tommy750

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11/4/2022 Topic: Tropical Storm Kay aftermath tommy750	Was out the next day and S2 was washed out with lots of debris still covering every wash that crossed the road. Didn't get any railroad pics but do have a few from the Tropical Storm Kathleen booklet by James L. Larson which is still floating around the internet. Rain1 by tomteske, on Flickr Ocotillo Kathleen by tomteske, on Flickr Rain2 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_0387 by tomteske, on Flickr Twist Kathleen by tomteske, on Flickr Bridge Kathleen by tomteske, on Flickr Myer Kathleen by tomteske, on Flickr
11/6/2022 Topic: Lucia and Alamo Canyon Rock House Ruins 2-3 day BP tommy750	Yoks invited Gary, Randy and me to join him on a 2-3 day BP trip to explore the Chris Lucia rock house mentioned in Rockhopper's post here: http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/Forum/topic1386-santa-rosas-prospectors-rock-house.aspx Rockhopper has some nice videos of the area on his YouTube channel. Wade, a friend of the group mentioned another large site up nearby Alamo Canyon and we decided to visit this site as well. After some weather and work related delays, we headed out last weekend. Parking is a bit of a challenge due to private property issues. We ended up parking on Fillmore south of 78th and had no problems. The trail starts as a dirt road and transitions into an apparent wide pack animal route that is braided with an old Cahuilla trail. Gary and Yoks near the trail start: IMG_1536 by tomteske, on Flickr Never seen a trail as heavily ducked as this one but didn't mind it on the way out at dusk. Assuming this is the route used by Rabbit peakbaggers attempting the east approach? ?Nice find at a trail side dump IMG_1532 by tomteske, on Flickr Randy with the rare rainbow unicorn mylar cluster. IMG_1547 by tomteske, on Flickr Nice pot drop just off the trail. IMG_1560 by tomteske, on Flickr Yoks with a painted sherd. IMG_1552 by tomteske, on Flickr We spent lunchtime near a boulder pile with historical graffiti. Had a hard time even with PS of making out what the faded stuff said. IMG_1567 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1732 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1568 by tomteske, on Flickr Nice train intersection! We made a left here. IMG_1579 by tomteske, on Flickr Yoks leading the way. IMG_1584 by tomteske, on Flickr We decided to spend the night on top of this ridge with panoramic views (and cell service). IMG_1585 by tomteske, on Flickr Yours truly after making it up to camp 1 with the lightest pack of the group at 37lb. IMG_1587 by tomteske, on Flickr We hiked down to the Lucia ruins later that afternoon and the next morning. The ruins are on the sloping bench in the center. IMG_1592 by tomteske, on Flickr Gary descending the trail to the ruins. IMG_1621 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1638 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1597 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1604 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1627 by tomteske, on Flickr Couple broken metates and the base of a beat up obsidian Cottonwood point. IMG_1647 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1652 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1649 by tomteske, on Flickr Couple morteros. IMG_1605 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1607 by tomteske, on Flickr We headed up Alamo Canyon and the trail was pretty obvious the first bit but then kind of disappeared. Fireplace maybe 100ft from the ruins. IMG_1669 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1673 by tomteske, on Flickr Rock walls are somewhat hard to see in this pic but suspect they are actually a corral. IMG_1687 by tomteske, on Flickr On the way out Sunday afternoon (Randy left early due to not feeling well and Gary and Yoks spent another night) came across a couple boulders with petroglyphs. Rockhopper's videos show two more petro sites I missed. IMG_1728 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1720 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1723 by tomteske, on Flickr Made it back to the car in the dark, about 18 miles and a nice start to the backpacking season. Thanks to Yoks, Gary and Randy for the invite. Enjoy! IMG_1737 by tomteske, on Flickr edited by tommy750 on 11/6/2022
11/7/2022 Topic: Lucia and Alamo Canyon Rock House Ruins 2-3 day BP tommy750	Rocko1 wrote: Really fantastic report. I suspect the ducks are for the Villager east approach. I have always wanted to explore that side of the mountain but the parking logistics always deterred me. Think we discussed parking more than any other topic prior to the trip. GE has a "trailhead" icon at 80th and Fillmore but 80th has a dirt berm across it and Fillmore south of the E-W drainage channel is heavily signed no trespassing. The only other for sure not private property and not trespassing parking location for hikes to the south eg Salton Sea Petroglyph Trail/Travertine Palms would be at the west end of 86th. Certainly would like to know if anyone else is aware of other legit parking locations.
11/7/2022 Topic: Lucia and Alamo Canyon Rock House Ruins 2-3 day BP tommy750	Brian wrote: Great trip report. I love hearing about areas that aren't in the books. I did Martinez Canyon one time, so I know the parking challenge in that area. Definitely agree. Looks like someone spent the summer building a 300 acre golf course right near the mouth of Martinez Canyon. Curious. Martinez Canyon Golf Course by tomteske, on Flickr
11/8/2022 Topic: Lucia and Alamo Canyon Rock House Ruins 2-3 day BP tommy750	Nice find, Rockhopper. We did not find any water below the site. I came up the wash from below and climbed to the top of the white rock dry falls and did not see any water but didn't actually wade through the reeds and catclaw. Yoks crossed over to the mining adit on the other side of the stream bed and didn't see any water either. Think Yoks found some mining claims above the Alamo Canyon site. Rockhopper, were you able to find any mining activity in either canyon? It seems someone went through a lot of trouble to build that path and rock houses and not have some sort of sizeable mining activity. Thanks for the pics!
11/8/2022 Topic: White, Wee, Chimney Rock and Pines tommy750	Nice trip, Rocko1. Have literally never hiked in the NW part of the park. Need to get out more. Found a couple of those blue signs out in McCain Valley a few years ago but they've subsequently disappeared. IMG_1070 by tomteske, on Flickr
11/20/2022 Topic: Happy cabins and Myer Valley tommy750	Glad to hear the palm groves still have water. Passed by that area over ten years ago while bagging Peak 4004. Didn't know there were rock houses or cultural stuff at that spot. Thanks for the report!
12/11/2022 Topic: Elephant Benchmark tommy750	Nice TR. I made it to the bump in the upper left of your second pic a year ago and found cement filled boots in a shelter. There were quite a few healthy looking elephant trees on that side of Alma. As I recall, all the trees seemed about the same size and I didn't seen any "baby" ones which was concerning. Always nice to see the familiar Fish Creek area from a new perspective. Looks like your decent ridge was pretty bouldery.
12/13/2022 Topic: Hapaha Flat Thanksgiving Weekend tommy750	Convinced my wife to spend Black Friday driving up Fish Creek rather than facing the marauding hordes of Xmas shoppers. We ended up in the southeastern corner of Hapaha Flat. The weather was perfect the entire weekend. Getting camp set up. IMG_1885 by tomteske, on Flickr The kitchen view looking toward Whale and a sea of ocotillos in red and orange fall colors. IMG_1887 by tomteske, on Flickr Tried to catch a decent pic of the ocotillos lighting up at dusk but a photo doesn't do it justice. Was a really pretty sight. Ocotillo Fall Colors by tomteske, on Flickr Lots of cultural sites in the area. Here's a rather large metate fragment. IMG_1920 by tomteske, on Flickr A nice intact Desert Side Notch point. IMG_1929 by tomteske, on Flickr An obsidian drill or an abandoned projectile point a few feet away from the above point. IMG_1894 by tomteske, on Flickr Randy and Lisa, long time Park volunteers found these nice painted sherds a while back. DStretched. IMG_2060 by tomteske, on Flickr Wandering up the wash, we came across this water stash. Was next to the road and only two liters for a June hike? Hope he made it. IMG_1968 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1966 by tomteske, on Flickr Bunch of shell casings and empty boxes right next to the Hapaha sign. We were planning on cleaning up the mess on our way back but ended up returning by another route. IMG_1911 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_1917 by tomteske, on Flickr Desiccated Chuckwalla IMG_2044 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_2051 by tomteske, on Flickr Found a faint trail on GE I tried to follow on the final day. Was very rocky and eroded. About a mile in, came across this unfortunate ram. IMG_2008 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_2010 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_2015 by tomteske, on Flickr Nice view of the Carrizo badlands toward Canebrake and McCain. IMG_2022 by tomteske, on Flickr Large drilled rim sherd in the middle of the trail. IMG_2029 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_2033 by tomteske, on Flickr On our way out, lots of nice desert sand-verbena were blooming. IMG_2055 by tomteske, on Flickr Literally 30 seconds before the canyon turned to gray. A little hiking, a little exploring and a lot of relaxing. Enjoy! IMG_2059 by tomteske, on Flickr
12/14/2022 Topic: Hapaha Flat Thanksgiving Weekend tommy750	Brian wrote: How was the road condition going up to Hapaha from Sandstone? I've done it in my Crosstrek, but it seems like all the roads got slammed this summer and are in worse shape than normal. There's always been that one 20 ft sketchy spot when you're exiting the canyon after Olla and before Hapaha. It got way better after they ran a dozer through there a few years ago but it's icky again. Had my wife get out and help me dodge boulders on the way in and heard a few too many scrapy sounds on the way out. Don't think you'd have any problems with any other location. Hope that helps!
12/14/2022 Topic: Salton Sea to Lake Cuyamaca-SDTCT tommy750	Must be nice to be young and fit! Great trip. Your Plum tent/moon pic is really trippy. Like it.
12/14/2022 Topic: Hapaha Flat Thanksgiving Weekend tommy750	dsefcik wrote: Very Nice tommy750...!!!! Remember our first camping trip ever was up the road at Dave McCain? In 2013, Xmas break. How time flies. Appreciate all the memories! Daren by tomteske, on Flickr
12/14/2022 Topic: Hapaha Flat Thanksgiving Weekend tommy750	Brian wrote: tommy750 wrote: Brian wrote: How was the road condition going up to Hapaha from Sandstone? I've done it in my Crosstrek, but it seems like all the roads got slammed this summer and are in worse shape than normal. There's always been that one 20 ft sketchy spot when you're exiting the canyon after Olla and before Hapaha. It got way better after they ran a dozer through there a few years ago but it's icky again. Had my wife get out and help me dodge boulders on the way in and heard a few too many scrapy sounds on the way out. Don't think you'd have any problems with any other location. Hope that helps! That does help, thanks. If you're scraping with your truck I'm going to assume it isn't Subi-friendly at the moment. When I went in before I had a similar experience as you described. Made it past that section with some care going in, but on the way out dropped off a rock and hit my skid plate hard. Dug up a couple pics from before and after the dozer. I would say it's worse than the pre dozer pic now. Upper Fish Creek Squeeze (2018_09_25 07_05_23 UTC) by tomteske, on Flickr After the dozer by tomteske, on Flickr
12/16/2022 Topic: Hapaha Flat Thanksgiving Weekend tommy750	Buford wrote: Very nice. Good to see all the sand verbena in bloom already. I'd be almost afraid of all the vehicles in Fish Creek in a holiday weekend as black friday. Do most stop well short of Hapaha flat? I can't believe how many points you find. We were worried there were going to be a zillion campers out there but it was really quiet compared to just about any other weekend. We had a group of jeeps go by about every hour or two but nothing like the traffic farther down canyon. It is 15+ miles to Hapaha one way, so probably less traffic. Really nice area. With the points, it's a matter of patience. Pretty sure you, with your awesome wildlife and time lapse photography, know all about that!
12/24/2022 Topic: 2022 tommy750	NIce pics Buford! Really like the BW of the ramp. A review of the Nikon P1000 popped up in my youtube feed and I thought of all your bird pics. Not sure how good it is but sure looked like fun. Thanks!
1/1/2023 Topic: Stone Circle tommy750	Not able to see your pics, Britain.
1/11/2023 Topic: 2023 ABDSP and surrounding areas tommy750	Very nice! Thanks.
1/11/2023 Topic: first desert weekend of 2023 tommy750	Rocko1 wrote: Very cool. Have those pictographs been touched up at some point? Pretty sure those have been touched up. Up close the black "pigment" looks more like liquid asphalt. Rumors abound about the identity of the touch-up artist. There are a few other altered sites in the Anza Borrego area including Little Blair Valley, the Blue Sun Cave and most likely another site in Indian Hill, again, with lots of black pigment over very faded red and yellow pictos. The site high up in Potrero is another example reportedly touched up by a local rancher. Not sure why it's done, but apparently it's not just a local phenomenon. On a prior trip a speck east of here, I was surprised to see artists overpainting a faded Greek fresco at Ephesus presumably to make it more tourist friendly. As they say, the more popular an archaeological site, the less authentic. Ephesus Restoration by tomteske, on Flickr
2/9/2023 Topic: White Whale/Pinyon tommy750	Very nice, Rocko 1! A favorite hiking memory is descending Whale some years ago while it lightly snowed. Very serene.
3/14/2023 Topic: Bisnaga Alta to Near Whale Peak tommy750	Haven't been up Whale in quite a while but always wanted to explore the flats to the east and southeast. Figured I'd try the Bisnaga Alta route, a southern approach I first head about on this forum when Daren did it in 10/2011. Unfortunately the pics are no longer hosted but Daren sent me his route which was a way tougher loop hike. Googled the route and even looked at the last 50 or so PeakBagger gps entries and zero hits for the Bisnaga route. 123_1 by tomteske, on Flickr Was a cool somewhat cloudy day and very windy near the top. A look back at the Sawtooth spine about two miles up Bisnaga Alta wash. Sawtooth Spine by tomteske, on Flickr Still a little snow on at least the north facing Lagunas. Nine Miles Away by tomteske, on Flickr Was assuming the route was not that popular but noted fresh vehicles tracks at the Bisnaga turn out and two sets of prints heading up/down the wash maybe the first 3-4 miles. At about mile 3, a third set of prints appeared. Here they are with better lighting on the descent, size 14 boots for scale. Not sure where the two hikers went but didn't see anymore of their prints. IMG_2979 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_2982 by tomteske, on Flickr Nice succulent. IMG_2923 by tomteske, on Flickr Thought I spotted a native trail heading out of the flat above Bisnaga Alta on GE and maybe found bits of it. Here's a rather well preserved section. IMG_2945 by tomteske, on Flickr The view toward the flat. IMG_2942 by tomteske, on Flickr Found a dozen or so roasting pits on the way up and with the sun fading, kinda quit counting on the way down. Some are almost easier to see on GE. Here's RP-8 and the view from space. You can even see the slick on the boulder from the satellite image (red arrow) IMG_2949 by tomteske, on Flickr RP-8 by tomteske, on Flickr Another roasting pit a bit farther up. IMG_2952 by tomteske, on Flickr RP-10 by tomteske, on Flickr At the top there were a lot of downer trees looking like they'd been ripped out of the ground and tossed presumably by some ferocious winds. IMG_2954 by tomteske, on Flickr Explored around one of the flats and found a couple rock shelters with cultural stuff. Nice mortero and pestle. IMG_2956 by tomteske, on Flickr Didn't spend as much time as I'd hoped exploring the flats since I wanted to get down to the wash before dark. Here's a historical .50 cal artifact a long way from the Carrizo Impact Area. IMG_2973 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_2974 by tomteske, on Flickr A little less that 13 miles and about 3700 ft g/l. Another nice day in the desert. Enjoy! IMG_2984 by tomteske, on Flickr
3/15/2023 Topic: Bisnaga Alta to Near Whale Peak tommy750	ziphius wrote: Good-looking trip Tom. That pestle is the largest I've seen out there. I miss the Sawtooth spine, spent the better part of a day kicking around up there once. Amazing what you can detect for confirm from satellite imagery. Once saw two bighorn rams side by side, drinking at a guzzler on satellite. I still remember your pic of the two sheep! That was a nice find.
3/15/2023 Topic: Bisnaga Alta to Near Whale Peak tommy750	surfponto wrote: Some beautiful desert backcountry. Looks like you had great weather Was nice and cool but a speck breezy for my taste. Still went through 3 liters.
3/15/2023 Topic: Bisnaga Alta to Near Whale Peak tommy750	Brian wrote: That's an ambitious route for a dayhike. I love seeing reports of routes that are rarely visited. Nice to know there are a few of those left. Definitely like backpacking for that reason, much more loiter time to explore since no pressure to get back home.
3/15/2023 Topic: Bisnaga Alta to Near Whale Peak tommy750	Rocko1 wrote: Very nice! Can you explain how a roasting pit differs from say a plain old clearing? I have come across many areas that are cleared of most plant life and rocks but was never sure if was by chance or a real pit. A roasting pit is going to have fire affected rocks (usually gray/black/sometimes reddish colored) along with ashy soil. They're often on mountain ridges and can be rather pristine or eroded away. If you come upon a nice rock circle of "FAR" filled with a deep layer of ash, it's pretty obvious. Sometimes the rocks are disorganized and the grey ash layer is covered with sediment or overgrown by plants. Have to say my examples of roasting pits are pretty beat up. Daren's trick is to trench the soil layer with your boot heel and see if it reveals the gray soil.
3/16/2023 Topic: Bisnaga Alta to Near Whale Peak tommy750	tekewin wrote: Very impressive trip! I don't think I've seen that route before, but wasn't on the forum back in 2011. You really have an eye for native artifacts. I'm sure I walk by treasures all the time in complete ignorance. Was a casual weekend peakbagger till stumbling on this forum a decade ago and realizing everyone here had a real curiosity of the fauna/flora/geology/artifacts around them. Seems obvious, but have to say it really changed my perspective. Thanks everyone!
8/3/2023 Topic: The Santa Rosas Sawmill Trail (Sort Of) tommy750	This interesting video showed up in my youtube feed about Desert Steve Ragsdale and I thought I'd pass it on. Wasn't aware he founded Desert Center before retiring to the Santa Rosas. Enjoy: https://youtu.be/XqGNFJRAtwg
8/13/2023 Topic: The Santa Rosas Sawmill Trail (Sort Of) tommy750	Brian wrote: tommy750 wrote: This interesting video showed up in my youtube feed about Desert Steve Ragsdale and I thought I'd pass it on. Wasn't aware he founded Desert Center before retiring to the Santa Rosas. Enjoy: https://youtu.be/XqGNFJRAtwg Great video, thanks. Too bad they didn't show more of Santa Rosa MTN, but I guess that wasn't the topic of the video. Agree. Going to try an camp out at the top in the next weeks weeks and do a few day hikes with the spouse.
11/20/2023 Topic: Crowds tommy750	I guess the upside would be at least more people are interested enough in visiting and exploring our federal and state lands. Hopefully that will translate into wanting to preserve and protect them. My "workaround" as an old guy is to retire soon and visit the park only during weekdays. Also, get one of those parking permits for volunteering 40 hours a year. Not sure if it will work at the slot which I'm not familiar with, but at least it will get you into the visitor center. BTW, has anyone read the wikipedia entry for the park? I learned that obsidian, pumice and fish bones are "artifacts." Cupule petroglyphs suggest food processing was hard. To get from the coast to the park, you drive through mountains that are 2,400 feet above sea level. All good stuff to know!
1/13/2024 Topic: Tesla Cybertrucks tearing up Anza Borrego Desert tommy750	If you look back on Google Earth, this area has been pretty beat up for > 10 years. Here's a view from > 7 years ago and looks like the Cybertruck is not disturbing pristine ground. Kinda looks like the mess at Diablo drop off. I certainly get what you're saying though, Surfponto. cybertruck by tomteske, on Flickr edited by tommy750 on 1/13/2024
2/16/2024 Topic: Four Frogs Canyon tommy750	Nice trip, Surfponto. Driving out on a Tuesday to explore a canyon, drink a beer and drive home makes me want to quit my job right now! Daren, Gary and I went up Jacumba Jim back in 2017 and I remeber dropping into Four Frogs on the way back but haven't had a chance to explore that canyon. That row of palms on the canyon wall always has looked intriguing. Was out in Rockhouse a couple weeks ago and hiked up into McCain and above the spring that fed Rockhouse. Was aboout 11.5 miles and 2.6K g/s but probably easier than the Schad Four Frogs Jacumba Jim loop.
2/16/2024 Topic: Little Blair North tommy750	Another nice trip. Glad you like your new tent. Was watching a youtuber last night review "ultralight tents' and zpacks didn't make the cut (the guy's sponsor was Moosejaw, so...) but it would have been the lightest of all of them. Thought zpacks way more pricy than the competition but that's not really the case anymore. Quite happy with my altaplex. Thanks!
2/16/2024 Topic: Sandstone Canyon question tommy750	Nice find. Only issue I would have is what they're painted on. The last Kumeyaay (and Cahuilla) visited Hapaha just up the wash in the 1890's and I would wonder if it would last that long on exposed sandstone. The visitor grafitti etched into the neaby rocks seems to fade rather quickly but there's lots of paint on sanstone like stuff in Utah so who knows. Will see if anyone at BARC has seen that.
2/16/2024 Topic: My Retriement tommy750	Well Daren, glad you were able to escape the grind! Can't say I don't miss you, though. Honestly have to say essentially everything I've learned in the past 10+ years about hiking/backpacking/the desert I owe to you. Thanks for the great memories and hoping you can make it out here again some time.
2/26/2024 Topic: Sandstone Canyon question tommy750	That's pretty clean! Wonder if a park volunteer helped it along.
4/11/2024 Topic: Pinyon Wash to Harper Cabin tommy750	Nice TR, Surfponto! I feel your pain regarding the Marines flying stuff overhead. I live five miles away from El Centro NAF and see/hear/feel their big birds at all hours of the day including midnight. The Blue Angels practice here every winter and 5-6 F-18s flying overhead makes your ears ring. Have never visited Harper Cabin. Glad to hear it's surviving. Agree, Pinyon wash is a great camping spot and great starting off point for lots of hikes to Sunset, the four nearby guzzlers, Pinyon Mt, Whale, Harper Flat. Was out at Split Rock a couple months ago and met hikers coming in from Pinyon to check out the pictographs.
4/11/2024 Topic: Middle Ysidro tommy750	I've never even heard of Middle Ysidro but looks like a great day hike. Glad you were able to recover from your ankle injury and keep going.
4/11/2024 Topic: Panamint City tommy750	Nice trip, Brian! A quote from the NPS site: "Panamint City was called the toughest, rawest, most hard-boiled little hellhole that ever passed for a civilized town. Its founders were outlaws..."
4/12/2024 Topic: Pinyon Wash to Harper Cabin tommy750	Brian wrote: tekewin wrote: Those blooms are amazing. Sounds like a successful trip and kudos for being kind to the biker. Is the road OK all the way to Harper Flat or even Hapaha Flat? I've only been down that road a little ways to hike to Sunset Mountain. That road ends at a canyon which is a short hike up to Harper Flat. The road that passes Harper Flat on the other side can be accessed 2 ways. One end goes in from Pinyon Mountain Road (which necessitates negotiating the squeeze and heart attack hill). The other end goes in from Fish Creek and passes through Hapaha Flat. The biggest obstacle I know of on that route comes just before you get to Hapaha and looks like this: It's no longer legal to drive through Harper Flat (despite the fact someone did it last summer and was later found dead). edited by Brian on 4/12/2024 Definitely right, Brian. That's always been the fun spot to squeeze through although I thinks someone moved a few rocks from the right side that made it a speck easier in the past couple months at least for my pickup. Speaking of the ex-Navy Seal found dead in Harper Canyon, was wondering when someone would mention it on the forum. Here's a couple news reports if anyone is not familiar with the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlW6PfpO1og https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZDzp74oj1w I bumped into a knowledgeable source who mentioned the Tacoma was airlifted out of Harper Flat since it was pretty beat up. Assuming we'll never hear what really happened but a very tragic story. Was able to find the Tacoma location on GE and the news reports gave info on where the individuals were located. Seal Woman and Tacoma (1) by tomteske, on Flickr Gary and I walked out there a while back and found ?helo landing gear imprints in the sand but no other vehicle tracks. Didn't have the Tacoma location at the time but apparently walked within twenty feet of its prior location and didn't see anything. IMG_6515 by tomteske, on Flickr Track by Tacoma by tomteske, on Flickr
8/25/2024 Topic: The Santa Rosas Sawmill Trail (Sort Of) tommy750	Was up there July 5 with friends to escape the heat dome or whatever they were calling it. Was 122 in Palm Springs before we ascended Hwy 74 and in the 90s climbing the Santa Rosas truck trail. Was planning on doing some hiking toward Alta Seca but not at those temps. Glad we brought the camp shower and lots of ice and booze Last weekend, it was 63 at the San Jacinto tram station at nearly the same elevation. Than would have been great camping/hiking weather. The CH-53 wreckage location is now labeled on GE north of the Toro summit and is clearly in the reservation. Not sure if it's accessible before the locked gate with signage, though.
9/28/2024 Topic: Agua Caliente Cultural Museum tommy750	On one of our annual Palm Springs summer weekend with a Mt. San Jacinto summit hike, my wife and I noticed the nearby Cahuilla Agua Caliente Cultural Museum. We finally stopped by a few weeks ago and were quite impressed. The visit commences with a very informative AV presentation of the Cahuilla cosmology which by itself is worth the visit. There's a nice collection of baskets and ollas, some collected and others from early 20th century artisans who satified a strong demand for their creations. IMG_9501 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_9497 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_9495 (1) by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_9492 by tomteske, on Flickr During museum construction, a cultural site was discovered and excavated down to sterile ground yielding numerous artifacts, some several thousand years old. Here's a few projectile points. IMG_9507 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_9508 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_9511 by tomteske, on Flickr Lots of other displays and regarding prehistory and recent Cahuilla history. IMG_9504 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_9502 by tomteske, on Flickr Stopped by the gift store on the way out and "found" my first olla. The potter's name is Tony Soares and is worth checking out on youtube etc. Enjoy! IMG_9720 by tomteske, on Flickr
9/28/2024 Topic: Storm Potrero Loop tommy750	Man, this forum has been crickets for a long time! I get it, though. Every weekend I faithfully check the weather but nothing feasible either down on the desert floor or up in the Lagunas. Did my last hike of the season June 1 bagging Whale and it was almost 90 on the way down. Finally found a window September 16 when a storm kept the temps quite nice for a single day. Decided to head out to Storm and Potrero with a breezy low 70s forecasted. The forecast was absolutely right on making it a very pleasant trip. Parked at the equestrian lot with the pay station out of order. Nice view of the Vallecito Storm Potrero landscape. I decided to head right and then cross the hills that divide Potrero from Storm. Daren and I previously checked out a round trough and rock cistern at the east flank of the hills and I once climbed up to the top looking for the water source but only found a single bent pipe. Figured I'd try another route and see what I could find. IMG_9527 by tomteske, on Flickr Folks, it's Potrero, not Portrero! IMG_9528 by tomteske, on Flickr Nice picto site. IMG_9538 by tomteske, on Flickr Stumbled on this steel rod protruding from the ground. It's kinda close to a section line but not sure exactly why it's here. IMG_9540 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_9558 by tomteske, on Flickr Found this on the top of a sandy ridge and am thinking it was a metate preform that broke before they could smooth it out. It's convex underneath. IMG_9561 by tomteske, on Flickr Climbed up to the saddle and nice views to the NW and SE. Didn't seen anything that looked like a tinaja or catchment basin that would have fed the aforementioned trough. IMG_9572 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_9576 by tomteske, on Flickr About six years ago while I was home drinking coffee and looking at GE, Daren was out exploring Potrero. I happened to notice a round trough and a black pipe leading to a green spot. I texted Daren who then located a nice spring in need of a little attention. Later, Daren, Gary, Randy and I went out and did a little rehab but we've never been back. Was a little tough to locate in the overgrown brush, but I found it and it's still flowing well. Actually, the water before was warm and a "bit organic" but this time around it was ice cold and although I didn't drink any, it smelled fine. IMG_9584 by tomteske, on Flickr Nice abandoned Cottonwood point. If you saw the other side, you'd know why it was abandoned. IMG_9590 by tomteske, on Flickr Nice to finally be back out there! About 14 miles and another great day in the desert. Enjoy! IMG_9627 by tomteske, on Flickr
9/28/2024 Topic: The Santa Rosas Sawmill Trail (Sort Of) tommy750	I definitely remember this hike! Have been thinking about it recently as the start (or end) of a Cactus Spring-Agua Alta-Stifferino-Cottonwood-New Santa Rosa-Toro loop. Maybe something like this? https://caltopo.com/m/1TVFE
9/29/2024 Topic: Storm Potrero Loop tommy750	surfponto wrote: Wow great pictures Tom. Looks like a great trip. Love the shot looking down into the valley Did you see anyone out there? No, there was zero people and no fresh prints. You can see the fat bike tire track in the first pic. Saw it all over so that person had a nice ride.
10/1/2024 Topic: Storm Potrero Loop tommy750	Britain wrote: Nice pictures. Have that area on my list. How has your knee been, Britain? You out hiking again?
10/6/2024 Topic: The Santa Rosas Sawmill Trail (Sort Of) tommy750	My understanding confirmed by Rockhopper a while back is the spring at Agua Alta was rehabbed and has a good flow. If that's no longer true, then you're right.
10/7/2024 Topic: The Santa Rosas Sawmill Trail (Sort Of) tommy750	https://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/Forum/topic1438-martinez-peak-and-little-pinyon-flat.aspx He mentions it here. I saw a video on YT showing a few seconds of the spring and it looked good. But all this was up to five years ago, so...
10/27/2024 Topic: Agua Caliente Cultural Museum tommy750	dtoujours wrote: Thanks for sharing your trip, Tom. I'll have to stop by the museum the next time I'm in the area. I recently went to the Barona Cultural Center & Museum and while it wasn't as large as the Cahuilla museum seems to be, they were showing a nice film about the Kumeyaay creation story and had exhibits about the Kumeyaay view of constellations and the Cerutti Mastodon site. Hi, Dtoujours. Haven't been to the Barona Museum. Thanks for the info. Did stop by the Pioneers Museum outside of El Centro a couple days ago and they have a nice Native Indian display with a dozen or so ollas and a wall of projectile points. Not a lot of provenience info, however. IMG_9958 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_9947 by tomteske, on Flickr Dtoujours, I know you're familiar with the Malki Museum and I'm definitely going to visit at some point. Meanwhile, I visited their online bookstore and just got some new reading material. IMG_0011 by tomteske, on Flickr
12/29/2024 Topic: Ancient Giant Camel Track in Anza Borrego tommy750	Very nice! If this is a new find, the park paleontology society might be interested.
12/29/2024 Topic: Hey there! tommy750	Welcome Sperry. This forum has lots of trip reports from just about everywhere in the park and got me started in desert exploring. Have fun out there!
12/29/2024 Topic: Piedras Grandes tommy750	Glad you're getting out again, Britain. I turned 65 this year and worked my last day a couple weeks ago. Looking forward to those 7-day weekends! I carried a sat phone for years while solo hiking but ditched it for a Garmin Inreach Messenger. Way cheaper and should give my wife exact coordinates where to find my carcass
12/29/2024 Topic: Wonderstone Wash & Lake Cahilla Bathtub Ring tommy750	Thanks for the nice video, dtoujours. I day hiked out there from Red Earth Casino a while back and encountered Torres-Martinez signage north of where I visited which I respected. There was no fencing or signage to the south. Was is difficult to get permission from the gravel company? Restrictions on where you could travel? Collecting? I've been eyeing the other wonderstone quarry which was the predominant Kumeyaay source, Cerro Colorado. Cerro Colorado is a mile south of the border and easily visible from I-8 driving past Yuha. Next time I'm traveling on Mex 2D, I might stop by if it's possible to visit. Here's a great free pdf link on wonderstone if anyone wants more info on the local indigenous use: https://www.californiaprehistory.com/publications/proceedings/Proceedings.08Pigniolo.pdf
12/29/2024 Topic: Pinyon Ridge and The Guzzler tommy750	NIce trip! Have never been up there. Where did you guys start from? Had the same maintenance question regarding the Whale Peak guzzler when I passed by last month. There was lots of water in the tanks but the drinker was a live and dead bee soup starting to clog up the float. So I Inreach texted Daren asking for advice and got this helpful response: "...bees will work it out with the bhs." RIght!
12/29/2024 Topic: Agua Alta overnight tommy750	Looks like a great trip, Brian. Disappointed to hear Agua Alta was not flowing well. Have been thinking about a loop using that spring and was assuming the flow would be good based on this video showing the spring completely rehabbed compared to the one time I visited years ago. Check it out at 1:29 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZlVN5xiFHI&t=89s Rockhopper also said it was flowing well in the recent past. Guess the Santa Rosas are pretty dry right now. Was in Rockhouse Canyon with Gary and Yoks a month ago and two of the three springs out there were dry (Cowboy was a wet spot but we located good flow about 40 feet uphill so actually 1 spring dry). Gary said for the past thirty years he's been hiking RHC, all three water sources were a sure thing. Not this year. Am thinking the vehicles may have been stolen and got stripped out out there.
12/29/2024 Topic: Pinyon Ridge and The Guzzler tommy750	Brian wrote: We started from the Wilson Peak TH off old Culp Valley Road. Okay, thanks.
12/30/2024 Topic: Agua Alta overnight tommy750	Brian wrote: tommy750 wrote: two of the three springs out there were dry Am I right in assuming it's the spring at the Cottonwoods which is still reliable? That's right, Nicholias Canyon above the cottonwoods had good flow.
12/31/2024 Topic: Wonderstone Wash & Lake Cahilla Bathtub Ring tommy750	dtoujours wrote: I started by asking permission from the gravel company, per the advice in the Lindsay "Anza-Borrego Desert Region" guidebook, but they said I needed to talk with the Torres-Martinez people. I contacted them and they asked me to complete a form and submit a map of my proposed travel route, and they approved me a month and a half later. No collecting, but I was happy to leave the things I found for future visitors to enjoy. Thanks for the link! Thanks for the info, Dtoujours. Just noticed on caltopo the Rainbow Rock part of the quarry is held by two private parties and not the gravel mining LLC or Torres-Martinez Indians. Did you visit the Torres-Martinez part of Wonderstone or Rainbow Rock as well? I ended up walking due west from Red Earth and then north to Rainbow Rock essentially all on unsigned private property. Wonderstone by tomteske, on Flickr Rainbow Rock by tomteske, on Flickr
1/8/2025 Topic: Carrizo Creek Badlands tommy750	Nice you could get out Britain and being able to hike after New Year's Eve is a good thing!
1/8/2025 Topic: Desert Kit Fox Trailcam Footage tommy750	Nice footage, Dtoujours! I'm like Rocko1, tried it a few times and didn't get much. Daren, if you see this, you should post your 800 Bunnies! trailcam pics from the round trough up in Potrero. Definitely will make everyone smile.
1/25/2025 Topic: Hiker shot by Mexican Cartel in Jacumba Wilderness tommy750	That's too bad this happened in such a beautiful location. Always found the Jacumba Wilderness to be serene and a pleasure to hike. Hope your friends make a full recovery, Brian.
1/27/2025 Topic: Dolomite Desert Terraces tommy750	Found this on GE a while back and just couldn't convince myself it was natural so I went out and took a peek. You guys ever seen this before? Was present at least on 2014 GE imaging and I suspect it's at least decades old. My guess is hippies doing some sort desert farming experiment. Don't think it's a cultural site. Just seems like a weird endeavor at this location yards from S2. Terraces 2 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_0022 (1) by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_0024 (1) by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_0015 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_0013 by tomteske, on Flickr IMG_0020 by tomteske, on Flickr
1/27/2025 Topic: Agua Alta overnight tommy750	Rocko1 wrote: Tommy was the second dry spring barrel? Yes, it was Barrel.
1/28/2025 Topic: Dolomite Desert Terraces tommy750	dtoujours wrote: These are good theories. I wondered if it was related to slope stabilization or gravel collection. It reminds me of the Topock Maze a little bit, but there are certainly differences and this doesn't seem like a cultural site. There's a lot of internet info on desert farming/permaculture using various techniques including swales, gabions and terraces. All the locations I see utilizing these seem to have a lot more water than the Colorado Desert but who knows. microclimates by tomteske, on Flickr Pic is from: https://permaculturepractice.com/arid-climate-permaculture/
1/28/2025 Topic: Agua Alta overnight tommy750	Rocko1 wrote: tommy750 wrote: Rocko1 wrote: Tommy was the second dry spring barrel? Yes, it was Barrel. Darn. Was hoping it had something. Any chance up the drainage might have a trickle? Daren would be able to help you with that. Here's a pic taken by Yokes 11/2024 at Barrel Spring. Gary says the pipe from the spring is probably plugged and needs cleaning but again, ask Daren. 20241128_134556 by tomteske, on Flickr
2/2/2025 Topic: Dolomite Desert Terraces tommy750	dtoujours wrote: The Viejas Band of the Kumeyaay mentions stone terraces on their website: https://viejasbandofkumeyaay.org/viejas-community/kumeyaay-history/kumeyaay-sense-of-the-land/ Of course, that piece of cloth in one of your photos seems more modern. edited by dtoujours on 1/29/2025 Thanks for the info, Dtoujours. Although it seems well-documented the Kumeyaay used rock walls for water control and agriculture, I can't say I've ever seen obvious examples most likely because I never paid attention or considered the possibility. Will definitely keep that in mind while out exploring. Current known water sources are all about 4 miles away from the terraces site, but probably there were many more closer sources in pre-history.
2/5/2025 Topic: Dolomite Desert Terraces tommy750	dsefcik wrote: Previous ABDSP ranger(s) have told me of "hippie" settlements back in the day that made all kinds of rock formations. What you found seems oddly close to the mining efforts. Just found this and thinking hippies may be the final answer: Dolomite Hippies by tomteske, on Flickr
2/18/2025 Topic: Fish Creek, Did it Rain There? tommy750	Just got back tonight from driving my pickup out to the bottom of Pinyon Canyon and the road conditions suck. At least for vehicles. Bad washboard the entire way and the sand is not well compacted. Have a fat ebike I ride in the desert and would not have enjoyed the ride. There obviously was some rain out there since morteros have water in them but you might want to wait till a bigger storm hits. Just my two cents. Sounds like a fun ride whenever you do it.
2/21/2025 Topic: RHC 3 Day Backpack Trip tommy750	NIce TR. Like your sunrise and evening pics. And glad you found water. If you found a nice trail from the rockhouses to/from Stifferino, that's a great find. The few times I've been out there, that stretch always seems to be where you end up trudging through a dozen different drainages.
11 days ago Topic: Sweeney Pass Stone Wall? tommy750	Okay, I give. What structure?
1 days ago Topic: Sweeney Pass Stone Wall? tommy750	Dtoujours, looks like natural erosion to me but would have to see up close to be sure. Nice AI poem! Daren, the bollards are still there in the last GE image from 3/2023. Pretty sure I've seen them in the past couple months driving up Sweeney Pass.

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