| Monterey County and Beyond

Two Fools in the Desert

Mud and wind caves. Indian pictographs. Desert wildflowers. Anza Borrego Desert California State Park offers approximately 1,000 square miles of caves, cliffs, and desert landscapes. It is the largest California state park and has much to offer if you don’t mind the extreme weather and have 4WD. Well, Jose and I are no desert rats and really didn’t understand the unpredictable weather or the vastness of space. As a result, we didn’t get to see what we had originally planned. However, we did discover some hidden gems. This is a list of some lessons learned.

Bring the correct vehicle. Despite the fact that my silver VW Jetta looks great against the desert backdrop, my poor car was not made for desert trails. While many major roads and highways cross through Anza, some of the attractions are only accessible through “primitive roads.”

Check the weather. We were prepared for the heat. My car’s air conditioning was functioning. We purchased two gallons of water and nonperishable foods (Chip Ahoy Cookies) in case “something” happened. I even called my mother to tell her we were going and to expect to hear from us by 10 pm that night.

Apparently, deserts have thunder storms and flash flooding in summer. Upon visiting the visitor center to get directions to the mud caves, a park ranger told us that one park patron spent a few days trapped and was barely rescued earlier that day. So, we were unable to access the mud caves as well as the Indian pictographs- our primary reason for going to Anza Borrego. Pretty devastating.

Bring a map. Anza Borrego’s signage is not very clear. Major roads are marked, however, the dirt roads in the desert are just as important but often unclear. We picked up a map at the visitor center; however, it isn’t always easy to decipher major desert roads from small turn-offs. Jose and I spent a good hour trying to get to one location driving my two-wheel drive onto dirt roads made for Jeep Wranglers.

We did come across some amazing desert surprises. Artist Ricardo Breceda created an eerily beautiful sculpture garden which can be seen from Borrego Springs Rosd. As you head south from Borrego Springs, giant horses and dinosaurs made from scrap metal scatter the landscape.

The Anza Borrego State Park Visitor Center is a pretty impressive facility, especially compared to other California State Parks. The air-conditioned building complements well with the backdrop. We even stopped to watch a short film, “A Year in the Desert,” and peruse the mini-museum.

After chatting with the park rangers in the visitor center, we received some recommendations on flood free sights. We settled on visiting an Indian archaeological site. Off of the 78 State Highway, a tiny sign led us to the dirt road called “Mine Wash.” This area is deemed “Kumeyaay Village” where California Indians made their home here seasonally.

Anza Borrego State Park is located within the Colorado Desert of Southern California. Bring a 4 Wheel Drive vehicle.

-N

And we have arrived!

Me and the Giant Bird.

Infinite desert.

The visitor center. It has a bridge you can walk over. Disregard naked bike rider.

That just happened.

Jose's favorite dinosaur.

Clearing the trail of rocks.

Dark and sweaty.

Jose discovers mortars.

Indian Village.

Checking out some rocks.

She looks good... like a car ad.

Good advice!

Information:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638

Park Map http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/638/files/ABDSPmap.pdf

Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1217

Information on Desert Sculptures http://www.galletameadows.com/

La Jolla Sea Caves Snorkeling Adventure

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This past Saturday, Nicole and I slept in a little bit longer than normal in an attempt to recover from the week. We figured we’d take it easy. Maybe we might head down to La Jolla Village and walk around, possibly find a nice spot on the beach and read a book Nicole had recently purchased at the San Juan Capistrano Mission about the ghosts that haunt California’s 21 missions. It didn't quite end up that way.

Parking in La Jolla sucks. It’s terrible. There is no way around it. I hate it. I was already in a grumpy mood to start this trek. We finally found parking in a random neighborhood a bit far from the main attractions, and made our way down. It wasn’t an especially sunny day, but it was nice enough so that everything was absolutely packed. Great.

I am used to much more laid back settings, and the amount of people there was unnerving to me. We walked along Coast Boulevard, checking out various parks and beaches along the way, but found no place to relax. We took a small break near the famous Cave Store, which charges an entrance fee for passage through a La Jolla ocean cave. That’s when the fun really began.

Looking out into one of the well-known La Jolla Sea Caves, we realized there was a small rocky beach people were climbing in and out of in order to gain easy access to the caves. Some people were snorkeling, some were on kayaks. It seemed ideal and we quickly decided we were going to rent some snorkels and finally check out the caves.

The Cave Store had a set of snorkel, goggles, and flippers for 20 bucks for the rest of the day. A bit steep, but it was so convenient, and we were so pumped at this idea that we went with it anyway. We climbed down the rocks to the launching spot we’d seen, and soon we were in the water.

San Diegans who are able to experience these warmer waters are truly lucky. While the initial minute is spent warming up, after that you are good to go. Nicole and I were out on the water for a good 2-3 hours having a blast. Initially, the water was pretty calm as the tide hadn’t started to come in yet. Visibility was at a maximum, and you could instantly see bright orange Garibaldi fish everywhere. I’d never seen so many of California’s state fish in one spot, so many in fact that they became old hat during that session. Tons of other small fish were abundant, as well as other critters on the ocean bottom. I’m near sighted, and I didn’t feel like this limited my enjoyment a bit.

We decided to snorkel through the caves, and that was an adventure in its own. The first cave we went into was rather narrow, and the water going in and out with the tide caused me to get roughed up on the rocks a bit… totally worth it. We also went into a series of other caves with a nice pool area. The last cave we hung out in has a tunnel that leads out of the Cave Store. During prohibition, it was used to smuggle alcohol, and before that to smuggle in illegal Chinese and other immigrants. It now serves as a tourist attraction and as a story to tell people going on a kayak tour of the caves, as I eavesdropped upon one.

The La Jolla caves are something you have to experience if you’re in the area.

La Jolla Sea Cave (photo by Nicole)

Information:
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Lajollacaves
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Q1FF
Directions: Walk northwest from the Cave Store and head down a wooden staircase to the cliffside towards a small viewing platform offering views of the sea caves. Head down the cliffs (CAREFULLY) towards the right side where you’ll see other people gathered. Jump in and enjoy.

Exploring Julian's Historic Past

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Occasionally, Jose and I will venture outside the walls of Monterey County and explore California’s other wonders. We were lucky enough to spend the summer in San Diego, which allowed us to wander a bit off the traditional touristy path. So we spent a Saturday in Julian and Anza Borrega State Park.

Julian is an adorable gold mining town, about an hour east of San Diego, preserved to its 1870’s mining prime. We spent an hour exploring the shops, restaurants, and numerous historical plaques.

It should be noted that the most glorious aspect of this town is the pie. We stopped at Mom’s Pies on Main Street. This was perhaps the best day of Jose’s life. Seriously. On the other hand, my favorite moment was picturing Jose in an early 20thcentury jail we had found tucked away off the main strip. The jail is located on the corner of C and 4th street.

A second highlight of our trip was taking a tour of the Eagle and High Peak Gold Mine and Museum. A local in overalls, with about four teeth, handed two suckers (us) a flyer to the Gold Mine and Museum located a I loved this. This is probably because I am obsessed with small holes in the earth. The tour took about an hour and a half and our tour guide had so much knowledge on the Julian’s mining past, as well as the gold mining operation itself. The mine was rugged, dusty, and probably an accurate depiction of the mine in the 1870’s. Well worth the $10.

-N