It is just as stinky here as when we came through in 2011. The difference being this time we are just day tripping from Anza Borrego and we can put up with the smell for a few hours while we check out what feathered friends are around. We see many of the usual waterside suspects plus a couple we rarely see; cinnamon teals and burrowing owls. Gambel’s Quails scurry about under the wildlife refuge bird feeder their cute little top-knots bouncing as they go. A large flock of snow geese moves between grain fields and a sheltered pool.
We are in for the day as dirt and sand are swirling. It is pretty much a wash out for hiking and bird watching. I am ok with a quiet day to relax and stroll among “our” wildflower garden.
Just beyond the state park boundary vehicles of all type zip
across the vegetation dotted landscape.
This morning, brightly colored dots dance against the sky and the desert
mountain backdrop. A hand full of powered
parachutes swing and glide above the rugged landscape. It
looks like it might be fun but seems like that big fan and motor strapped to
your back would be distractingly noisy.
To each his own I suppose.
We creep our way back 4 miles of BLM managed wash-boarded dirt road to the trailhead for Ladder and Painted Canyon trails. The lot is pretty full so it doesn’t look like it will be a quiet commune with nature; but, we are here so on we go. Our plan is to hike the ladder trail first so we check out the maps and head out.
The trail begins in a wide wash bordered by steep high walls of clay-like soil. Sweeping swirls and trails of wax-like drips decorate the surfaces. Sand crunches underfoot. Within just a few hundred yards most of those sharing the trail turn off (more on that later) and we find ourselves alone as the wash narrows and begins to twist and turn. We soon discover that the entire area has been sculpted through years into beautifully colored narrow twisting canyons with steep walls between. That is where the ladders come in.
We spot the first set and head up…thankfully it is up the ladder; down ladder is much more nerve racking for me. We move on; twisting and turning and climbing ladders between canyons, admiring intricate shapes and splashes of color as we encounter wildflowers along the way. We are climbing boulders up narrow ravines now…seems like a lot tougher hike than described in blogs. We emerge atop a high ridge overlooking the great desert valley. It is beautiful!
But, the little blue dot on the trail app on Kent’s phone says we are way off trail…any trail! Oops. We relax and take in the view and lunch then decide to move on rather than backtrack. We noodle a bit then choose a somewhat worn path that seems about the right direction. This trail is terrible underfoot but is followable. After a mile or so we descend into a wash with lots of fresh footprints in the sand. It turns out to be Painted Canyon. Alright, we are back into charted territory and enjoy the beautiful stroll back toward the trail head. It was definitely not the path we intended but still a great walk. So, the turn-off that everyone else took just a couple hundred yards in, looks like we should have gone with the crowd. These trails are not simple loops and counterclockwise ended significantly different than clockwise must have. 6 ½ miles instead of 4 ½ but no scrapped knees or twisted ankles. We’d do it again. Who wouldn’t like trails with ladders?
Well sort of. After a
fair amount of route finding and rock scrambling, we find a sheltered cliff
maybe 30 feet tall covered with dripping moss complete with ferns and a frog pond
at its base. About right for this arid
place. It is a peaceful, cool, shaded
spot.
That is what we found at the end of Hellhole Canyon trail in
Anza Borrego SP. It is a difficult last
mile or so and if you are not careful you might miss the falls once you get to
the “top”. The rock scramble back down
is a test for knees and hips too.
Humming birds, hawks, crows, and black throated sparrows entertained us
along the way but we didn’t see any big horn sheep.
It is an outdoor public art gallery in the form of dozens of amazing sculptures dispersed across acres of open desert on both ends of town (Borrego Springs). A street-crossing serpent and big horn sheep. The padre we camped near years ago. Elephants, sloth, javelina, camels, turtles….Very cool.
All the developed campgrounds are full for the weekend so we
are heading for one of the primitive areas, Arroyo Salado. We know that we are getting close. Ack, that was our turn off – that narrow,
sandy turn to the left… Now we need a
turn-around for this behemoth…these are times when one rethinks the virtues of
a pickup camper or the like. We get
headed the right way, walk the road to be sure there is a site, then settle in
to a perfect site right in the middle of the best wildflower bloom patch in the
park.
We are on the watch for desert big horn sheep. There are tiny hoof prints in the sand here
at camp but seems like they might more likely be javelina prints? Seems we will have to settle for wild flowers
not wild life but it is beautiful none the less. With 3+ inches of rain this past winter the
bloom is pretty impressive. The locals
are hoping that the predicted cold nights (mid 30s) won’t interrupt the show. Desert lilies are just getting started.
Overall, we are happy with the site – we have great night sky and sunrise views too; at 6:15 AM in Pacific time zone. Bonus, we get to see the International Space Station go over every night this week; early evening no less!
What else, back out for another paddle. Today we head toward the maze of narrow
channels that meander through high growth.
It is a bit more out of reach of power boats and might offer up some new
wildlife. We paddle a little over 6
miles in about 5 hours on the lake. Fortunately,
we find a gravel ramp on the far end of the lake to get out and stretch my
grumbly hips. I enjoy kayaking or
canoeing most if I can get out every couple hours and walk around a bit. We don’t make any great new discoveries but do
finally see great blue herons and great egrets.
Both are hiding downwind as the morning breeze has now grown to be much
more significant. It was the forecast! Looks like time to head back in. Narrow channels and areas behind islands make
for protected paddling then a quick sprint across open water gets us to the
upwind bank for a reasonable paddle toward home. We have to work a bit at a couple more open
water spots but find ourselves safely back at camp after a fun day on the
water.
Tonight, we find a clear star-studded night sky with no moon
but spillover light from the Proving Grounds and not-quite-distant enough Yuma interfere
with the perfect inky black view I was hoping for. Our next stop is Anza Borrego Desert SP in
CA. It is a night sky park with
development miles afar….seems like a perfect starry night place.
The wind is manageable and the sun brilliant so we head out
for a paddle. Our launch site is a bit
precarious but we both manage to get in and out of the kayaks without getting wet. Perfect!
Left minimally, nearly every foot of shoreline is heavily lined with
tall reeds and grass. It is awkward for
leg stretch breaks but perfect for wildlife.
Graceful, beautifully marked Western Grebes fill the air with their rattley
trills. Clunky black American Coots
cluck and a pod of beggardly mallards assault our ears with maniacal laughing
quacks. Snowy egrets walk the ragged
shores shaking their big clown feet while stealthy sora move amid the shelter of
the reeds. Limpkin stand statue still at
the water’s edge. Moorhens with their candy corn beaks chatter as they forage. Osprey
and northern harrier soar above. I see
some sort of furry mammal but never close enough to identify it. It is a lovely paddle.
We end our day with grilled burgers and s’mores. Very nice.
We are ready for some quiet time out in the desert far from
neighbors and the noise of town. About
10 miles north along the Colorado River BLM land might provide just such an
escape. We head out to Mittry Lake Wildlife
Area. The drive winds through acres of truck
farm fields jammed with broccoli and romaine looking ready for harvest. We have been out this way before, gallons of
precious Colorado River water create these oddly green patches in the otherwise
parched landscape.
We scope out boondocking sites and find a nice lakeside perch that even has “easy” access with the kayaks. We share the entire area with probably another 30 or 40 campers so it isn’t exactly isolated or private but we are spaced out pretty well and have a great view of the lake and mountain ridges that surround it. There is a bit of aircraft noise off and on from Yuma Proving grounds during daylight hours and around sunset with crop dusting over in those beautiful green fields via helicopter and fixed wing. Both are intermittent so while a little annoying they don’t spoil the overall experience.
