Oh man, was this going to be fun. A trip like no other (so far). A trip with a twist. A trip that was actually two.
Over the course of two weeks, we spent eight days in the park, split in half by a 10-day break where we headed back home via airplane. With so much time to explore, we covered as much of the park and surrounding area as we could, highlights including:
- Fonts Point - overlooking the badlands.
- Pumpkin Patch and the nearby Palm Oasis - outstanding for their contrast to the desert in which they're found.
- Calcite Mine - the most technical road we'd travel, with views for miles.
- Canyon sin Nombre - our favorite spot in the park.
- Elephant Knees - towering above the desert floor, visible from spectacular wind caves.
- The Blue Sun Cave - some of the most amazing (and only colorful) pictographs I've ever seen.
- Galleta Meadows Metal Sculptures - artwork on a scale that will blow your mind.
Double Fun @ Anza Borrego | #1 - Oh man, was this going to be fun. A trip like no other (so far). A trip with a twist. A trip that was actually two. Let me explain. For a while now, Anza Borrego Desert State Park in California has been on my list of places to explore. Like…
Fun in the Sun! | Anza-Borrego #2 - We slept well through the night - my only complaint really being that at 55º-60ºF, it was too warm and I woke up a bit sweaty somewhere around 2:00am. It was a simple enough fix to remove one of the comforters from my side, and I quickly fell back asleep…
Stymied at Sandstone Canyon | Anza-Borrego #3 - We slept well through the night, our location mostly sheltered from the strong winds. What little wind made it to the tent was easily quieted by ear plugs, making for a peaceful night sleep. Most of the night passed uneventfully - a fact we were happy for given the weather…
Elephant Knees, Wind Caves, and Dinosaurs | Anza-Borrego #4 - March 3, 2019. Having gone to bed with the wind howling, it only got worse as the night progressed. Having experienced these extremely strong winds in the CVT a few times now, and knowing that the ladder side of the tent was well-weighed down, I knew that the tent would…
Palms, Pups, and the Longest Trestle | Anza-Borrego #5 - For 10 days, we lived our normal lives. As it were, a cold existence in the Pacific Northwest. We'd left with snow on the ground, and we returned to a few small patches remaining. And then it snowed the first night we were home. Needless to say, we missed the…
Finding Blue Sun Cave | Anza-Borrego #6 - The night was one of the most pleasant we've spent in the tent - no wind to speak of, which meant that all the windows were down and the nearly full moon illuminated the rocky landscape around us until it set along the western horizon around 3:00am. Knowing that this…
So. Many. People. | Anza-Borrego #7 - Hills of the Moon Wash turned out to be a great place to spend the night - the the air was calm, just a light breeze that kept us cool and comfortable through the night. The surrounding hills also afforded plenty of privacy, and afforded us a bit of relief…
Rig Review: Anza-Borrego & Ruining Around in Utah - What worked and what didn't? - Rig Review is a new type of post that I'm going to try to write up after most trips, where I'll note any things that worked really well, or could have been better. The idea has always been to optimize the Tacoma build and setup over time, so there's nothing…