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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/26/2012
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The camp Rick Perry used to visit in Texas is not the only local with a non-PC moniker. Squaw Tit is definitely in the same category and even has infamously made a book title, "From Squaw Tit to Whorehouse Meadow: How Maps Name, Claim, and Inflame" (probably referring to the same peak name in the Phoenix area, but you get the drift). To the southeast is my favorite, a BM right on the Mexican border named "Puto!" Couldn't believe it when I first saw it. Anyway, decided to take a hike over Table Mountain this past Saturday since weather.com promised highs of 82 degrees in Jacumba while the rest of ABDSP was 20 degrees warmer. Well, they lied! Was 92 when I got back to the Tundra and some of the volcanic areas were at least 5-10 degrees hotter. Glad I brought 3 liters and had a nice breeze.
Table Mt GPS by tomteske, on Flickr
Table Mountain by tomteske, on Flickr
Worked my way over toward a dam-looking structure crossing a stream bed. Actually ended up being a granitic dike but it easily could have been a useful natural feature.
Table Granitic dike by tomteske, on Flickr
Grey Mountain to the southwest is a granitic remnant of the Peninsular Batholith but Table Mt is a result of later volcanic activity. Round Mountain is the higher peak in the right background and is south of I-8.
Grey Mountain and Round Mountain by tomteske, on Flickr
After hiking straight up the south side, I crossed over a large open plateau. Was completely alone-except for the three USBP vehicles (one left before the pics) and a half dozen cameras. Asked two young agents if they knew anything about a couple of Indian villiages reportedly on Table Mt. One informed me there were Indians here but they had left a long time ago. Got really disillusioned but decided to head for Squaw Tit.
Squaw Tit by tomteske, on Flickr
The view from Squaw toward south Table Mt and the border fence in the far distance.
From Squaw Tit by tomteske, on Flickr
Border Patrol at Table Mt by tomteske, on Flickr
The view from Squaw toward the summit of Table Mt.
Squaw Tit Toward Table Summit by tomteske, on Flickr
The top of east Table Mt toward Squaw.
Toward Squaw Tit by tomteske, on Flickr
The only rock art I encountered was this:
Pecking Style by tomteske, on Flickr
This artifact and the inevitable question were found at the Table Mt summit.
Table Mt Battery by tomteske, on Flickr
Looking NE from the eastern part of Table, you can see just about everything in ABDSP.
Table Mt Panorama by tomteske, on Flickr
On the southern flank and on the top, tarantula nests were everywhere.
Tarantula Dens by tomteske, on Flickr
Their nemeses, the Tarantula Hawks, were nowhere nearby, either having already completed their deadly missions or completely distracted by mesquite blossoms. Saw 10+ swarming these bushes.
Tarantula Hawks by tomteske, on Flickr
After descending the northern slope, I came across this young desiccated coyote. Looked like it was still running.
Running Coyote by tomteske, on Flickr
Coyote Mouth by tomteske, on Flickr
No noticeable human foot traffic was present. Did find this faded immigrant cache.
Old Clothing by tomteske, on Flickr
Yet another reason USC deserved those NCAA sanctions.
Trojan Mylar by tomteske, on Flickr
Daren mentioned there were "wildlife guzzlers" out here but I had no idea what he was referring to:
Wildlife Guzzler by tomteske, on Flickr
Apparently water drains off these luxurious patios (visible from outer space) and fill nearby cisterns. Little animals then have extra water. Daren, do these things really work?? Seems a little overkill to me. Tried to find "Post 376" but only located a Troop 376 in nearby Milwaukie, Oregon. Was going to lift the metal plate off the cistern and check out the water level but the heat kinda sapped my curiosity.
Wildlife Guzzler2 by tomteske, on Flickr
Just feet from the Tundra on the way back was the remnants of an old pickup. What was really weird was finding a wild hive in the nearby half-buried frame!
Pick Up by tomteske, on Flickr
Metal Hive by tomteske, on Flickr
Headed west toward Jacumba and saw the newly-energized Sunrise 500KV lines.
Sunrise Power by tomteske, on Flickr
In closing, here's a pic from last Wednesday leaving Table Mt between the lanes of I-8 looking east.
Mica Gem Road and I-8 by tomteske, on Flickr
About six miles hiking and some fun pictures on my way to the coast. Have a great week! Tom
edited by tommy750 on 6/26/2012
edited by tommy750 on 6/26/2012
<em>edited by tommy750 on 6/26/2012</em>
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mrkmc Posts: 87
6/26/2012
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not that I like the power lines but that picture is awesome! Thanks for the trip report.
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/26/2012
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Awesome post...I love those night photos, I want to learn how to do those. The powerline photo I am guessing you painted with a flashlight or something? I can only guess the guzzlers work, BLM has those things everywhere. Like I said before, I have found 7 or so just in the Table Mtn area, there is actually one right at the bottom of Tule Mtn next to Sacatone Overlook also. ABDSP has them also but they are of a different design. Last time I went to Squaw Tit there were no BP there, that mobile vehicle is recent, last couple of years or so.
That battery was maybe used to blow up stuff in the quarry? Did you find all of the white post markers? Doesn't look like you crossed down into the quarry so I am guessing not.
You should continue to explore that area, there are a lot of really neat things to see the deeper you go north/west.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/26/2012
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dsefcik wrote:
Awesome post...I love those night photos, I want to learn how to do those. The powerline photo I am guessing you painted with a flashlight or something? I can only guess the guzzlers work, BLM has those things everywhere. Like I said before, I have found 7 or so just in the Table Mtn area, there is actually one right at the bottom of Tule Mtn next to Sacatone Overlook also. ABDSP has them also but they are of a different design. Last time I went to Squaw Tit there were no BP there, that mobile vehicle is recent, last couple of years or so.
That battery was maybe used to blow up stuff in the quarry? Did you find all of the white post markers? Doesn't look like you crossed down into the quarry so I am guessing not.
You should continue to explore that area, there are a lot of really neat things to see the deeper you go north/west.
Saw a few of the white markers in between Squaw and the summit. Do you know if they marked some boundary? Yeah, want to go back and visit the entire NW portion. That's a really neat pictograph photo. Need to find that! The power lines were converted to BW with a high contrast red filter just to give it a more omninous look 
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/26/2012
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mrkmc wrote:
not that I like the power lines but that picture is awesome! Thanks for the trip report.
Yeah, the double row of towers is hard to miss out there east of Jacumba. The new ones are definitely fired up since you can hear the buzz a mile away. Tom
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ziphius Posts: 911
6/26/2012
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Great TR and photos, I felt like I was on the trip with you. Hey, without a sense of scale, it is difficult to tell how large the coyote is. When I first saw the photo, my brain immediately said "kit fox". But that isn't based on anything solid. You took such a good photo of the teeth, that it inspired me to research any potential differences between coyote and kit fox 'dentition'. I haven't found anything yet...
Daren's teaser photo of the pictographs shows a double-helix design that I also saw in Utah along the Escalante River, except the double-helix was about 25 ft. in length. I wish I knew more about the native designs and how they are interpreted. Again, great post. - Jim
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1364
6/26/2012
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Absolutely love the night shot.
Wild you got the shooting star in there.
Coyote shot is creepy. Looks like a gremlin or a chubacabra
thanks for posting that and keeping the forum alive during the hot summer months.
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https://www.anzaborrego.net/
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ziphius Posts: 911
6/26/2012
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surfponto wrote:
Coyote shot is creepy. Looks like a gremlin or a chubacabra
thanks for posting that and keeping the forum alive during the hot summer months.
Anyone ever seen a chupacabra in ABDSP? Makes sense that their northern range would poke into our southern deserts... 
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/26/2012
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ziphius wrote:
surfponto wrote:
Coyote shot is creepy. Looks like a gremlin or a chubacabra
thanks for posting that and keeping the forum alive during the hot summer months.
Anyone ever seen a chupacabra in ABDSP? Makes sense that their northern range would poke into our southern deserts...
Doesn't that "x-ray man" pictograph in the In-Ko-Pah Mts Daren posted a pic of look a lot like your Chupacabra image?? You may be on to something! Tom
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/26/2012
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ziphius wrote:
Great TR and photos, I felt like I was on the trip with you. Hey, without a sense of scale, it is difficult to tell how large the coyote is. When I first saw the photo, my brain immediately said "kit fox". But that isn't based on anything solid. You took such a good photo of the teeth, that it inspired me to research any potential differences between coyote and kit fox 'dentition'. I haven't found anything yet...
Daren's teaser photo of the pictographs shows a double-helix design that I also saw in Utah along the Escalante River, except the double-helix was about 25 ft. in length. I wish I knew more about the native designs and how they are interpreted. Again, great post. - Jim
Thanks! My repetoire of small furry things with fangs only contains a baby coyote. Was clearly not adult size. You got me on whether this could be a kit fox.
I'm interested in your Escalante comment since I'm heading to southern Utah for a week or two late next month. Was going to do the Grand Tour through Zion, Bryce, Canyonland and Arches. Are there some rock art sites I shouldn't miss? Was going to try and see the Horseshoe Canyon site for sure. Thanks for any advice. Tom
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/26/2012
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surfponto wrote:
Wild you got the shooting star in there.
Gonna go with "aero-plane" on that one...
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/26/2012
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tommy750 wrote:
The power lines were converted to BW with a high contrast red filter just to give it a more omninous look
Would love to know how to do that, any pointers??
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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X EAGLE 23 X Posts: 16
6/26/2012
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tommy750 wrote:
Apparently water drains off these luxurious patios (visible from outer space) and fill nearby cisterns. Little animals then have extra water. Daren, do these things really work?? Seems a little overkill to me. Tried to find "Post 376" but only located a Troop 376 in nearby Milwaukie, Oregon. Was going to lift the metal plate off the cistern and check out the water level but the heat kinda sapped my curiosity.
I did some work for BLM a few years back and they had me looking for those guzzlers all over Imperial county from the base of the Jacumba mountains, to the Chocolate mountains. I came across one in the Yuha Desert during May one year and it was quite full of water (along with a ton of sand at the bottom of the cistern) and had a lot of tracks around it. So the ones that are still in existence (some have been destroyed over the years) do work and are used by the wildlife.
That's an awesome pic of the power line! How'd you do it?
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/26/2012
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X EAGLE 23 X wrote:
tommy750 wrote:
Apparently water drains off these luxurious patios (visible from outer space) and fill nearby cisterns. Little animals then have extra water. Daren, do these things really work?? Seems a little overkill to me. Tried to find "Post 376" but only located a Troop 376 in nearby Milwaukie, Oregon. Was going to lift the metal plate off the cistern and check out the water level but the heat kinda sapped my curiosity.
I did some work for BLM a few years back and they had me looking for those guzzlers all over Imperial county from the base of the Jacumba mountains, to the Chocolate mountains. I came across one in the Yuha Desert during May one year and it was quite full of water (along with a ton of sand at the bottom of the cistern) and had a lot of tracks around it. So the ones that are still in existence (some have been destroyed over the years) do work and are used by the wildlife.
That's an awesome pic of the power line! How'd you do it?
I have seen water and lots of tracks at the guzzler at Sacatone Overlook.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/26/2012
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X EAGLE 23 X wrote:
tommy750 wrote:
Apparently water drains off these luxurious patios (visible from outer space) and fill nearby cisterns. Little animals then have extra water. Daren, do these things really work?? Seems a little overkill to me. Tried to find "Post 376" but only located a Troop 376 in nearby Milwaukie, Oregon. Was going to lift the metal plate off the cistern and check out the water level but the heat kinda sapped my curiosity.
I did some work for BLM a few years back and they had me looking for those guzzlers all over Imperial county from the base of the Jacumba mountains, to the Chocolate mountains. I came across one in the Yuha Desert during May one year and it was quite full of water (along with a ton of sand at the bottom of the cistern) and had a lot of tracks around it. So the ones that are still in existence (some have been destroyed over the years) do work and are used by the wildlife.
That's an awesome pic of the power line! How'd you do it?
I forgot to ask X EAGLE, do you know why the metal bars are bent up or broken out on some of them?
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/26/2012
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dsefcik wrote:
surfponto wrote:
Wild you got the shooting star in there.
Gonna go with "aero-plane" on that one...
Yup. There were westbound shooting stars about every three minutes for the entire time we were hangin out there.
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/26/2012
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tommy750 wrote:
Saw a few of the white markers in between Squaw and the summit. Do you know if they marked some boundary?
I don't know what they marked but they seemed to mark corner'ish boundaries, probably for the quarry? I found at least four but if I remember it was more like 5 or 6...hummm, I see another trip forming...amazing how red the rock and soil is there.
Me and "Bones" my dog heading down into the quarry
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/26/2012
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X EAGLE 23 X wrote:
tommy750 wrote:
That's an awesome pic of the power line! How'd you do it?
I always shoot in RAW format and photoshop anything that seems worth sharing. Here's a pic of the same tower at a different angle.
Sunrise Power3 by tomteske, on Flickr
For this one, I converted it to B/W in photoshop. They offer you several filter options and when there's a nice blue sky, I like to use the red high contrast filter since it makes the sky dark. Looks nice if the object of interest is light and bright.
Sunrise Power2 by tomteske, on Flickr
Here's one more with the same technique in the East Fork of Carrizo Canyon:
Megans Carrizo Ridge by tomteske, on Flickr
Oh, and my avatar is done the same way, a marble statue in the Vatican Library Garden in the rain.
<em>edited by tommy750 on 6/26/2012</em>
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/26/2012
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dsefcik wrote:
tommy750 wrote:
Saw a few of the white markers in between Squaw and the summit. Do you know if they marked some boundary?
I don't know what they marked but they seemed to mark corner'ish boundaries, probably for the quarry? I found at least four but if I remember it was more like 5 or 6...hummm, I see another trip forming...amazing how red the rock and soil is there.
Me and "Bones" my dog heading down into the quarry
Nice. How do you keep the cactus off Bone's paws? Last time I was out with my friend and her dog, we spent half the time pulling cholla barbs out of its paws. I see one of the jeep trails heads way NW and ends up overlooking Carrizo Gorge. Is that open? Looks like it would have a great view and maybe a nice jump off spot for gorge hiking.
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X EAGLE 23 X Posts: 16
6/26/2012
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dsefcik wrote:
I forgot to ask X EAGLE, do you know why the metal bars are bent up or broken out on some of them?
You mean the metal bars at the opening of the cistern? Probably just damage and due to neglect; I once found one in the Chocolate Mts. that literally had nothing left but a metal bar sticking out of the ground (Flash flood must have destroyed the rest). The guy I was working under said most were built 30-40 years ago, then forgotten about and he was having me find and mark their GPS coordinates so they could then go out and repair them but unfortunately he transferred to NorCal so I doubt that will happen.
That's really neat Tommy! It really gives the pictures a different feel and brings out some of the details in them
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/27/2012
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tommy750 wrote:
Nice. How do you keep the cactus off Bone's paws? Last time I was out with my friend and her dog, we spent half the time pulling cholla barbs out of its paws. I see one of the jeep trails heads way NW and ends up overlooking Carrizo Gorge. Is that open? Looks like it would have a great view and maybe a nice jump off spot for gorge hiking.
Yeah, I don't take Bones much to the desert, he gets cholla in his paws all the time, usually only take him when I know it will be cool and we will be on roads and not off trail. The road does go where you see it but once you hit ABDSP boundaries you must hike, no motor vehicles allowed beyond that. I describe a hike I did there on my website
The Lindsay book is a great resource for that area. http://www.amazon.com/Anza-Borrego-Desert-Region-Adjacent-Colorado/dp/0899974007/ref=as_li_wdgt_ex?&linkCode=wey&tag=daresefc-20
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/27/2012
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dsefcik wrote:
tommy750 wrote:
Nice. How do you keep the cactus off Bone's paws? Last time I was out with my friend and her dog, we spent half the time pulling cholla barbs out of its paws. I see one of the jeep trails heads way NW and ends up overlooking Carrizo Gorge. Is that open? Looks like it would have a great view and maybe a nice jump off spot for gorge hiking.
Yeah, I don't take Bones much to the desert, he gets cholla in his paws all the time, usually only take him when I know it will be cool and we will be on roads and not off trail. The road does go where you see it but once you hit ABDSP boundaries you must hike, no motor vehicles allowed beyond that. I describe a hike I did there on my website
The Lindsay book is a great resource for that area. http://www.amazon.com/Anza-Borrego-Desert-Region-Adjacent-Colorado/dp/0899974007/ref=as_li_wdgt_ex?&linkCode=wey&tag=daresefc-20
I have that book! Will check out what it says. Thanks. Tom
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1364
6/27/2012
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They also have her book in a Kindle edition
Kindle Edition - Anza-Borrego Desert Region
dsefcik wrote:
tommy750 wrote:
Nice. How do you keep the cactus off Bone's paws? Last time I was out with my friend and her dog, we spent half the time pulling cholla barbs out of its paws. I see one of the jeep trails heads way NW and ends up overlooking Carrizo Gorge. Is that open? Looks like it would have a great view and maybe a nice jump off spot for gorge hiking.
Yeah, I don't take Bones much to the desert, he gets cholla in his paws all the time, usually only take him when I know it will be cool and we will be on roads and not off trail. The road does go where you see it but once you hit ABDSP boundaries you must hike, no motor vehicles allowed beyond that. I describe a hike I did there on my website
The Lindsay book is a great resource for that area. http://www.amazon.com/Anza-Borrego-Desert-Region-Adjacent-Colorado/dp/0899974007/ref=as_li_wdgt_ex?&linkCode=wey&tag=daresefc-20
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https://www.anzaborrego.net/
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rockhopper Posts: 668
6/28/2012
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Nice photos! I need to check out that area some time instead of wizzing by on the 8.
tommy750 wrote:
dsefcik wrote:
Awesome post...I love those night photos, I want to learn how to do those. The powerline photo I am guessing you painted with a flashlight or something? I can only guess the guzzlers work, BLM has those things everywhere. Like I said before, I have found 7 or so just in the Table Mtn area, there is actually one right at the bottom of Tule Mtn next to Sacatone Overlook also. ABDSP has them also but they are of a different design. Last time I went to Squaw Tit there were no BP there, that mobile vehicle is recent, last couple of years or so.
That battery was maybe used to blow up stuff in the quarry? Did you find all of the white post markers? Doesn't look like you crossed down into the quarry so I am guessing not.
You should continue to explore that area, there are a lot of really neat things to see the deeper you go north/west.
Saw a few of the white markers in between Squaw and the summit. Do you know if they marked some boundary? Yeah, want to go back and visit the entire NW portion. That's a really neat pictograph photo. Need to find that! The power lines were converted to BW with a high contrast red filter just to give it a more omninous look
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ziphius Posts: 911
6/29/2012
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tommy750 wrote:
I'm interested in your Escalante comment since I'm heading to southern Utah for a week or two late next month. Was going to do the Grand Tour through Zion, Bryce, Canyonland and Arches. Are there some rock art sites I shouldn't miss? Was going to try and see the Horseshoe Canyon site for sure. Thanks for any advice. Tom
Tom, I don't know much about that area, other than there is an impressive cliff dwelling with pictographs along the Escalante River, just east of Escalante Natural Bridge. If I hadn't been looking for birds at the time, I would have probably walked right by the ruins, which are up quite high. Once you see one set of ruins, it kind of turns on your brain to the types of ledges that you should be looking for. Suddenly, you are finding stuff everywhere... Stop by Escalante Outfitters in town when you pass through Escalante (eat their pizza too). They have a very good selection of books in there, in addition to local knowledge of where to look for pictographs, ruins, etc. The folks who work there are hikers themselves when they are not running the store...so they are a wealth of knowledge. If you want a great 2-3 day backpack, do the Boulder Mail Trail into Death Hollow. The best desert walking I've done yet. - Jim
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
6/29/2012
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ziphius wrote:
tommy750 wrote:
I'm interested in your Escalante comment since I'm heading to southern Utah for a week or two late next month. Was going to do the Grand Tour through Zion, Bryce, Canyonland and Arches. Are there some rock art sites I shouldn't miss? Was going to try and see the Horseshoe Canyon site for sure. Thanks for any advice. Tom
Tom, I don't know much about that area, other than there is an impressive cliff dwelling with pictographs along the Escalante River, just east of Escalante Natural Bridge. If I hadn't been looking for birds at the time, I would have probably walked right by the ruins, which are up quite high. Once you see one set of ruins, it kind of turns on your brain to the types of ledges that you should be looking for. Suddenly, you are finding stuff everywhere... Stop by Escalante Outfitters in town when you pass through Escalante (eat their pizza too). They have a very good selection of books in there, in addition to local knowledge of where to look for pictographs, ruins, etc. The folks who work there are hikers themselves when they are not running the store...so they are a wealth of knowledge. If you want a great 2-3 day backpack, do the Boulder Mail Trail into Death Hollow. The best desert walking I've done yet. - Jim
Thanks for the info. Will stop by Escalante Outfitters on my way through. Just ordered some books on amazon as well. Tom
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