stymied. With the temperature at 85 degrees and only an empty coke can in the truck, figured I'd walk up the road to scout out the area for a return trip.
Closed by tomteske, on Flickr
Table Mt Sign by tomteske, on Flickr
A half mile or so up the road didn't reveal much more so called it quits for now. Although the road is "closed," looks like someone is up there with a big antenna on the back of their truck.
Table Mt Road by tomteske, on Flickr
Here's a couple of unrelated pics on the drive home of the fire at Golden Acorn Casino which was threatening I-8 Sunday afternoon.
Golden Acorn Fire2 by tomteske, on Flickr
Golden Acorn Fire3 by tomteske, on Flickr
Golden Acorn Fire by tomteske, on Flickr
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1364
6/18/2012
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Hey thanks for posting the trip to Desert Tower
We have talked about stopping there but for some reason or another have never done it. It looks really cool. Loving the alien stuff.
Maybe I can talk to the owner and do a BLOG post about the history of the tower.
Don't have any Borrego plans at the moment but will probably do a couple of summer trips.
Bob
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https://www.anzaborrego.net/
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/18/2012
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Did you go see the Hidden Spring at the top of the hill near the tower?
Apparently the owner didn't appreciate alien paparazzo and marched out yelling at me
That's coyotejeff, he took me on a grand tour in the space craft last time I stopped by, we went by the worm hole and everything. Weird you got barked at.
looks like someone is up there with a big antenna on the back of their truck.
That is Border Patrol. They have had the vehicle up there for like a year or so.
I got a few pictures yesterday also of the fire, it looked pretty bad, I hope they are able to contain it. I will post in a new topic.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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ziphius Posts: 911
6/18/2012
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Thanks for posting SOMETHING Tom!  Great photos and story. Thanks for the mini-history on Table Mtn too. The misspelling of 'civil' on the no trespassing sign could have been done on purpose... there is a passage in 'Rancho Costa Nada', by Phil Garlington, where he describes purposefully misspelling a word on his version of a No Trespassing sign, to foster an image "of an unlettered and possibly demented" individual guarding the place.  Rancho Costa Nada has become something of a cult classic I guess, I see that copies on Amazon and EBay are selling for over $100, but there is a cheaper Kindle edition. If you want to read about some truly odd desert characters out near Blythe and how they get by, read this. One review says "Finally, the wacko homesteading book for me!"
I stopped by Desert Tower back in late May and the guy who runs the place is a great, an old-school hippie with at least 3 dogs. He was reading the latest issue of The New Yorker when I got there and we discussed alternative fuel vehicles, among other things. He used to live in Normal Heights, things perhaps did not go so well living with a woman there, and now he apparently lives 'upstairs' at the tower. Loves his commute. Desert Tower has quite the selection of natural history and local history books. I picked up a copy of Chris Wray's The Historic Backcountry and a Historic Highway 80 t-shirt there.
links: http://www.ranchocostanada.itgo.com/
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/18/2012
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ziphius wrote:
Thanks for posting SOMETHING Tom! Great photos and story. Thanks for the mini-history on Table Mtn too. The misspelling of 'civil' on the no trespassing sign could have been done on purpose... there is a passage in 'Rancho Costa Nada', by Phil Garlington, where he describes purposefully misspelling a word on his version of a No Trespassing sign, to foster an image "of an unlettered and possibly demented" individual guarding the place. Rancho Costa Nada has become something of a cult classic I guess, I see that copies on Amazon and EBay are selling for over $100, but there is a cheaper Kindle edition. If you want to read about some truly odd desert characters out near Blythe and how they get by, read this. One review says "Finally, the wacko homesteading book for me!"
I stopped by Desert Tower back in late May and the guy who runs the place is a great, an old-school hippie with at least 3 dogs. He was reading the latest issue of The New Yorker when I got there and we discussed alternative fuel vehicles, among other things. He used to live in Normal Heights, things perhaps did not go so well living with a woman there, and now he apparently lives 'upstairs' at the tower. Loves his commute. Desert Tower has quite the selection of natural history and local history books. I picked up a copy of Chris Wray's The Historic Backcountry and a Historic Highway 80 t-shirt there.
links: http://www.ranchocostanada.itgo.com/
Thanks for the info. That's an interesting spin on the sign! Would agree with you on that being an effective technique. Will check out the Rancho Costa Nada link. Tom
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/18/2012
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dsefcik wrote:
Did you go see the Hidden Spring at the top of the hill near the tower?
Apparently the owner didn't appreciate alien paparazzo and marched out yelling at me
That's coyotejeff, he took me on a grand tour in the space craft last time I stopped by, we went by the worm hole and everything. Weird you got barked at.
Didn't get around to climbing up to the spring. Have climbed up to the top of the ridge and headed north to a nice Valley overlook but was a little cooler then.
Must have been my winsome personality that put off Coyote Jeff. Saw some big guy with a dog heading toward me yelling something and after a quick wave, I was outta there! Tom
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/18/2012
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surfponto wrote:
Hey thanks for posting the trip to Desert Tower
We have talked about stopping there but for some reason or another have never done it. It looks really cool. Loving the alien stuff.
Maybe I can talk to the owner and do a BLOG post about the history of the tower.
That would be interesting. Lots of layers to that place. Thanks. Tom
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/18/2012
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ziphius wrote:
Thanks for posting SOMETHING Tom! Great photos and story. Thanks for the mini-history on Table Mtn too. The misspelling of 'civil' on the no trespassing sign could have been done on purpose... there is a passage in 'Rancho Costa Nada', by Phil Garlington, where he describes purposefully misspelling a word on his version of a No Trespassing sign, to foster an image "of an unlettered and possibly demented" individual guarding the place. Rancho Costa Nada has become something of a cult classic I guess, I see that copies on Amazon and EBay are selling for over $100, but there is a cheaper Kindle edition. If you want to read about some truly odd desert characters out near Blythe and how they get by, read this. One review says "Finally, the wacko homesteading book for me!"
links: http://www.ranchocostanada.itgo.com/
Just checked out your link and nearly peed my pants. That was insane! Requested a copy of Tenting Today from Mr. Garlington. Thanks. Tom
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/18/2012
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ziphius wrote:
links: http://www.ranchocostanada.itgo.com/
Damn, even his web hosting provider is cheap $0 per month!
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/18/2012
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dsefcik wrote:
Did you go see the Hidden Spring at the top of the hill near the tower?
tommy750 wrote:
Didn't get around to climbing up to the spring. Have climbed up to the top of the ridge and headed north to a nice Valley overlook but was a little cooler then.
Took me awhile to find it but if you want to see what the spring looks like and where to find it click here
I didn't want to spoil it for anyone who wants to find it on their own so if you just want to see it you can click my link above. The owner is real proud of the spring and when I was there a mother and her daughter toughed it out all the way to the top and they were very surprised when they finally found it!
PS, if you decide to look at the photo, look closely, there are (2) different springs, one is actually somewhat hidden and harder to spot.
Daren
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/18/2012
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If you continue down the dirt road past the Table Mtn area you can see a couple of microwave/radio towers and then further on several mines and an "ornate stone cabin" or something similar Lindsay describes it as. The area is rich with Indian history and you can find morteros and pottery in the area. There are as many as 5-6 wildlife guzzlers out there also, I can't remember exactly how many I have seen..maybe even seven or so. Really, really neat area.
<em>edited by dsefcik on 6/18/2012</em>
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/18/2012
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dsefcik wrote:
If you continue down the dirt road past the Table Mtn area you can see a couple of microwave/radio towers and then further on several mines and an "ornate stone cabin" or something similar Lindsay describes it as. The area is rich with Indian history and you can find morteros and pottery in the area. There are as many as 5-6 wildlife guzzlers out there also, I can't remember exactly how many I have seen..maybe even seven or so. Really, really neat area.
edited by dsefcik on 6/18/2012
Seems I need to head back! Only made it as far as the mines I mentioned. Looks like various roads keeps going all the way toward Carrizo Gorge. Are any of them closed or is the road to Table Mt and the USBP truck the only one? Was really looking forward to seeing the top. Tom
Will check out the spring the next time I'm there. Thanks. Tom
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/18/2012
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ziphius wrote:
Thanks for posting SOMETHING Tom! Great photos and story. Thanks for the mini-history on Table Mtn too. The misspelling of 'civil' on the no trespassing sign could have been done on purpose... there is a passage in 'Rancho Costa Nada', by Phil Garlington, where he describes purposefully misspelling a word on his version of a No Trespassing sign, to foster an image "of an unlettered and possibly demented" individual guarding the place. Rancho Costa Nada has become something of a cult classic I guess, I see that copies on Amazon and EBay are selling for over $100, but there is a cheaper Kindle edition. If you want to read about some truly odd desert characters out near Blythe and how they get by, read this. One review says "Finally, the wacko homesteading book for me!"
links: http://www.ranchocostanada.itgo.com/
Just emailed Phil Garlington and told him about your "civel" post and requested his other piece, "Tenting Today." He fired back a copy right away. It comes in an old wps format so it needed converting but should be a fun read. Thanks again for the link! Tom
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/23/2012
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tommy750
Just checked out your link and nearly peed my pants. That was insane! Requested a copy of Tenting Today from Mr. Garlington. Thanks. Tom[/quote wrote:
The Tenting Today was hilarious...I did not order it so you will have to let us know if the rest of the book is as funny as the webpage excerpt.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/23/2012
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dsefcik wrote:
tommy750
Just checked out your link and nearly peed my pants. That was insane! Requested a copy of Tenting Today from Mr. Garlington. Thanks. Tom[/quote wrote:
The Tenting Today was hilarious...I did not order it so you will have to let us know if the rest of the book is as funny as the webpage excerpt.
Finished reading the story last night. About 80 pages. Really an enjoyable tale about life sans excessive materialism. Also a lot of random strangers dropping by the camp fire retelling their colorful past. Would definitely download it. Again, it's in some old file type that needs converting. Tom
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