2/28/2024
Topic:
Greeting!
dtoujours
|
Hi there, I want to introduce myself to everybody on the form. I've been a bit of a lurker off and on for a while, but looking forward to participating now. Hiking is a big part of my life and I love visiting environments throughout the American Southwest, but the desert is my true home, and Anza Borrego is my home desert. Cheers to you all! |
2/29/2024
Topic:
Greeting!
dtoujours
|
Thank you! Gosh, that's a tough one. One of the things I like about Anza Borrego is that there's always a fresh adventure you can make for yourself. That said, I like the badlands south of Truckhaven Rocks with the Salton Sea in the distance and anywhere I can see the ocotillos and smell the creosote! Do you have a favorite hike?
Brian wrote:
Welcome. What's your favorite hike in Anza Borrego? |
2/29/2024
Topic:
Ghosts of the Wilderness with Daniel Toujours
dtoujours
|
This presentation is at Helix Brewing in La Mesa, but its theme focuses on deserts, including Anza Borrego, and the wider American Southwest region.
Ghosts of the Wilderness-Free Presentation with Daniel Toujours-Hiker, Naturalist, and Author
Daniel is an everyday guy who, like many of us, spends as much time as he can hiking during his evenings, weekends, and days off. Looking to explore more, he set out on a mission to find the iconic, but elusive American animals that he hadn't yet seen in thousands of miles of hiking. Along the way, he discovered history from the American Southwest, stumbled upon artifacts, and learned a little something about life. Please join us for an entertaining and informative talk.
This presentation is part of the Adventure 16 Wild Wednesdays Series. These fun and casual FREE presentations are aimed at Inspiring and Informing SoCal's Outdoor Community.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
6:30pm Meet n' Drink; 7:00pm Presentation, Ends around 8pm
Food Truck on Site
Helix Brewing
8101 Commercial Street
La Mesa, CA 91942
https://adventure16.com/pages/events-1 |
3/11/2024
Topic:
Knee replacement
dtoujours
|
Good on ya getting back out there, Britain! |
3/11/2024
Topic:
Wildflowers starting to bloom around June Wash
dtoujours
|
Beautiful! Thanks for the report. |
3/12/2024
Topic:
Wildflowers starting to bloom around June Wash
dtoujours
|
The wildflowers are getting a little local news coverage 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOeJnxZ6hZ0 |
3/18/2024
Topic:
Greeting!
dtoujours
|
Thanks!
tekewin wrote:
Welcome! |
6/20/2024
Topic:
Solstice Cave
dtoujours
|
Since today is the Summer Solstice, I took the day off work and headed out in the middle of the night to hike and scramble to the so-called "Solstice Cave" in the Anza Borrego Desert, a boulder cave with Native American pictograph paintings of the sun and other objects. One of these pictographs is supposedly illuminated at sunrise on the Summer Solstice, so I wanted to check it out. I had a high-lumen flashlight in addition to my headlamp, but unfortunately I still had difficulty finding the way at one point and arrived at 5:49am, 12 minutes after official sunrise. Looking at the angle of the sun to the various pictographs, I didn't think it would have illuminated any of them. But I waited around for a little over an hour to see if anything else would happen, until the sun had risen high enough in the sky that I didn't think the angle would allow it to shine into the cave anymore. None of the pictographs had been illuminated during my time on site. The number of sun pictographs (with none of them standing out as the main one) and their angles to the sun makes it seem unlikely to me that one of them could have been illuminated exactly at sunrise, but I'm disappointed that I wasn't there to know for sure. I wonder if anyone had any sources or information on this or if you've had personal experience or know someone who has. To me, it seems this cave may have been misnamed and doesn't have anything to do with the solstice. Perhaps this eastern facing boulder cave was just a good place for the Native American Shamens to watch the sun rise year round.
You can check out my Reddit post on this topic for photos:
https://www.reddit.com/r/sandiego/comments/1dko5h4/solstice_caveanza_borrego_desert/ |
7/22/2024
Topic:
Solstice Cave
dtoujours
|
That article about the winter solstice was interesting. The summer solstice sunrise is somewhat to the northeast and the winter solstice sunrise is somewhat to the southeast. That would make the winter solstice sunrise more directly and fully illuminate the cave from an area with fewer obstructions, but probably wouldn't lead to the type of pinpoint moving light effect I was expecting.
Also, an interesting point about the smog/dust in the valley. It was surprisingly clear that day, so maybe I arrived too late or maybe the effect doesn't take place in this location. @dsefcik, have you witnessed the summer solstice from this location and timed it to be 12 minutes? Or did you get this information from a particular source?
Indeed, we need to respect and protect these precious sites. |
7/22/2024
Topic:
Solstice Cave
dtoujours
|
Thank you for sharing! |
10/18/2024
Topic:
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
dtoujours
|
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. |
22 days ago
Topic:
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
dtoujours
|
Those look like some good reads! |