What do you get when you cross a Spanish explorer, bighorn sheep and one fifth of San Diego county? Anza Borrego Desert State Park (ABDSP). The combination of desires for warm, dry weather and new destinations sent us peeking into California’s largest state park.
The mood inside Miles (the van) filled with concern as the procession of toy haulers and trailers with off road vehicles including side by sides, dirt bikes, motorcycles and quads heading back to San Diego tried to run us off the road. Looking more closely at the map showed the Ocotillo Wells OHRV just east of the park. Phew.
ABDSP is vast not only in land mass but also in opportunity for fun.
ABDSP offers a variety of options. Boondocking – many choices. State Park campground with hookups – yep. Town with restaurants, groceries and stores – got it. Scenic four wheel drive trails – numerous. Lovely RV resort, Springs at Borrego – our favorite so far. Primitive campgrounds with shade – several options. Golf resorts with good food.
Deserts invite seeing things big and small – even our van appears small.
The complete silence of the desert amplifies sounds – bird wings, wind, bird songs, tumbleweeds, human voice, blades border patrol helicopters.
Colors may seem limited at first. The longer you look, the more colors you see.
Life may seem limited in the desert. The longer you look, the more critters you realize you missed
Road runner, coyote’s after you.
Lest you think we are losing the attraction to city life. Right in the center of the park is the town of Borrego Springs – a perfect, small, laid-back place to satisfy the need for pools, restaurants and shops.
At first, a couple of weeks poking around the park sounded right. Four weeks later, we scurried to San Diego for a coastal rendezvous with friends. After a few nights on that coast, we scrapped the coastal plan heading back to Anza Borrego to share our new found park with our friends.
Hiking and four wheel drive roads kept us busy.
eeling the need for speed, we rented side-by-side RAZRs to exploring Ocotillo Wells OHRV. Borrego is the Spanish word for ram
We searched for a borrego on several hikes. No joy, These statues will do in lieu of the real thing.
Miles “al fresco” shower setup.
Time to throw another log on the fire and figure out where to go next.
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