Anza Borrego Wildflowers and Cactus Bloom Update

I took another scouting trip to the south end of the Anza Borrego Desert to see how the wildflowers and cactus blooms were progressing. It looks like we have another couple weeks for a peak bloom in the southern areas. There are many cacti with buds that are ready to explode.

This beautiful Barrel Cactus near Indian Hill was getting a jump start on its neighbors.

We also noticed a few small Fishook Cacti with tiny rings of flowers.

Penstemon pseudospectabilis(?) nestled between the rocks.

  Unfortunately on our search for wildflowers near Arroyo Seco del Diablo and Arroyo Tapiado we noticed a large amount of Sahara Mustard in areas that were previously covered with Sand Verbena. From doing some research I found out that Sahara Mustard is a real problem in

Another thing that really bummed us out were these illegal ATV tracks up near Indian Hill.

This yahoo basically took his ATV right through an area of cholla, beavertail and other cacti and tore things up pretty bad. It sucks to see someone with such a blantant disregard for the environment, harm the desert  this way.

If you want to become an expert on the various wildflowers in the Anza Borrego Desert or just interested in learning more, I recommend the field guide Desert Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert. If this guide doesn't have it , it probably does not exist.

Photo Slideshow from this trip

Piedras Grandes and the search for desert wildflowers

Mary and I left early Sunday for a day trip out to Anza Borrego. Our destination was Piedras Grandes in the southern end of the park. While Saturday's heavy rains had  dissuaded us from doing an overnight trip, Sunday had dawned with blue skies and warm temperatures. Perfect weather for an Anza Borrego trip.

After a quick stop at the Subway in Jacumba we dropped down into the desert around 9:30 AM. We drove up the S2 scanning the vast desert for any sign of desert wildflowers. A few budding Ocotillo and some yellow Brittle Bush flowers but not much else blooming. As we bounced up the Mortero Wash trail, we caught up to a 4Runner who had stopped to take pictures of an incredible Agave. Not ones to miss out on a good desert flower picture, we grabbed our camera and began snapping away.  The Agave or "Century Plant" has an average lifespan of 25 years, all of those preparing for its' culminating display of brilliant golden flowers. It is always fun to be on hand to witness such an event.

Our next stop was the trailhead at Piedras Grandes. Suprisingly, there were a couple of trucks already there,  so we drove a little further up the trail and parked. The Piedras Grandes "Big Rocks" area is well known for its abundance of cultural artifacts and habitats. Hiking up the former jeep trail, we were amazed by the sheer number of cave shelters and amazing rocks. We found the deepest mortero we have ever seen as well as the largest Yoni. There were also numerous water cachments carved out of the large boulders that held water from Saturday's rain.

About 1.5 miles up the trail we came upon the famous "Horse and Rider" pictograph. The pictograph depicts a figure of a man on a horse which according to Diana Liindsay's Guide is the only "known representation of horse and rider in Kumeyaay rock art". This had led archaeologist to deduce that this pictograph may have been drawn to record the Kumeyaay's first encounter with Juan Batista De Anza back in 1774. 

Unfortunately this amazing piece of history was no match for careless campfires and much of it is damaged and hard to make out. Luckily, there is a small sign that recreates the drawing from an archaelogical survey done back in the 70s.

It is nice to think that in this technologically obsessed world , a place like this even exists.

As we hiked back to the Landcruiser on a trail that we have driven in years past, we realized that some places in the Anza Borrego desert are better traveled on foot.

Photos are here

Slide Show is here

Should Ocotillo lose 15,000 acres to concrete and steel ?

In the small desert town of Ocotillo, CA the winds may be changing.

Pattern Energy, a San Francisco based energy company is proposing to turn 15,000 acres of public lands bordering the Anza Borrego Desert State Park into a 561 megawatt wind farm with 240 wind turbines.

Unfortunately for the small town of Ocotillo and the Imperial Valley, little would be gained as the power would be funneled to San Diego over the infamous Sunrise Powerlink.

John Calaway, Pattern Energy director of wind development states that the area would benefit from 400 construction jobs during the two year construction period of the Ocotillo Express Wind Farm.

Let me get this straight, Pattern Energy is "promising" 2 years of construction jobs and in return residents and visitors alike get to stare at 240 four hundred foot tall wind towers for the rest of their lives? I don't know about you but I think Pattern Energy is getting the better end of that deal.

If you do the research you will find that communities from California to Maine have been fighting industrial wind farms for years. Concerns over noise levels, destruction of views and effects on wildlife have prompted communities nationwide to oppose projects such as these.

Once again our public lands are under attack from corporations looking to fast track these projects with little public feedback. The race for alternative energy should not come at the expense of the environment.
Why are we tearing up our fragile deserts in the name of green energy when instead we should be covering our homes, businesses and parking garages with solar panels ?

Stay tuned for more updates.....

Bob B.

Ocotillo Express Wind Farm Draft Plan of Development (1.51 mb)

Journey to the Railroad Construction Camp in Anza Borrrego

   Our trip began with a late afternoon stop at the Lazy Lizard in Ocotillo. Mary and I had planned to head straight out to the campsite but Linda would have none of it. "We are stopping at the Lazy Lizard, aren't we ?",  she inquired as we started to drive up the S2. Hard to argue with that so, three beers, two t-shirts and a few dollars lighter the three of us were heading up the sandy washboard road of Mortero Wash.

After our last  failed attempt to find the railroad construction camp, I was determined to try again. This time I was lucky since recently I had been sent a scan of a topographic map with an "x" marking its' location.

Now, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I am pretty new school, and need a GPS with a waypoint to pretty much find anything. Consequently when I received the map from a member of our forum my first question was "OK how do I get this onto my iPhone".  

Our hike to the railroad construction camp took us through some of the most beautiful areas of the Anza Borrego Desert. Numerous Ocotillo and other desert flora are in abundance here. The temperature was perfect, and the intense blue sky seemed to accent the large boulders prolific in the area. The Ocotillo were covered with bright green leaves and a few even had bloomed with beautiful orange flowers.

We took a quick detour to check out the pictographs at Indian Hill, and then continued north through the Desert using the map and the GPS to guide us. The first thing we found were thousands of old rusted tin cans, which I assume were discarded by the railroad workers. Pretty incredible to think that many of the cans were over one hundred years old and were still intact.  

The camp was constructed to support the railroad workers who were blasting tunnels through the Carrizo Gorge a century ago, so standing amongst the dilapidated wood structures is like getting a glimpse back in time. There is one wall of the camp still standing constructed of old blasting powder cans and held together by mortar.  There are also the remains of an above ground gravity feed water system which was quite necessary in the arid work conditions the workers had to endure.

The railroad construction camp is not easy to find , but if you are interested in the history of this area it is well worth the journey. Who knows I may even send you a map with an "x" on it. 

While we were hoping to see more flowers on this trip, it seemed we were 2-3 weeks early.  There were signs that this years flower bloom could be a good one. The Ocotillo looked very green and healthy, and we saw a few Chuparosa bushes that were beginning to bloom.

Guess it means we have another excuse to head out to Anza Borrego in a few weeks. 

Photo album is here

Slideshow beta here (using PicasaViewer)

Alpine residents have more questions about the Sunrise Powerlink

SDG&E has scheduled a series of "Community Council" meetings in communities that will be affected by construction of the Sunrise Powerlink. In their words the purpose is to "keep the community informed so that accurate information is available and inconveniences can be kept to a minimum."

If Alpine is any indication of "keeping the community informed" then SDG&E has not been doing its' due diligence. Many Alpine residents who attended Monday nights Community Council meeting still feel like they are being left in the dark about the  undergrounding portion which will run under Alpine Blvd.  There were questions with regards to EMFs which SDG&E could not answer, as well as concerns over where the two million gallons of water required for the project would come from.

Regardless of what SDG&E states, the construction of the Sunrise Powerlink will have a devastating effect on the town of Alpine. No amount of mitigation will undo the damage that two years of construction will have on the businesses in Alpine and the quality of life for its' residents. 

News Crews ready for the fireworks	Alpine sings "We don't want the Sunrise Powerlink"
	.
SDG&E's Jose Lopez explains the undergrounding process to a tough Alpine crowd

Anza Borrego Wildflower Season 2010

It looks to be a great year for wildflowers out in the Anza Borrego desert due to the record rains we had in January.

We are planning on heading out this coming Valentine's weekend to scout out some areas. From what I have been reading, late February into mid March will be the peak, so make your plans to head on out. This year I am extra excited since we finally picked up a decent camera. Hopefully you will be able to tell by the new pictures we upload.

I am hoping to report back Monday so check back.  For now enjoy these pictures from our previous flower hunting trips.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has a wildflower hotline for Anza Borrego, (760) 767-4684. Updates will begin when the flowers start to bloom.

Pink blossoms of a Beavertail Cactus	Brilliant orange flowers on an Ocotillo
Sand Verbena (pink) and Desert Primrose (white)	Desert Dandelions
If you want to become an expert on the various wildflowers in the Anza Borrego Desert or just interested in learning more, I recommend the field guide Desert Wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert. If this guide doesn't have it, it probably does not exist.

The East County Community Action Coalition is getting the word out

I spent a couple hours Saturday, helping the ECCCAC get the word out to members of the Lakeside community about the Sunrise Powerlink . The East County Community Action Committee has been doing a great job of informing back country communities about the destructive path of this project.

What amazed me was the number of people who had no knowledge of the project and its' route through El Monte Valley and other protected, open-spaced habitats of San Diego's backcountry.

Many east county residents feel they have been blindsided by SDG&E and are now having this project dumped in their backyard. One attendee pointed out that he was going to be able to see 150' towers from every window of his Alpine residence due to its' path around his house.

It is great to see the dedication the ECCCAC is putting into fighting the Sunrise Powerlink. They are working untold hours attending community meetings, speaking and distributing literature to make sure that everyone is aware of the project.

For up to date news regarding the project check their website here.

Desert Bighorn Sheep in Anza Borrego

Just when I feel like I have seen everything there is to see in the Anza Borrego Desert, I read a BLOG or catch a book entry about someplace new and exciting. This time around it was an abandoned railroad camp in the southern end of the park. The ruins are almost 100 years old and were built to support the construction of the Carrizo Gorge Railway.

According to Jerry Schaad's book, the railroad camp ruins are located NW of Indian Hill so I felt pretty confident we could find them.

With this fresh on our minds, we packed up the LandCruiser in the late morning on Sunday and headed east. The straight week of heavy rain in San Diego had also brought a lot of snow to the local mountains. Traffic heading up Sunrise Highway towards Mount Laguna was completely stopped. Seems a lot of people wanted to go play in the snow and were busy purchasing Adventure Passes and putting on their tire chains. I breathed a sigh of relief that we were continuing east, far from the hordes of snow lovers.

  An hour later , we found ourselves driving up the sandy washboard trail of Mortero Canyon. A couple of lifted jeeps passed us on their way out but otherwise this area of the Desert was empty.

There was evidence of water everywhere. Parts of the trail were completely submerged, and as much as I wanted to test the capabilities of our diesel Toyota LandCruiser, Mary my voice of reason said otherwise.

Since our normal departure point to Indian Hill was a bit "crowded" (2 cars), we stopped for lunch at the end of the trail and tried to figure out the best route. No sooner did we cross the tracks to head up the wash when a herd of Desert Bighorn males appeared.  The group moved silently along the cliff above us and occasionally would stop to make sure we weren't making any sudden moves. Their movements along the crumbling cliff were nothing short of amazing. They moved nimbly from rock to rock just as you or I would step up a curb. Finally, the one large male that appeared to be the leader led the group of seven up the cliff and out of sight. 

We continued our hike, still in a state of awe and commenting that we need a better camera. In our 15 years coming out to Anza Borrego we have only seen one Desert Bighorn, which illustrates how rare these animals are. To see a herd of seven moving up a cliff in unison is just amazing.

We never were able to find the railroad construction camp which at this point seemed somewhat trivial, but vowed to come back one day and find it. Who knows maybe we will get lucky again.  

Our Desert Bighorn photos are here

Desert USA Desert Bighorn Page

The plight of Anza Borrego's Desert Bighorn Sheep

Alpine says "We don't want the Sunrise Powerlink"

Although the Sunrise Powerlink has been re-routed to avoid the Anza Borrego Desert State Park, the battle continues for many residents of San Diego's backcountry. One such community, Alpine is being faced with having 6 miles of  12 ' trenches dug along its' main artery to accomodate the 2 parallel 230KV lines. Representatives from SDG&E  state that the "undergrounding"  of the Alpine portion of the Sunrise Powerlink, will take two years to install; one year for the conduits and another year to pull and splice the massive cables.

According to San Diego County supervisor Dianne Jacob, Alpine will be "significantly impacted" by the construction.

Many Alpine residents who attended last nights town hall meeting expressed concerns with traffic flow obstruction, EMFs from the powerlines, noise from the construction and the disruption of businesses along the route.

One particular Alpine resident, Michelle Steinbuck, questioned the intelligence of routing the two 230KV lines in such close proximity to the Alpine Elementary School.

I left the meeting with a renewed hope that the Sunrise Powerlink is not a done deal. There is staunch opposition from backcountry residents who feel this project is being ramrodded down their throats.

Currently the BLM approval of the Sunrise Powerlink is being challenged in court, and the U.S. Forest Service has not issued a decision on whether or not to allow the line to go through federal lands.

If you haven't contacted Cleveland National Forest Supervisor William Metz please take the time to send him an email at wmetz@fs.fed.us. Tell him that Forest Service lands should not be sacrificed for this unnecessary project.

If you prefer regular mail Supervisor Metz can be reached at;
Supervisor William Metz
Cleveland National Forest
10845 Rancho Bernardo Rd.
Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92127

How not to cook a turkey in the Desert.....

Our annual Thanksgiving tradition is to spend Thanksgiving with our family and then head out to Anza Borrego the following day for a couple days of desert fun. This year turned out to be one of the more memorable trips we have had, so sit back and I will try to explain what transpired.

Friday morning found Mary and I heading out to Carrizo Gorge to meet Jan, Gina and crew at one of our favorite campsites. Jan had left the night before to get the Imu Pit ready. Imu Pit ? you ask. Well yes, this year after 5 successful years of grilled turkey perfection we opted to try the Polynesian method of cooking the turkey in a pit in the ground. The process itself is a bit more complex and requires banana leaves, burlap sacks, chicken wire and 4 or five hours of patience.

When we arrived Jan informed us that our preferred campsite was occupied. We were a bit disappointed, but our group had set up camp a little ways down the canyon which was fine. We quickly prepped the turkey which meant, wrapping it in the banana leaves, covering it with chicken wire, and placing it in the pit underneath the wet burlap sacks. Plywood was placed over the pit and dirt shoveled over everything to keep in the heat. We even brought one of those fancy turkey thermometers with a remote so we could monitor the temperature sitting comfortably sipping refreshments.

As with the grilling method, the "Imu Pit" method also requires a lot of waiting. We passed the time playing bocci ball, harassing tarantulas and munching on some awesome grilled tacos prepared by Steve and Kat.

After 4 hours, numerous games of bocci ball and the occasional adult beverage the turkey thermometer hit 160' . With great anticipation we pulled the concoction out of the pit and begin to unwrap it. What we saw laying between the banana leaves was something I won't soon forget. Instead of a grilled brown turkey, our bird looked whiter than when it had gone into the pit. As was eloquently put by one of the members of our group,  "It looks like a white, wrinkled baby butt !".

Seems there is a reason you won't find many references to an Imu Pit turkey on Google. The traditional Imu Pit method relies on steam created by the coals and held in by the various layers of leaves. While this works for a pig, it proved to be ineffective on our two turkeys. 

Funny thing is that I think the turkey was actually cooked at this point but the ghost white appearance was hard to get past. We quickly threw it on a grill and charred it. 

The next morning we were woken up by some strong gusts of wind and light rain. Let me clarify; the wind was strong enough to blow my new REI sleeping bag out of the rooftop tent and alight it perfectly on top of the lit Coleman stove which resulted in a flaming explosion of down feathers. The resulting mess ended any hopes of a mornng cup of coffee. It was at this point we decided to cut our losses, finish packing up the Landcruisers and say our goodbyes.

Mary and I had originally planned a trip to the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves but the rainy weather thwarted our plans. Instead we pointed the Landcruiser north towards Borrego Spring. Our destination was the "creature desert" just outside of Borrego Springs. Thunderstorms punctuated by periods of sun created an amazing display of rainbows along the S2.

We dropped down the S3 into Borrego Springs wondering how we were ever going to find the sculptures, when suddenly off to our right we spotted what looked like a prehistoric mammoth! We quickly pulled the LandCruiser off the road and grabbed our camera....

The Creature Desert
     The creature desert is the creation of  sculptor Ricardo Breceda who was commissioned by Dennis Avery of Avery lables fame. Breceda's creations vary from turtles, to farm workers, to life size dinosaurs and are scattered throughout the Borrego Springs area.
As Mary and I drove through the desert looking for the sculptures we felt a bit like like dinosaur hunters from the movie "Jurrasic Park".Our favorite were the raptors and the life size Tyrannosauruses.

While the sculptures themselves were impressive, seeing them in the context of the timeless Anza Borrego Desert made the experience that much more authentic. 

If you find yourself in the Borrego Springs area I highly recommend you check out these amazing sculptures.

Trip Photo Album is Here.

Creature Desert Slide Show

Flooding in Ocotillo and a mystery train at Dos Cabezas

Believe it or not a week after my solo Torote Canyon trip I found myself camping in Mortero Wash with Mary. We were actually trying to scout out some places for our post Thanksgiving trip.

Hilights of our overnight trip were :

• Flooding in the desert town of Ocotillo
  
• The mystery box cars in Mortero Wash
• Incredible red moon rising over the Salton Sea 
• Numerous jackrabbit sightings in Carrizo Creek. 
• Pie in Julian on the way out. :-)
  

The evening temperature was perfect and the semi-full red moon was surreal. Wish I could figure out how to take moon pictures with my cheap Canon camera.

Photo album is here.

Desert solitude in the heat of the summer

While most people were trying to escape the record high temperatures by heading to the beach, I decided  to head out to Anza Borrego for the day. This trip would be solo since my claims of a fun desert adventure fell on deaf ears. Mary simply wasn't buying it. She said something about triple digit temperatures and that was that. She was right, the weather had been over 110' for the past week out in Ocotillo but that failed to dissuade me. 

I dropped down into Ocotillo around noon figuring if I was going to experience the desert in the summer why not do it at midday when temps would be peaking?

As expected, Ocotillo was a ghost town, without a soul around. Seems those residents that live out here year round were holed up in their homes watching their satellite TVs with their air conditioners cranked.

Heading deeper into the desert, I did see one brave sole on a motorcycle. He had stopped in the shade of an Ocotillo at the Carrizo Badlands overlook but he was the exception to an otherwise deserted highway.

Further along S2, I turned off the road at Indian Gorge. I shifted the transfer case into low, more for fun than necessity, and lumbered up the sandy, rock strewn trail. While the trail into Indian Gorge can be traversed in a high clearance 2 two-wheel drive vehicle, the soft sand and boulders do require your attention. Getting stuck out in the midday desert sun would not be fun, and could be downright dangerous.

The trail head to Torote Canyon is less than a mile up the jeep road and is marked by a small weather-beaten sign. It was here that I parked the LandCruiser and proceeded up the canyon.

The hike is a relatively easy hike up a sandy wash. Almost instantly the canyon walls rose around me and I found myself fully immersed in the solitude of Torote Canyon.

About a 1/2 mile up I came to the first "Elephant Tree"  which seemed to be growing directly out of rock. The Elephant Tree's twisted trunk gives Torote Canyon its' name, 'Torote' being the Spanish word for twisted.

At this point I opted to turn around. I would leave the rest of the hike for another day when the temperatures were a bit cooler.

Check out the photos here

Summer temperatures in Anza Borrego

People sometimes ask me how come we don't spend much time out in Anza Borrego in the summer months?

Well to answer this question I looked at this nifty little iPhone App and checked out next weeks temperatures in Ocotillo (the gateway into southern Anza Borrego).

 Death Valley has nothing on us.

SDG&E using threats and coercion to force their way onto private property

Even though the legality of the Sunrise Powerlink is still being questioned, SDG&E is wasting no time in sending survey crews out along the proposed route.
In some cases,  according to this KUSI video they are using threats and coercion to gain access to private property.

Check out this "Turko Files" video from KUSI (You need Flash Player)

Free Property Rights Workshop for those in the path of the Sunrise Powerlink

Even though the Anza Borrego Desert State park has been spared from the destructive path of the Sunrise Powerlink ; the battle is far from over. 

SDG&E's Southern route goes through portions of Cleveland National Forest as well as land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management. Formerly untouched areas such as the Carrizo Gorge Wilderness Area will forever be marred by 150 foot steel towers.

Wilderness aside, what about the East County residents who live in the rural San Diego backcountry? It is estimated that the Sunrise Powerlink will affect 3000 east San Diego county residents. This destructive impact can never be mitigated.

That is where the ECCAC comes in. On June 11 , the EEAC along with the Protect Our Communities Foundation and Backcountry Against Dumps will be hosting a free property rights legal workshop for affected property owners. The workshop will be conducted by knowledgeable attorneys who are familiar with the issues involved.

Impacted property owners can register for the workshop by contacting the ECCAC via email at info@eastcoutyaction.org or call 858-627-1426

Download Workshop Flyer (PDF 89.94 kb)

Governor wants to close Anza Borrego Desert State Park

If the Governor has his way the Anza-Borrego Desert will be off limits due to state budget cuts.

Anza Borrego is on the chopping block along with 219 other parks in the California State Parks system. According to an article in the Union Tribune, the parks being targeted do not have enough visitors to offset the costs associated with keeping them open.

Governor Schwarzenegger's budget would cut $213 million from the state parks budget over the next two years.

So let me get this right, Californians who have had to trim back on their vacation budgets can no longer take a weekend mini-vacation to their local state park?

Please take a minute and sign the petition rejecting this proposal and save our state parks.

Thanks,

Bob

Fundraiser to 'Sunset the Sunrise Powerlink' this weekend.

If you are local to San Diego don't forget to stop by Hazy Meadows Ranch in Lakeside on Saturday May 30 from 11:00AM to 4:30 PM.

The fine folks over at the East County Community Action Coalition are putting on a awesome fund raiser to help with the legal expenses in the fight against the Sunrise Powerlink. There will be fantastic live entertainment during the event along with some great raffle prizes.

The Hazy Meadow Ranch is located at  15466 El Monte Rd in Lakeside. Please see flyer below for more information.

Download Flyer (135.72 kb)

Hiking to the top of Combs Peak

In an effort to escape the Memorial Day beach crowds, Mary and I left Leucadia and pointed the LandCruiser east. Our destination was Combs Peak located in the northern end of Anza Borrego.

At 6193 ft or 1888 m Combs Peak has the distinction of being the highest mountain in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park as well as one of the highest, most remote peaks in San Diego County.

For reference here is a list of the top 10 mountain peaks in San Diego 

Our two hour drive led us through some beautiful parts of the San Diego backcountry, and after an additional 5 miles off road we arrived at the junction of Lost Valley road and the Pacific Crest Trail. Lost Valley Road, while unpaved is a fairly easy drive as was made evident by the various assortment of vehicles we saw heading in the opposite direction. At one point we both did a double-take as a SUV towing a huge Airstream camper came bouncing down the road towards us. 

We parked next to a Toyota Tacoma with Alaskan plates, grabbed the Delorme GPS and headed north up the PCT. The trail itself is in great shape and we were surprised to see a fair number of wildflowers as we made our way towards Combs Peak.

The hillside was dotted with the burned remains of Coulter pines, their branchless, blackened trunks still standing upright.

After 2 miles the hike turned into a scramble as we veered left off the trail and headed for the summit. There is somewhat of a worn path leading up the mountain, but at times we found ourselves scratching our heads trying to figure out the best approach. Using the various ducks (trail markers) as guides we were able to reach the summit in thirty minutes or so.

Once at the top, we unwrapped our sandwiches and sat down to relax and enjoy the 360' view... or so we thought. Suddenly I heard "Hey I think these flies are biting me!". Mary was right, these were not merely annoying house flies but some type of morphed devil flies that were intent on sucking our blood. We quickly wolfed down our sandwiches and high-tailed it back down the mountain.

We will do this hike again at some point, but next time we will bring the bug repellent.

Pictures are Here

Carrizo Gorge East Fork To Carrizo Palms

We left the coast on a sunny Sunday morning and pointed the LandCruiser east out to one of our favorite areas of Anza Borrego. A quick stop at Starbucks and Subway to fuel up and we were our way. This time we had a couple of Anza newbies, our friends Steve and Haeja.

Late April the temperatures begin to approach triple digits out in the Anza Borrego Desert so we knew this was one of our last trips of the season. Our plan was to hike from the East Fork of Carrizo Gorge out to the seldom visited Carrizo Palms. The palms are located in a remote location below the Carrizo Gorge Railway and are a bit difficult to get to.

Our hike began with a short 4wd trip up the Carrizo Gorge/Creek wash to reach the East Fork turnoff. 4-Wheel drive is not really necessary for most of the drive althoughyou have to make sure to stay clear of the softer sections of the trail. Tubbs our new diesel Landcruiser had no problem traversing the sandy wash in 2 wheel drive and we occasionally slipped him into 4 wheel drive to test it out.

We parked and rigged up the Brunton Solaris to run our Engel Fridge while we were hiking. There is pretty much nothing better than a cold beverage after a hot, dusty desert hike and the solar panel lets us run the fridge with no fear of killing our battery. Water bottles were filled, hiking boot laced up and we were off.

The hike up East Fork is relatively easy although it is slow going due to the soft sand and the ever so slight incline. There are numerous dry waterfall sections to navigate but nothing too technical. 

There was a decent breeze which made the 90' heat bearable and after about an hour and a half we arrived at the first group of palms.There was a substantial amount of water and suddenly Steve looked down and announced, "Hey there's a frog in the water!".  After picking him up, we quickly realized it was two frogs and scolded ourselves for disturbing their intimate moment.

After an hour of relaxing in the shade of the palms we decided to head back to the truck. Unfortunately, the breeze that had cooled us on the hike up had now subsided and the temperature felt much hotter. Our pace quickened as it was now a race to get down the trail to the waiting lunch and cold beverages.

Until next time....

Bob

Pictures Are Here.

"Sempra is sold on Solar" article

I just caught this article in the San Diego Union Tribune giving Sempra a big pat on the back for expanding its' solar presence in the Nevada desert.

While this looks all warm, fuzzy and green on the surface we have to take a step back and look at the shortcomings of this approach.

1. Once again the Desert is being used as a sacrifice zone.
2. We will need more transmission lines to get this power to the population centers.
3. It maintains Sempra's control of energy production and distribution to the consumer.

Environmental issues aside, we as consumers should be asking our politicians, "Why can't we have financial incentives in the form of rebates and buyback credits to install local PV technology on our homes and businesses?"
Currently solar pioneers can at best break even and they are forced to give any excess energy back to the grid for free.

Maybe if this was addressed it would negate the need for these massive solar installs in the Deserts of the southwest.

Bob