Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

This weekend we went back into the desert! Anza-Borrego is a state park about two hours from us and known for the giant metal sculptures which can be found dotted about the desert.

But there was a lot to see before we got to them. We stopped on the way there in a little town called Julian which is famous for its apple orchards and apple pie. It is also an old mining town and has several gold mines, including one which is open for tours. We did some panning for gold and then went inside where the miners used to go. They showed up the hats they used to wear with candles on top and the different tools they'd use to get through the lines of quartz. 

Finishing the tour, we then went into the town to get some pie! Mitchell got a traditional with whipped cream and I got Dutch caramel apple with cinnamon ice-cream. They were very tasty and very large slices! We then walked past a few of the small shops and stopped for some hot apple cider from a cart. They asked us if we wanted cream and cinnamon on top, and we said yes, but that may have been a bad idea. The cream didn't really go with it. Once I'd eaten it off the top, the cider underneath was actually quite tasty and nice and warm in the chilly day (about 13c and sunny). 

We got to our campsite and as we pulled up I realised I'd forgotten to pack the matches (I'd taken them out of the supplies bag to light my scented candles since the last time we'd been camping). I then also realised I'd forgotten to pack a pan for us to cook our eggs in the morning. So, after putting up the tent, we immedietly went back out to the town of Borrego Springs (which luckily was only a five minute drive away) where there was a small market which sold all the basic food and supplies for forgetful campers like us. We blamed the fact that we switched our normal roles while packing and things fell between the cracks. 

After we'd got back and cooked dinner, the campground put on a little talk at the campfire centre. A volunteer ranger had come with a presentation about various animal tracks and how to recognise them which was really interesting and we learnt a lot about the sorts of things we could see on our walks. To get to the campfire centre, we walked through some land without tents or roads. We'd brought a torch, but it wasn't helping much so I turned it off. The moon was so bright we could see our way without the torch and could actually see our shadows from the light of it!

We then tucked up in our tent with our books. We'd learnt from last time and had brought more layers and warm hats to wear and brought our whole duvet with us to layer on top of the sleeping bags too. It worked really well and we were really cozy all night. 

In the morning, we drove further into the desert and hiked the slot canyon trail. This is a very small canyon between the rocks and at certain points we really had to squeeze through! Once we got to the end, it opened out and we could see all the way across the desert. We walked for a bit and stopped for a snack before heading back to the car park. 

We had lunch at the campsite and then did a trail which started from there. By this time it was just after 2pm and sunset was at 4:45pm, so we only had a few hours to do it before dark! There was a volunteer at the start of the trail and he gave us a flyer with a numbered nature trail and information about the trail. He also said that big horn sheep had been seen that morning in the area, but we didn't get to see any. 

It was a nice trail which took us up into the stoney mountains and ended with a palm tree oasis. Unfortunately, the palm trees had all burnt down last year, so we weren't allowed to go into the oasis, but they had re-routed the trail to a view point instead. 

On the walk back, the valley was already dark, even though we could still see sunlight on the plains below. The trail was only a mile and a half long, but it looked a lot longer from up there!

We got back just before dark, and started to make our own campfire! Every campsite we've been to has had its own fire pit, but because the fire risk has always been so high, we haven't been able to have one yet. As we were setting it up, the people in the site opposite us were just leaving and came over to offer their leftover firewood, which was very nice of them. We built it up nice and high and cooked our hotdogs over the fire on toasting forks and then toasted marshmallows too. It was really fun, and nice and warm! 

Wildlife update: we heard several packs of coyotes during the nights, some far away, some rather close! We also saw a real life roadrunner! It popped up on the road before speeding away, but we got to see its distinctive crest and face forward run. 

On Monday morning we packed up and then went to find the metal sculptures. They were in three separate places in the desert and we had to drive down dirt tracks to get to them. We did get stuck in a sandy patch briefly, but were able to reverse out and take a safer route out. 

We saw all of them, and some of them were pretty huge! My favourites were the dinosaurs (obviously), but there were all sorts of animals, extinct and extant. 

This week we also made the heartbreaking decision to stay in California and cancel our flights home for Christmas. This will be the second Christmas we've spent away from our families, so everyone stay safe and get your booster!

Mucho love

Emily and Mitchell