BorregoWrangler

With four days off work at the end of December, I figured I'd get an early start on my 52 Hike Challenge for 2015 and head off into the wilds of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. It had been about four years since I had last visited the upper reaches of Coyote Canyon, so I decided to hike through the riparian (wetlands adjacent to rivers and streams) areas of Upper and Middle Willows within the canyon. These areas can truly be described as "desert jungles." Full trip report HERE.

Haha! Thanks.

When the weather begins cooling down here in southern California, my wanderlust really starts kicking in. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, wanderlust is a “strong longing for or impulse toward wandering.” And remember what J. J. R. Tolkien said: “Not all who wander are lost.” There are countless reasons why I hike, off road, and just enjoy the activities that get me into the back country. I believe that it's essential for everyone that we never stop exploring. I've been wanting to take on a trail that descends into one of the loneliest reaches of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a quiet enclosed valley by the name of Canebrake; from McCain Valley and Pepperwood Trail. Click HERE for more photos and my full trip report. Hope you enjoy!

Some friends and I are planning on our annual hike to the Goat Canyon railroad trestle in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. I consider this to be the best hike in San Diego county. Its an adventure! The Mortero Palms trail head is located here: 32.720187, -116.146669 This hike involves scrambling and some bouldering with 3 miles of tough terrain and some substantial ascents and descents. Anyone participating should be physically and mentally prepared for a full day's hike. So far, I have some folks interested in making this an overnight trip- setting up camp near the trail head after the hike and then heading home on Sunday. This might be a bit of a drive for those in Arizona, but believe me when I say you won't be disappointed!

You're welcome! It was good to get out into the dirt again.

Carrizo Mountain to Dos Cabezas Road | OAUSA BorregoFest Run Carrizo Mountain is the highest point of the rocky Coyote Mountains, located in the transition zone between the Salton depression of Imperial County, and the mountains and desert valleys of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to the west. The range is located not far north of Interstate-8 near the small community of Ocotillo, and is the centerpiece of the Yuha Desert Recreation Area. The surrounding foothills and desert are popular with off-road vehicles and dirt bikes. Few venture up the old mining roads that leads to a turnaround a few hundred feet below the summit. Click here for my full write up!

March 21-23, 2014 marked the 4th annual SoCal Desert Rendezvous, organized and hosted by the crew at American Adventurist. (http://americanadventurist.com/Forum/forum.php) This was our second time attending this event. A few weeks before the event, the super secret location is reveled with a set of GPS coordinates- Google Maps cut and paste: 33.599581,-115.536937 This is a very laid back, free event which features desert cleanups, trail runs, a potluck, raffle, dutch oven competition, steel shoot, swap meet, and of course a big campfire for all to enjoy. There were even some OAUSA folks there to host some amateur radio testing. Its great getting together with fellow adventurers with a variety of awesome vehicles, along with great food & drink at a remote desert location. Click here for my photos and write up.

Thanks! I bought a few books at the visitor center that have the photos.

For some time now I've been wanting to take my family on a tour of the Salton Sea, here in the desert of Southern California, to check out the various historical sites and points of interest along or near its shores. It seems to me that most people don't give the Salton Sea much thought, and when they do they think of a nasty, polluted, uninviting place. Stories of a polluted Salton Sea are greatly exaggerated. Responsible sources have verified the fact that the sea is safe. The real problem is too much salt-carried in by irrigation water, and concentrated by the natural process of evaporation. Its a beautiful place to visit, camp, and explore, especially in the cooler months. Click here for the full write up.

"A little more than twenty miles southeast of San Diego, within the boundaries of the Mexican land grant Rancho Jamul, a curious and substantial masonry structure stands isolated at the foot of a low hill. The structure houses two octagonal kilns, a brick smokestack rising more than thirty feet above them. Limestone and clay from a deposit on the hill behind were once burned in these kilns by the Jamul Portland Cement Manufacturing Company, an enterprise created during the boom of the 1880s." -San Diego Historical Society Click the link here for my full trip report: Jamul Kiln Ruins

Nice! I caught my biggest catfish at Squaw Lake. Thanks guys!

Carrizo Mountain is a hidden gem in our local Southern California desert. The narrow shelf roads up the mountain are only open six months out of the year, from July 1st to December 31st. This provides big horn sheep uninterrupted access into this mountainous habitat. Realistically though, there are only three months out of the year were we humans can recreate on Carrizo Mountain during cooler weather, from October to December. With an elevation of 2,408 feet, Carrizo Mountain is the highest point along the Coyote Mountains; a small, rocky range situated at the transition between the higher Peninsular ranges of San Diego County, and the lower Imperial Valley and Salton Basin. The mountains are located in far-southern California not too far from the Mexican border. The range and summit lies within Imperial County, abutting the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Check out the link for more photos and the complete trip report: Carrizo Mountain & Indian Hill

Here's my report of our annual trip out to the river over the long Thanksgiving weekend. There was plenty of fishing, food, and time well spent with family and friends. Click here: Colorado River Trip 2013 Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanks guys! I think its about 11 miles total. Took us about 7 hours. Yeah, I've seen folks just hike out along the tracks and back. Its a longer route but much easier.

The Goat Canyon Trestle is an engineering marvel on the “impossible” San Diego and Arizona Railway that was constructed between 1907 and 1919 along the rugged Carrizo Gorge. The world's largest wooden trestle was built in 1932 after an earthquake destroyed one of the tunnels, forcing the railroad engineers to bridge Goat Canyon. This spectacular trestle remains to this day for adventure minded people to find deep within a rugged wilderness. My full write up and photos can be found here: Goat Canyon Trestle Hike, November 2013

I'd be happy to show you around if you ever make it out this way! There are some great areas to explore behind the wheel and on foot in Anza-Borrego.

Thanks! Getting stuck every now and then makes things interesting. We had a blast!

“To this site I gave the name of Zienega de San Sevastian, alias del Peregrino. In the place where we halted there is a good spring of very potable water, and there are many others to the west which are saline. From them is formed a marsh more than a league long with plentiful pasturage, although it is likewise salty.” –Juan Bautista de Anza, March 10, 1774 It was a great weekend spent camping with my family and other adventure-minded people, exploring the history and beauty of our local deserts. Click here for more photos and the complete write up: http://johnandautumnsadventures.blogspot.com/2013/10/outdoor-adventure-usas-2013-borregofest.html

"The road into Lower Coyote Canyon was badly damaged during summer rainstorms, and will not open until mid-October or later. The road into Upper Coyote Canyon should open as scheduled October 1. Horse Camp should open October 1, but the road to Horse Camp has soft sand, and four-wheel-drive is recommended. We appreciate your patience as we work to repair these roads." -Anza Borrego Park Headquarters Although it seemed that I would be unable to travel the entire trail, I was curious to see how far I could get and how badly it was damaged from the recent floods. There were also a few other areas I wanted to explore... Click here for more photos and the complete write up: ABDSP: Culp Valley, Coyote Canyon, Kane Springs Rd, & Harper Canyon - Oct. 5th, 2013

Thanks guys! It would be great getting out with you again. I would love to get out to Arizona sometime.

Shortly after descending the drop off and entering the gulch, I perched myself atop a ridge to get a few shots of Ollie's FJ making its way through a few rocky sections. As the vehicle started to climb a boulder it suddenly died. Ollie tried starting it again but to no avail. We were suddenly stranded in the desert... Check out the link here for more photos and complete write-up: http://johnandautumnsadventures.blogspot.com/2013/09/anza-borrego-adventure-breakdown-2013.html

Planning for Outdoor Adventure USA's annual BorregFest event is in the works. The dates are set for October 18th - 20th, 2013. This is a family friendly event that never fails to impress and the potluck is always a hit! Runs for the event and the other details will be posted in the next few weeks... I'll be heading out to the event Saturday afternoon on the 19th. My family and I will be participating in a run to fund melanoma cancer research Saturday morning at UCSD Moore's Cancer Center. I'll have the Jeep loaded so we can head out to the campground afterwards. On Sunday I'll be leading a run up Coyote Canyon. More info here: http://oausa.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=178

Thanks guys! I'll have to show you around the area if you ever come invade California again! Yeah, that was about as hot as I can stand out there. Thanks goodness for AC!

One of my favorite areas to camp and explore in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is Sheep and Lower Coyote Canyons, located North West of the town of Borrego Springs, CA. Being somewhat secluded and accessible only with 4 wheel drive (besides foot or on horseback), its usually easy to escape the crowds here. The original goal was to camp up in Sheep Canyon with my family, hike to some of the nearby streams and waterfalls, and generally just relax and soak in the beautiful desert landscape. Unfortunately my wife ended up having too much school work to finish up, so I ended up heading out alone on this trip. However, I was able to spend some time with my girls at Dos Picos Park in Ramona, CA before I headed out to brave the desert heat. Click here to see the whole trip report and more photos: Sheep & Lower Coyote Canyon, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

The SoCal Rendezvous Conspiracy is a free event, held each year since 2011 and put together by a group from the Expedition Portal forums and led by Dave Bennett, (Tacodoc). In addition to the Saturday evening potluck, there were donated raffle prizes, free decals and t-shirts. The group’s main objective is to plot to meet at a remote location at an agreed upon time to hang out with fellow adventurers. A fun aspect of this event is that the attendees don't know the location of base camp until it is revealed about a week before, as a set of GPS coordinates in the middle of the desert. For the whole story check out my write up here: SoCal Desert Rendezvous 2013: 33°35’58.13″N 115°32’13.31″W