anutami

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9/29/2013 Topic: Upper Fish Creek anutami	Upper Fish Creek tight spot. Upper Fish Creek Squeeze by tomteske, on Flickr Last year I camped right at that spot and helped with some road work, Love that area! Has to be one of my favorites. It wasn't too washed out from all the rain? How were the temps?
10/8/2013 Topic: Let the season begin anutami	Nice!! Any water in oriflamme?
10/10/2013 Topic: Blair Valley & Cool Canyon anutami	Nice post! can't wait to see some butterflies hopefully this weekend as we are finally headed out! Thanks for the pic of pinyon mtn road, it lookes like there has been some erosion and the protruding boulder is protruding even more! It helps having a spotter to make it over. I made it in 2011 with my f350 crew cab long bed with a camper no problems. I would guess fox or Coyote for your tack photos, It is hard to tell but they look to have claw marks on the front pads.
10/13/2013 Topic: June Wash, Indian Gorge and Blair Valley anutami	Finally the weather has turned and it was time to head out for the first trip of the season! I have been eyeballing new cab over campers to get a bit more room for 2 quickly growing kids and pulled the trigger on a Wolf Creek 850. This thing is sweet! Took the maiden voyage up June Wash to test out its off road capabilities. She performed great!I can't believe how green it is out there! Even the Smoke Trees are deciding to Bloom! Amazing Blooms Found this guy The Mighty Ocotillo saying hello to the new Wolf Creek 850, June Wash has lots of soft sand and some pretty spectacular Flash Flood evidence. Decided to try and tackle Indian Gorge Next, the start of the trail did not look so good as it seemed somebody did not make it so far. All the way up to Torote Canyon there is major soft sand and 4WD is a MUST! I put it in 4WD and plowed my way through all the new growth of smoke trees, officialy getting my first scratches on the Wolf Creek Great first night, we hiked around and enjoyed complete peace and quiet after all the crowded campgrounds we have been at all summer. It reminds me a the Desert Magazine article...."Theres a tinge of autumn in the air this morning...Out here in the Desert we look forward to the coming of fall weather in the same way folks living in zones of snow and ice looke forward to spring. It is the season when doors and windows may be left open-when outdoor living and recreation are compensation for the months of indoor confinement." there is something soothing climbing granite boulders bare foot Nice Yoni we discovered, I haven't explained to the kids what this actually is yet. Fish hook cactus fruit. It feels like spring out there! Indian gorge road is pretty brutal is some parts, It was warming up a bit so we decided to head out for a soak at aqua caliente we found the park CLOSED and the store was just openning up. Apparantly the flash floods in August swept right through the store and covered it with about 6" of silt. The silt was all over everything! I guess the flash floods also went in the pools at the park. The road was closed right at the store and could not drive up to the park to check it out! We made our way to Blair Valley to check out the green lush valley There is tons of life out there! it was so Serene and Blair Valley is full of life! It was a great first trip in our new Camper! I will be busy with many modifications!!
10/14/2013 Topic: June Wash, Indian Gorge and Blair Valley anutami	The wolf creek is a basement model truck camper so the holding tanks are about twice as big vs the eagle cap (black tank is 20 gallons vs 9 gallons in the EC plus on the EC the shower water drained into the black tank) With a basement model however the camper is about 6" taller. The WF is only about 100lbs heavier than the EC! The sleeping situation is much better than the EC. Both kids in the WC have their own sleeping space because the WF has a fold down bunk bed. Brett was sleeping in the cabover bed and really needed his own space. The fridge is a 5c.f. Vs a 3 c.f and the cabover bed area is a bit taller so you can sit up in the bed and read easier. Also the dinette area is larger/longer. At some point I will try and post a review.
10/14/2013 Topic: June Wash, Indian Gorge and Blair Valley anutami	dsefcik wrote: Love it..so jealous of everyone getting out there now, I have just not been able to. Looks like you got up the south fork of Indian Gorge and climbed a good distance to find the yoni, I know that spot well... You didn't happen to spot a stuck Prius in June Wash did you? Soft sand seems to be everywhere right now, Blair Valley, Indian Gorge, June Wash, etc...be warned all you 2WD owners! Thanks for the post and TR Nolan! No prius but plenty of "dig out spaces" from obvious vehicles who didn't make it that far
10/15/2013 Topic: Indian Hill Trip 10/5/2013 anutami	Awesome! What route did you take in and how was the road? Is it washed out/need 4wd?
10/28/2013 Topic: Pinyon Wash / Split Rock / Harper Flat anutami	dsefcik wrote: hikerdmb wrote: Big hike planned? Are you doing the route from over off split mountain road? General plan of attack is Blair/Whale/Split Rock/Dave McCain/Vallecito Mtns/Starfish/Alma Wash/Elephant Tree trail head. we may be headed out around the area (if your are going this weekend) so if you need a re-supply or some cold beer at some point let me know
10/29/2013 Topic: Toro Peak anutami	Here is a pic from the web cam
10/29/2013 Topic: Toro Peak anutami	dsefcik wrote: Who's bottle is that??? I have some pics from down below from yesterday, hopefully I will have them back tonight from the lab but yeah, Toro was covered in clouds yesterday. I think that is a tower but looks like s bottle.
10/29/2013 Topic: Pinyon Wash / Split Rock / Harper Flat anutami	dsefcik wrote: Going out net weekend, the 2'nd/3'rd. Went out to Rattlesnake and Badlands the last couple of days. We are headed out also... Still debating Nolina Wash and hike to Harper Flat or Dave Mccain Spring and hike to unnamed valley (above harper flat to the east) edited by anutami on 10/29/2013
11/4/2013 Topic: Pinyon Wash to Split Mountain anutami	dsefcik wrote: Nolan, we were expecting to see a camper at Split Rock with cold beer when came down the mountain ridge!! Sorry to let you guys down, I had plenty of cold beer ready to go! I almost headed up that way but turned up Pinyon Wash instead. You must have been thirsty! It was very warm on Saturday!
11/4/2013 Topic: Harper Flat via Pinyon Wash anutami	Headed out for another amazing ABDSP trip up Pinyon Wash and Harper Flat. Harper flat offers so much and it would be a great trip to hike all around the rim of the edge of the Flat checking out all the Indian sites. We planned on doing a backpack trip, but I think we are becomming spoiled with the camper. Also, had the great pleasure of meeting Bob. Bob, you must have been bummed to drive all the way up Pinyon wash to see the best campsite taken...Sorry First time I had to put the rig in 4wd before even entering the wash! while driving up the wash/maze The kids asked me where is the road and I replied "That is what I am trying to tell you It has been totally blown away kids." this guy greeted us on our way in we ended up coming across 6 Tarantulas campsite at the end of the road One of the main reasons I upgraded to a new camper is the above storage by day.... and bunk by night I even customed a rope ladder so Brett can climb up Hiked up to Harper flat, and tarantulas were everywhere! Is it spring out there? Old school pepsi can Nice view from the southwest corner of harper flat looking Northeast Harper Flat Morteros Toro Peak and borrego valley...I had full cell service here Not sure what this is nice weekend out with the kids
11/4/2013 Topic: Pinyon Wash to Split Mountain anutami	Bob, it was nice to meet you. Crazy how vast abdsp is and we ended up camping in the same wash! Hope you didn't follow my tracks on the way out of pinyon wash as I got lost a few times and had to bulldoze a few catclaw bushes!
11/5/2013 Topic: Harper Flat via Pinyon Wash anutami	dsefcik wrote: surfponto wrote: I seem to recall a sign that used to mark the split off with Nolina Wash. Pretty sure that was washed away. It was there two weeks ago, just hidden by a smoke tree and was bent over about half way. Our original plan was to head up Nolina Wash but couldn't find it :0
11/6/2013 Topic: Little Blair to Alma Wash Backpack Trip anutami	awesome trip! I thought they didn't make film anymore :0 I have been eyeballing that unamed drainage hike up from hapaha flat for awhile. How tough is the boulder scrambling up the drainage? Do you think my kids could make it up? How much did you explore the small flat on top of the drainage? Looks very interested from the sky and maps.
11/8/2013 Topic: Little Blair to Alma Wash Backpack Trip anutami	dsefcik wrote: dsefcik wrote: Nolan (anutami) wrote: awesome trip! I thought they didn't make film anymore :0 I have been eyeballing that unamed drainage hike up from hapaha flat for awhile. How tough is the boulder scrambling up the drainage? Do you think my kids could make it up? How much did you explore the small flat on top of the drainage? Looks very interested from the sky and maps. It was pretty big boulders requiring both hands and feet, your kids may have some trouble in certain areas but you may be able to find different routes around, we just went straight up. Film is alive! Nolan, here is a pic of my son and I (from Craig) showing the boulders going up, some were quite large. Thanks much appreciated I think that is doable for the kids, but need to keep them close as the real danger appears to be a resident mountain lion.
11/20/2013 Topic: South Carrizo Creek to the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves anutami	Hello and welcome
12/3/2013 Topic: Sunset Mountain / Pinyon Wash / Harper Flat anutami	Awesome trip! did you complete the entire loop around Harper flat? I have yet to be called a tree hugger, but look forward to the day
12/3/2013 Topic: Mese Verde National Park anutami	we just completed an awe inspiring 3 week trip through southern utah and colorado. The highlight of our trip was mesa verde national park and the museum they have there. If you are interested in any way to the Native Americans through Anza borrego desert Mesa Verde is like New York City of the day and a must visit. One of the main reasons for this post was the minerals they had in the museum the Indians used for rock art and corrugated pottery! the tools were really cool too! It was super nice visiting in the off season because there was no body there! Some other cool sites along the way included...... Zion National park Bryce Canyon a two day hold out in escalante, ut watching the snow fall for 48 straight hours! Capitol Reef National park Canyonlands National Park
12/5/2013 Topic: Mese Verde National Park anutami	Temps were in the low 20's. Not too bad. The heater was cranking through the night and drained the batteries pretty good. I need to get a catalytic heater so it does not impact my battery situation. During the snow storm I couldn't believe my solar panel was charging, although I had to stay on the roof with a broom keeping the panel free from snow. Escalante' Ut was totally shut down! We checked in to the Prospectors Inn and there was not one restaurant open. The entire town lost power for almost 24 straight hours I kept eyeballing the outfitters for some pizza and beer but they never opened It was a wild experience. There was a group of hikers that had to be rescued and ended up staying the night in the hotel. The truck handled great in the snow. With the weight of the camper and new tires I never put it in 4x4.
12/13/2013 Topic: Current trips/ Trips Underway / anutami	Need to add a new topic for "trips underway" for posts while on the trail
12/16/2013 Topic: Found Camper Part in Sheep Canyon anutami	No, but did you come across an actual camper out there? I seemed to have lost mine!!!!!!!! edited by anutami on 12/16/2013
12/16/2013 Topic: Found Camper Part in Sheep Canyon anutami	I am pretty sure it was a mixture of the rutted out road and a sudden burst of wind. I didn't even know the camper came off until my daughter told me. I am headed out there today to take care of it! I am pretty sure my truck is totaled too. Luckily we are all okay!!! And everything is insured...
12/16/2013 Topic: Found Camper Part in Sheep Canyon anutami	Yeah our new camper! Still pretty shaken up, this weekend we spent up fishcreek and had one of the best trips yet. Got it out today thanks to Dickerson Towing! Looks like everything will be taken care of by insurance, I added the camper to the policy about 3 weeks ago. The weak point on the camper.
12/19/2013 Topic: Found Camper Part in Sheep Canyon anutami	rockhopper wrote: I'm still trying to see where the camper was bolted to the bed? Am I missing something? The camper bolts to the black hardware coming off the bed of the truck. You use turnbuckles to attach the camper to the truck. In the picture you can see the turnbuckle still attached to the anchor point on the truck camper. This anchor was sliced in with a small piece of plywood and that is what ripped off. This is thr front of the camper right where the fridge sits which is the heaviest part of the camper and would need to have the most strength. I contacted another owner of the same camper I have and his anchor points were not spliced in! It looks like I got a lemon. I also contacted the manufacturer and they said it was my tie downs that were faulty. I find that very hard to believe as I used the same tie down system on my last camper and had zero issues.
12/19/2013 Topic: The Mud Palisades & Anicent Forest of Fish Creek anutami	Before this.......... We took one of the Best trips ever through Fish Creek and Olla Wash. It is such a bummer our trip had to end with the camper rolling off the truck. Kids pretty much ran the entire section of fish creek starting from split mountain to the anticline. a stop at the anticline is always a must. We headed up the south fork of fish creek in search for the mysterious Petrified forests of Fish Creek Up a few washes... and down a few dry falls and there it was, a 100 million year old forest of the ancestral Colorado river! the lone huge chunks we picked up to feel the heavy weight! and were careful not to mess up the small guys Simply amazing to step back in time and ponder what it was like! It is crazy that every time we go out we find some kind of evidence of the people who once called this place home a miracle in the desert! we then headed up to Olla Wash to Visit the Mud Palisades the walls close in pretty tight! Here is the last picture of the rig....before it rolled off
12/21/2013 Topic: The Mud Palisades & Anicent Forest of Fish Creek anutami	Thanks all for the support, still pretty bummed out. The larger pieces of wood were a good 10-15lbs! I have to say Fish Creek is officially my favorite area in ABDSP. Also, ran into ranger Steve again and he remembered pulling me out near Elephant Knees last year. I ended up camping more than 1 car length from the road due to many 4wd people exceeding 30-40mph up the wash and he let me know about it. He is a great guy and is so great with the kids as well.
12/24/2013 Topic: A priceless desert find by a kid anutami	This is an interesting piece because of the 2 holes in the rim Those holes look similar to the olla I found about 11 years ago that was completly intact except for the holes it had like those. The olla had a crack in it and along the crack where those holes. They appeared to have been repair holes where they attached twine through the holes to prevent the olla from completly shattering.
12/26/2013 Topic: The Mud Palisades & Anicent Forest of Fish Creek anutami	dsefcik wrote: I was thinking of heading out that way this weekend, I am guessing the road is in good shape for a big 'ole truck like mine? I don't have a camper on mine though..8-) Yeah, the road is in great shape. The hardest part is just passed the campground. A small section of protruding boulders. If my camper hadn't fallen off I would be going out as well.
12/29/2013 Topic: Staying at and hiking from Fish Creek Campground anutami	lessthanjoey wrote: Hi there, We just moved to San Diego from Northern California a few months ago and are finally getting around to taking a short camping trip out in Anza-Borrego. The Fish Creek area looks spectacular, but would it work with a 2WD vehicle (&amp;quotnormal clearance&amp;quot station wagon) to get to the campground there + hiking directly from the campground or is it not worth it without 4WD? If it's not a good option, where else would you recommend this time of year? We'd prefer small crowds and seclusion but obviously also like to see the beautiful landscape. Thanks! Joe Hello and welcome! I drove up to the campground a couple weeks ago and did not need 4wd. You really only need 4wd right now passed the campground. It can get pretty busy out there on the weekend, so I would recommend going during the week if you can. You will have the place to yourself. Another great place if you only have 2wd is blair valley. Very peaceful, beautiful star gazing and lots of hiking opportunities. edited by anutami on 12/29/2013 edited by anutami on 12/29/2013
12/30/2013 Topic: Lost & Found Memory Card anutami	dsefcik wrote: Found a memory card out hiking in Fish Creek this weekend......anybody (with two cute kids) want to claim it?? edited by dsefcik on 12/30/2013 I have 2 cute kids and was up fish creek recently but don't recall losing a memory card...
1/5/2014 Topic: Calcite Mine anutami	nice! Have you ever checked out the wash to the north? There is a pretty nice mine you can walk into with some nice calcite veins
1/6/2014 Topic: Calcite Mine anutami	Yes, about where the purple marker is. The tricky part is finding a safe way down but it can be done.
1/6/2014 Topic: Found Camper Part in Sheep Canyon anutami	Just wanted to give a quick update on my truck settlement... So my insurance gave me a choice on a 12k settlement and give up my truck or a 10k settlement and I can keep the truck. I chose to keep the truck and get it fixed as the truck bed was really all that needed to be fixed. My truck has the legendary 7.3L diesel that everyone talks about so I could not give it up. Just got the truck bed fixed Taking the bed off New 2014 bed fits my 2001!! Only cost $1800 for a new bed and bumper although my truck now has a salvage title Still waiting on the settlement for my camper edited by anutami on 1/6/2014 edited by anutami on 1/6/2014
1/9/2014 Topic: Found Camper Part in Sheep Canyon anutami	Andy wrote: Wow, I cant believe that so little has changed on those in 13 years. Glad to hear that things are slowly working out. Just curious, was the camper and truck treated as two separate claims/settlements? Yeah it is crazy Ford has kept the same basic design and the same oxford white color. The color match is identical! I also upgraded to the new bumper. There is something to be said about buying a white vehicle. The place where I bought the truck bed had about 20 white Ford truck beds and that was it. No other color. It is 1 claim but 2 different settlements. Luckily I chose a $100 deductible for comprehensive coverage which the claim is coded under. So for both settlements It only cost me $100 (plus paying insurance every year for the last 22 years at about $100 a month for a total of $26,400). Also, it is nice to know my insurance will not go up because I was not at fault in the accident. California law allows your insurance to raise your insurance ONLY if you are at fault in the accident. The camper value came in at $20,500 and I accepted it. I contacted the manufacturer, northwood manufacturing, and since I really like their camper design (except for the tie down anchors) they are looking to help me get into another one.
1/10/2014 Topic: Found Camper Part in Sheep Canyon anutami	Borregolinda wrote: Will your insurance company still give you full coverage with it salvaged? We looked at selvedge vehicles a couple of years ago but our insurance company wouldn't give us anything but liability. Yes, wawanesa is one of the few companies to offer full coverage. They diminsh the value by 30% should it be totalled again though.
1/20/2014 Topic: Mine Wash Trail Cam anutami	Nice trail cam. I'll bet if you would have put a huge bowl of water out you would have doubled your animal shots. How dry is out there right now?
1/21/2014 Topic: Illegal camping anutami	Wow! Never had anything like that happen before. I think you totally did the right thing. Ranger Steve frequents the area and would have told him to move anyway. I can't fathom someone having the nerve to knock on your camper door and tell you to move your leveled camper at 8pm when there are thousands of other stellar campsites all over the place! Olla wash is one of the least visited areas of the park and people camp out there to get away from rude and thoughtless people like that. Congrats on holding your ground and hope it didn't ruin your trip or put a sour taste in your mouth on such a spectacular area in the park. That drive into olla wash is my favorite areas of the park!!!!!
1/24/2014 Topic: Illegal camping anutami	hikerdmb wrote: Once we were backpacking in Organ Pipe and a couple started setting up really close. My buddy started making loud moaning and groaning sounds and the people moved on out of sight and out of sound range too. LOL! I am going to use that tactic if it ever happens to me.
1/29/2014 Topic: Egg Mountain: Island in the sky Paradise anutami	I have had the Truck Camper blues for awhile now. I got both settlements for the truck and camper squared away. My truck is fixed but I am without a camper. I talked to the Factory that made my camper and they said they would to get me into another one at a discount price and will reinforce the anchor bolts on the new one. They are going to build it custom for me. I will be picking it up probably in March/ April all the way in Oregon. In the meantime I can't just sit and wait around so I decided to pick up a used travel trailer on craigslist. We headed out to Egg Mountain as I have always wanted to camp out on the the top. Wow! what an amazing place! If you have never camped out at the top THIS IS A MUST DO! I would also recommend this as a first timers campsite if you have never been to Anza Borrego Desert State Park. You will be hooked after camping here.The lighting is amazing, the views are 360 degrees in all directions! There is so much to do in the surrounding area it makes the perfect base camp. Especially if you have an RV or Car camping with lots of gear. There are two really nice campsites on the top although they are right next to eachother and you do not need 4wd to get there. Top of egg mountain is nice and flat, With I would say one of the best campsites (for car campers and Rv's) in all of Anza Borrego Desert State Park! (if there is no wind) View Looking into Carrizo Gorge/Creek View Looking East towards Fish Creek View looking North towards Whale Peak/Indian Gorge entrance View Looking West towards sombrero Peak and bow willow campground morning sunrise Did some exploring East Through Canyon Sin Nombre and south carrizo creek rd. Brenna had never been up the awesome slot canyon of Canyon sin nombre and Rusty got in on some of the action as well Found a nice Metate It was a quick trip, but great to get back out since the accident. edited by anutami on 1/29/2014
1/30/2014 Topic: Egg Mountain: Island in the sky Paradise anutami	Florian Boyd wrote: I like the view and get good cellphone reception too. -Florian What cell service do you have? I have att and did not get any service on the top.
2/9/2014 Topic: West Mesa anutami	tommy750 wrote: EC085 is the way! few areas of deep silt. Wouldn't recommend 2WD unless you're really talented or have a 4X4 right behind you Thanks for the TR! When we were out there over New Years people were shooting towards the mountains and made it impossible to hike around. Someone even brought a. 50 cal. and was blasting away! Its seems to be a very popular place to shoot out there. What is your strategy for the deep silt areas? Do you take them straight on or try and detour around? I would not even attempt in 2wd, it felt scetchy to me in 4WD plus I lost my camper out their so I have a lot of respect for that road!!!! Have you talked to any Border Patrol about how often the drug runners use that road? It seems that would be a very popular route.
2/10/2014 Topic: West Mesa anutami	rockhopper wrote: Found this in a book ("Our historical desert" Lindsay) describing the mining in the area maybe? edit to make picture post edited by rockhopper on 2/9/2014 Wow! I did the math and if that were today $4000 worth of gold in 1900 is approx. 190 ounces of gold today or $241,965. Not bad for a few months of work each year! Maybe I should start a prospecting career
2/11/2014 Topic: West Mesa anutami	Speaking of the stage station, I tried to head out there but the Road was closed. There were many tracks ignoring the closure. I decided to turn around but was very tempted to continue on. Is this because of the wind farm? As soon as I saw the police line I didn't want to get in trouble.
2/11/2014 Topic: Night timelapse from the last few weeks anutami	Very, very, very cool. Thanks so much for sharing! I thought I was watching the national geographic channel
2/11/2014 Topic: Subject: Presidents Weekend anutami	Veke wrote: How full does the park get during President's Weekend. I've been visiting Death Valley for 26 years and I think it's time to change it up and expand my knowledge of this great desert. Unfortunately DV becomes a zoo during this holiday and it discourages me from wanting to visit there so I was wondering what the impact is on AB. I have two boys 8 & 5 and would love to visit here. Any advice would be encouraged and very well appreciated. Cos It depends on what kind of vehicle you have and if you are planning on car camping or backpacking. I assume if you visit Death Valley frequently you have a high clearance 4WD vehicle. If that is the case you can get to many, many places where you will not see anybody all weekend if you like. A really cool trip would be to drive around the calcite mine area and camp. There is some amazing slot canyons to hike, great for kids. here is my trip report http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic261-coachwhip-canyon-and-palm-wash.aspx Another amazing area is fish creek and a hike to Elephant knees (perfect hike for your boys). This spot can get somewhat busy but only on the road and most are jeepers driving into sandstone canyon. If you want to camp in the area Olla Wash is great and secluded. Here is the elephant knees trip report http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic512-elephant-knees.aspx and olla wash camping and hiking http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic694-the-mud-palisades--anicent-forest-of-fish-creek.aspx You could also go to the southern end of the park and see very, very few people. If your boys are into railroads there are some amazing tunnels and Indian caves to find Dos cabezas road trip and railroad tunnels http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic353-end-of-dos-cabezas-road.aspx Indian Hill Trip Report http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic215-mortero-wash-indian-hill-dolmite-mine-jojob.aspx Mortero Palms area is great too! http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic232-mortero-palms.aspx The problem with ABDSP is it is so Huge trying to figure out where you are going to explore is the biggest challenge I have never had to worry about any crowds
2/11/2014 Topic: Salvation Mountain’s creator Leonard Knight dies at 82 anutami	I have been meaning to get out there as well! Every time I make plans to head out I end up staying and camping in ABDSP
2/11/2014 Topic: Subject: Presidents Weekend anutami	Thinking of heading out myself but haven't decided where to camp yet. Bob Dido, if you drive by egg mountain you might see me up there
2/16/2014 Topic: Happy Presidents Day Weekend!!! anutami	Pretty awesome weekend so far. A bit warm but plan B always works
2/16/2014 Topic: Happy Presidents Day Weekend!!! anutami	East of Egg Mountain, it was taken all weekend long... We found a local resident on this fine evening
2/18/2014 Topic: Blair Valley and Mud Caves with the Kids anutami	Awesome trip! Looks like you had your hands full! My kids always want Doritos for breakfast when we camp
2/18/2014 Topic: Happy Presidents Day Weekend!!! anutami	tommy750 wrote: Nice Kit Fox! See those occasionally with the high beams on but not that close. Great shot. Tom I accidentally left my trash bag out at night to find it gone through the next morning. The following night, we all saw movement and decided to set out some hot dogs to see what it was. Here is some video of the little rascal. edited by anutami on 2/18/2014
2/19/2014 Topic: Happy Presidents Day Weekend!!! anutami	Florian wrote: I'd worry about giving kit foxes salty foods like hot dogs. I don't know if could be harmful but or not. Just a thought. I do sometimes put out a water bowl at night and often find it empty in the morning. -Florian I agree. This is something I do not recommend doing. We left a bowl of water out as well.
2/27/2014 Topic: Tamarisk Grove Campground new cabins anutami	It looks like the park put in new cabins at Tamarisk campground. Here is a link to the webpage. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638 "Brand-new cabins are now available for rent at Tamarisk Grove campground, on a first-come, first-served basis. Each cabin sleeps four, and is $60 per night." Seems pretty high price for $60 per night when you could just drive up nolina wash and camp for free.
3/25/2014 Topic: 2014 SoCal Desert Rendezvous anutami	Looks like a great trip, I have been eyeballing that area, after reading the November 1940 edition of desert mag "Petrified Bacon" article this is a great read. Looks like most of your group has some pretty nice rigs, can't wait to get my rig up and running again. That guy with that xp camper looks pretty cool. http://mydesertmagazine.com/files/194011-DesertMagazine-1940-November.pdf
3/27/2014 Topic: Saving the Mojave from the solar threat anutami	I spoke with the engineer who designed the solar farm in Ramona where I live (off dye road)and he said the Desert is not the best place to put solar because the electronics in the panels get extremely hot during the summer and start to limit production. He also said the solar companies are paying $600 per acre per month to lease the land, which includes all set up and tear down for free. The farm in ramona is 43 acres so I am pretty sure the farmer is getting 25k per month! Not a bad way to make a living. I am not sure about BLM land though. If that is the case a 4,000 acre solar farm near soda mtn would give the gov't $2.4 mil per month! No wonder our backcountry lands are being sold out under our feet. Here is the link to the ramona farm http://m.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/06/ramona-solar-farm-county-supervisors/
4/1/2014 Topic: Another Journey Up Fish Creek with a Backpack trip anutami	A small Valley East of Harper Flat has been on my hit list for quite some time, If Starfish Cove/alma wash is one of the more remote washes in the park this Valley east of Harper flat has to be one of the more remote valleys. We headed up to Dave Mcain Spring on Friday the Ocotillo are in full bloom, and we had the place to ourselves. It was so nice to get away as I have been crazy busy at work! We set up camp at Dave Mcain Spring and enjoyed the tranquil setting. The weather was perfect. It was nice to get back in nature and out of an RV. (although I miss the Truck Camper pretty bad as It makes it so much easier to camp with kids) Where's Brett? We had some fun with the morteros and the edible blossoms of the Ocotillo they actually don't taste very good We had a nice fire and roasted some hot dogs and pounded some water. Saturday we headed out for the back country. The weather was pretty warm which made it slow going but nice Heading up the wash got choked with large boulders we had to scramble up and over. At the top of the wash looking west toward whale peak to our surprise the rangers have installed a water catch system with two 3,000 gallon tanks both tanks were completely full with water! The bees were taking advantage of this a small plane flew pretty low through the valley. It was cool at first, but he kept circling the valley at least 10 -15 times! I started to get nervous that someone was missing! Luckily this valley gets cell phone service, so I called my wife, but she did not know of anything happening. We continued exploring the amazing valley with many signs of Indian camps. Here is a view from the North end of the valley looking south. Pretty cool granite slab/Kitchen we found a cool Indian cave. Luckily I had cell coverage because the weather outlook called for a wind advisory. We decided to make up camp in the shelter of the cave. Just as we started making up camp the wind started to pick up a bit another section of the cave the wind blew hard all night and into the next day. Brett being only about 40 lbs and feeling 60mph gusts was a little crazy We decided to make a loop of the trip so we headed west out of the valley and to the top of this ridge. The wind felt like it was going about 100mph we reached the top We made our way down slowly interlocking arms. My main concern was the wind blowing one of the kids into the cholla some blooms Although we none of us were blown over we did all get our share of cholla bombs when we arrive back at Dave Mcain Spring we were greeted with about 15 Sheriff Vehicles! This is where my heart sank and I though someone was in serious trouble. As it turns out there was never any closure on the 16 year old kid that took his moms jeep and vanished in the area about 4 years ago. They were still following up and searching for him. The spot plane we saw the previous day was also searching the area. I left out a kids camp chair and they expressed concern after seeing a kids chair and us never returning that night. They were happy to see we were okay and that we had enough water. They were pretty amazed to see 2 kids that far out in the back country. We headed out and had to stop by the Shell beds and hunt for shark teeth. It is nice to see people not taking the cool shells and leaving them for others to find and explore. We added a few to the collection As luck would have it we also had great experience of spotting some big horn sheep with 3 ewes I raced up the wash to get a bit closer and got a nice shot All in all it was an epic trip with a little of everything! Fish Creek Wash is an amazing area and I never get tired of its hidden treasures. hope you enjoyed the trip Total Mylar Balloons: 5 edited by anutami on 4/1/2014
4/2/2014 Topic: Another Journey Up Fish Creek with a Backpack trip anutami	dsefcik wrote: Good catch Tom... Nolan, did you guys check the water level in the tanks? Yes, both tanks were full of water. Is it only 1 mile east? It felt a lot further!
4/7/2014 Topic: Campo RR anutami	dsefcik wrote: This book about the Impossible Railroad is pretty good (I think). It has very little narrative but instead has 2-3 pictures on each page telling the entire story of the railroad with photos (many never published before) and a paragraph or so with each. Highly recommended for anybody interested in knowing the history of the railroad. There is much, much more to it than just the trestle. Thanks! Just ordered it
4/14/2014 Topic: Southern AB, April 2014 anutami	Florian, The butterfield ranch resort has a store just up the road from agua caliente and I am pretty sure they sell ice too. http://www.campingfriend.com/ButterfieldRanch/?source=wildernet, sorry you had to drink warm beer,but like you said it is better than no beer!
4/21/2014 Topic: Blair Valley Meditation Retreat 4/11 - 4/20 anutami	Looks like a great relaxing trip. The woven plastic mats are the best! I wonder if this is the same campsite we had
4/27/2014 Topic: The Impossible Railroad anutami	Daren, thanks for the heads up on a great book Learned the collapsed tunnel #15 was later named the "mud shed" where the workers building the goat canyon trestle were served lunch. My visit in 2013 Lunch in 1932
5/5/2014 Topic: Sombrero Overnight Backpack anutami	Thanks for the TR. Pretty bummed the season is coming to an end. I usually try to avoid REI and find better deals online. Are there going to be wind turbines out there one day? edited by anutami on 5/5/2014
5/5/2014 Topic: Sombrero Overnight Backpack anutami	tommy750 wrote: Nolan: Yeah, definitely heating up out here; will you be sporting an A/C unit on your new camper? Tom Yes, I am actually driving up to Portland next week to pick up the camper (avoiding sales tax and delivery fees) I am going to take several weeks to work and explore the northwest. In addition to the ac unit I also ordered thermal pane windows which should help with insulation. edited by anutami on 5/5/2014
5/10/2014 Topic: IMG vs img issue anutami	I noticed when trying to copy and paste an The picture does not show up.., Just changed the upper case to lower case and the picture shows up. edited by surfponto on 5/13/2014
5/10/2014 Topic: Hike in the Grand Canyon anutami	For some reason I thought the colorado river in the grand canyon was always a muddy brown. That water looks amazing! Nice trip
5/13/2014 Topic: IMG vs img issue anutami	Lets try it, it seems to be fixed edited by surfponto on 5/13/2014
5/13/2014 Topic: IMG vs img issue anutami	Yes, it is fixed. Cool thanks!!!
5/13/2014 Topic: Easiest way to post pictures on the forum anutami	Found this really cool way to post pictures from rv.net. There should be no more excuses on not being able to post trip report pics. Simply click this link http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/201045551/Forums/PhotoUpload/RV.NET-Photo-Upload.html All you have to do is drag your photos or click select photos to upload them, then copy the address bar that appears and paste it to your trip report. Give it a try and see if it works for you Here it goes edited by anutami on 5/13/2014
6/3/2014 Topic: First Trip Report with my new rig anutami	With Desert season coming to a close thought this would be a fun read Click link below http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27746140.cfm
6/4/2014 Topic: First Trip Report with my new rig anutami	dsefcik wrote: As usual, amazing TR Nolan, you have some of the luckiest kids....I still struggle with the &quotDesert Season&quot phrase everyone uses....the desert is open for use 365 days a year and each &quotseason&quot offers different enjoyments. Try the mud caves in 118 degrees, the cool breeze slot is amazing and there are not 110 cars parked in the wash...just one, yours... You make a great point. I know where we will be heading soon
6/18/2014 Topic: Borrego Palm Canyon "Fannypack" Trip anutami	What a great trip! What were the night temps? That has to be one of the craziest frog/toad I have ever seen. How is the truck working out for you? I may be headed out over the weekend to experience another season of the desert Nolan edited by anutami on 6/18/2014
6/21/2014 Topic: Borrego Palm Canyon "Fannypack" Trip anutami	You look like a kid in a candy store
6/26/2014 Topic: Poking around near Jacumba anutami	Amazing!!! Simply amazing!!! What a great trip and thanks for sharing it is hard for me to get the kids pumped on the desert with the heat, maybe this weekend
6/26/2014 Topic: Hikes to Local native American campsites anutami	Great report! Thanks Nolan
6/30/2014 Topic: Samurai Surprise...Hit and Run anutami	Bummer, sorry to see that. If the repairs are within 70-75% of the value then your insurance will deem it a total loss. The damage estimate adds up pretty fast and I would guess they will say it is total loss. You will probably be able to buy it back for about $500 and then do all the repairs yourself. You will also have to get a brake and light inspection for about $200 and go down to the dmv a couple times to re-register it as a salvage title. I know this from experience curios but what is the insurance waiting for? Do you have collision coverage for the samurai? Nolan
7/7/2014 Topic: Bighorn Sheep Count 2014 anutami	That is great love the pdf attachment. So some folks sat for 3 days and did not record a single sheep sighting? Or was there no one at those locations?
8/2/2014 Topic: Bighorn Sheep Count 2014 anutami	dsefcik wrote: DesertWRX wrote: Kjhung... A little late replying... The rain was right on Yaqui Pass and also a lot south. Fish Creek has had a lot lately. San Felipe wash by Borrego Buttes has had water in it too. The storms are happening a lot lately, but away from Borrego Springs. Rained some in Culp Valley Monday too. Might be more tomorrow out here. Anything worth driving out to see? Big storms or flash floods? Or just some regular old rain? I am out in blair valley and just regular ole rain out here...so far The weather is very nice for some hiking edited by anutami on 8/2/2014
8/2/2014 Topic: Bighorn Sheep Count 2014 anutami	dsefcik wrote: DesertWRX wrote: It rained quite a while out here today. Nothing heavy, but enough to get the Ocotillo green I bet. I just got a weather bulletin warning about flash floods in the mountains and desert... I got a weather bulletin as well, but from Ranger Steve who was curtious enough to stop by my campsite. i have to say he is one of the best rangers I have ever met in all the parks we have been to. Nothing too crazy out here, but wow Daren you were right it is ALWAYS desert season. Thanks
8/4/2014 Topic: Mud Caves via Vallecito Creek in Summer anutami	After getting hot tip to visit the mud caves in the summer we finally headed out to check them out. I also was itching to test out the my new truck camper and see how Wolfy II would handle the 4x4 trails of Anza borrego Desert. This trip was a bit premature due to the dealer installing the wrong size Air Conditioner on my camper. They put a 13.5 BTU unit, but I ordered a 9k BTU unit. The 9k BTU unit will run off my honda 2000 watt generator no problem, but the 13.5K BTU A/C is iffy. It runs at my house in Ramona, but was not sure how it would handle desert conditions. Thinking we would be pulling in the evening it wouldn't be too extreme, we went for it. tested out the total wash board road, everything held together recent rains have a few bypasses around the washes This is usually so crowded and busy we always just drive on by and have never really explored the caves...Daren thanks for the heads up we arrived at the perfect time. It was still pretty warm temps were in the high 90's low 100's .this was going to be our campsite for the night...again nobody around we noticed a small openning near by entering the cave felt like the temperature immediatly dropped 30-40 degrees! What an amazing place it just kept going and going .a few skylights, temp got in the high 90 degrees again, what a crazy mixture of temperatures...this is awesome a bit spooky...I hope this was a dog It is crazy when you turn off your flashlight you can't even see your hand in front of your face....How does this guy do it? I guess the moths just fly right in the webs a few bats hanging out We headed out of the caves and it was probably around 9pm. I was hopeful the A/C would work. When I fired it up I was pumped to see it was working but after about 1 minute it shut down!! We tried to endure it the best we could but it was just too hot for us. I decided to drive out to blair valley and gain some elevation. I was probably in the high 80's in blair valley and humid because of the weather, and I was bummed to find out the A/C would not work there either. We woke up to the storm rolling in and raining on and off. Ranger Steve stopped by our campsite in blair to let us know that there was a flash flood watch going on. It was pretty humid out and I couldn't get my kids pumped on a hike (I don't think they went to bed until 12:30 so they were so pretty tired). I didn't want to head home so we checked out butterfield ranch and the kids wanted to swim. We checked in. I think we were the only ones there. playground is and oldie but a goodie there is also a nice hot tub the old stage coaches are cool to check out. and the resident donkey All in all in was a great trip. We really love our new camper. I would have liked to spend more time around the mud caves area, but with flash flood warnings and rain we did not head back. I am looking forward to getting my A/C issue fixed with the dealer and hopefully they will get the new one swapped out we will be heading back out the caves. It is so nice to have the place to yourself. edited by anutami on 8/4/2014 edited by anutami on 8/4/2014
8/23/2014 Topic: BorregoFest Event: October 10th - 12th, 2014 anutami	BorregoWrangler, Looks like a good time. Is the road up to Carrizo Mountain something I could get my rig up to?
8/25/2014 Topic: BorregoFest Event: October 10th - 12th, 2014 anutami	Thanks for the heads up. Is it street legal vehicles only up there or could I drive a yamaha rhino up there to scout it out?
9/2/2014 Topic: 2011 Hallmark Everest popup camper for sale anutami	You got a really nice set up! I am sure you won't have a problem selling it. Are you getting another truck camper?
9/2/2014 Topic: 2011 Hallmark Everest popup camper for sale anutami	kylekai wrote: I've given it a lot of thought, and my family has decided that a small travel trailer like the r-pod http://www.forestriverinc.com/TravelTrailers/rpodwest/default.aspx?model=rpodw&page=floorplandetails&floorplanid=5518&RVType=trailers will probably work better for us. The plan is to drive the trailer to a camping spot (like Blair Valley), drop it off, and then go out exploring with the truck. That's the plan, but plans change! Those look like cool off road trailers. They have them off the 15 freeway in Temecula I also saw quite a few of them on our trip through Oregon. Light weight and easy to tow. I bet you could get that up fish creek wash
10/20/2014 Topic: Return to Ghost Mountain anutami	Took a quick 1 night Trip to Blair Valley and decided to hike to Ghost Mountain. I also wanted to test out my new 200 Watt Solar Panel System I just installed a few weeks ago. We arrived at the trail head about 2pm and it was in the mid 80's. There was a slight breeze that made it pretty nice. It has been a few years since we visited the site last time and the Kids had a blast. The hike was a lot easier than I remember it View looking at the parking area and Blair Valley Views to the south My Clock Said 3:06 pm. Views of Blair Valley Garbage Dump Haven't had a cholla bomb in awhile We headed toward the pictograph trail head parking area and found a nice campsite for the night There is always time for boulder scrambling Views of Little Blair The Ocotillo in the area seem to take on human form After a great night we hung out for a while and headed back home, around Little Blair back to S2 It was a great trip, my solar panels kept my batteries at 100% pretty much the entire time.
10/20/2014 Topic: Return to Ghost Mountain anutami	tommy750 wrote: Nice trip, Nolan. Any pics of your solar panel setup? Did you install it yourself? Thanks. Tom Yeah, it is pretty easy to do and so much cheaper! Here are a few pics. It is nice to know we can use the vent fan, lights, heater, charge batteries and the kids can watch TV all powered by the sun. Whatever we use at night is pretty much charged up before noon Here is the solar controller
10/20/2014 Topic: Return to Ghost Mountain anutami	Jim (ziphius) wrote: Nice trip Nolan! Do you have a bank of batteries being recharged, or are you running everything off a single deep-cycle battery? I have 2 deep cycle batteries. They each have approx 125 amp hours each for a total of 250. I only need to bring my generator if we run the AC which is pretty much never. solar is the way to go!!! wish I had it on our house.
10/23/2014 Topic: Yuha and Mt Springs Exit anutami	nice pics, your fish eye lens is sweet. Yes, I was actually wondering how you were getting those shots.
10/26/2014 Topic: Driving The Mojave Road anutami	Awesome trip! Thanks for sharing. Whats up with the lights on your truck? Makes me want to get out there and give it a go
11/5/2014 Topic: Halloween weekend trip anutami	Nice report! Glad it's cooling off out there. Sorry about your tent. The wind was one of the main reasons that drove me to get my camper.
11/18/2014 Topic: Carrizo Gorge Backpack anutami	Nice TR. Those rail cars are crazy! Nice to see a lot of action out there . How is the road getting in there?
11/18/2014 Topic: Whale Peak via the Pictograph Trail anutami	Thanks for the report! Welcome
11/25/2014 Topic: RockhouseValley (north) backpacking TRIP anutami	Cool trip. Thanks for posting. We are out in Colorado I think we drove by your house . Hear it's pretty warm out there. Not here
12/2/2014 Topic: grand staircase escalante anutami	Here is my trip report on grand staircase in Utah. There are so many similarities with abdsp I was blown away and happy to live so close to one of my favorite places on planet earth. http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28084458.cfm edited by anutami on 12/2/2014
12/4/2014 Topic: Random photos from Borrego Springs and Culp Valley anutami	Nice pics love the tear in the shirt photo. That is something I would do.
12/6/2014 Topic: Anza-Borrego Desert Region GPX files? anutami	kylekai wrote: The book Anza-Borrego Desert Region by Diana & Lowell Lindsay is great for exploring the park. Does anyone know if there are any GPS or GPX files showing the routes from the book? They would help a lot in exploring the trails and roads in the book. I don't know of any, but most of the trails are pretty easy to navigate. Is there a place in particular you are looking to go? Did you get your trailer?
12/8/2014 Topic: Borrego Palm Canyon Backpack anutami	Awesome! You are getting some amazing photos! Of all the times you have not used a tent have you ever been bitten? I once woke up to a 3" spider hanging out on the top of my tent and never got into a bivy because of it.
12/24/2014 Topic: Another Adventure: Arroyo Seco Diablo anutami	Finally had some time to head back out to the Desert. I wanted to check out the Arroyo Deco Diablo area via Vallecito Creek and Arroyo Tapaido. Was a bit nervous about the road getting in there. It is tight in a few places but I never had any issues. The only issue was my coolant started leaking so I had to cut my trip short. Heading up Arroyo Tapaido Since I am too cheap to buy a go pro camera, I strapped my Iphone to my camper jack for some video fun Arroyo Tapaido Bypass: 4wd Hi Arroyo Tapaido Bypass continued 4wd LOW Vallecito Creek: 2WD As we drove past the mud caves there was not another soul around. Since our trip in the summer was cut short we decided to make a stop and set up camp. checking out Chasm Cave Hidden Cave Concrection Canyon has some interesting formations Continuing on through Arroyo Tapaido bypass road to Arroyo Seco Del Diablo Some of the petrified wood in the area Brenna found the needle in the haystack, not sure what size bullet this is or where it was shot from! Just in case you are curious how concretions form Concretion Mountain The kids talked me into taking our new addtion to the family : Riley . Set up camp in Arroyo Seco Del Diable and roasted some hot dogs The weather couldn't have been better out there and surprisingly no one else around. Enjoying the desert. Interesting deceased Ocotillo Sunsets never get old another stellar camp site Arroyo Seco Diablo with Whale peak in the background Evidence of life long ago and the uplifting taking place We headed over to agua caliente to cool off and hit up the Spa. Right now th outdoor kids pool is closed for renovation. This large pool was pretty brisk. It was nice to get some fresh desert air Total Mylar Balloons: 2 And a first ever water pool left behind from the recent rains. I guess Mylar balloons are good for something. edited by anutami on 12/24/2014 edited by anutami on 12/24/2014 edited by anutami on 12/24/2014
12/24/2014 Topic: Another Adventure: Arroyo Seco Diablo anutami	Jim (ziphius) wrote: Cannonball! Great photos and trip Nolan. Did you notice any surface water at the Arroyo Seco Del Diablo seep? (32.895, -116.161). Headed out tomorrow for 3 nights... Thanks, we just hit up the north end of arroyo Diablo. That deep is pretty much always wet. 3 days in ABDSP! Nice! Hope you have a great trip. I am trying to get out again this weekend gotta get my water pump replaced in my truck. Nolan edited by anutami on 12/24/2014

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