A Bonus Day Deserves a Bonus Post…

“Master be contented, this is leape yeare, Women weare breetches, petticoats are deare.”
From The Maid’s Metamorphosis, circa 1600

It's a bonus kinda day

Today is an extra day…a special day…a BONUS day in fact. You see we’re in a leap year and that means we get to throw an extra day on the month so our good ‘ol Gregorian calendar can keep up with the earth’s 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 second rotation schedule around the sun. Phew! It’s exhausting just to think about, really.

Another way of looking at it is that we happen to be passing through one of the years whose date is exactly divisible by 4 except those which are divisible by 100 but not 400 -> That would be Brewster’s Dictionary sparkly clear definition of a leap year, by the way, which takes the cup for ridiculous mathematics in my book.

But these are all semantics…

BONUS spring flowers

A bonus run for Polly today...

What’s important is that we’re in BONUS territory and that means a BONUS post, BONUS pictures and, what is infinitely more interesting, a day of fun little traditions:

Leaper’s Abound: If you happen to be born today you’re a “leapling” or “leaper”, you will have fewer birthday anniversaries and your parents will no doubt save lots of money on presents.

Ladies Rule: If you’re a girl you may take “ladies privilege“, a more than 4 century old Leap Year tradition that confers ladies the “privilege” of proposing marriage to men instead of the other way around. Apparently any man who refuses must forfeit a fine which may involve both kissing and some appropriate token of clothing such as new gloves or a silk dress, depending on the county. I missed the memo on this one when I asked Paul to marry me in 1997 (my natural impatience wouldn’t allow me to wait for the leap year), but then I did get a “yes” which rather trumps the gloves for me

And an extra little special bonus gift, just for you.....

And what, might you say, does all this have to do with RVing? Well this is a bonus post so technically it doesn’t need to fit in, but for those women RVers out there I deem today as the day you’re in charge. Yup, it’s RV womanhood day, the day we weare breetches, rule the roost and make all the decisions (as opposed to the other days where just pretend to let our partners make the decision…right, girls?). At least that’s my decision today. And I give it to you all as a free bonus

“Where California Began” – Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego, CA

The spot where it all began...or so they say

It’s hard to believe that such a small, lonely stretch of shore can contain so much history, but I guess that’s true of so many places. On the map Point Loma Peninsula is a craggy sandstone finger that stretches down and protects San Diego bay. In person it’s a pretty and wonderfully remote spot with stunning cliffs and open ocean views, made all the more beautiful by bright yellow blooms and deep blue skies in spring. But in history it serves as a strategic turning point, the first landing of Spanish explorers in California and a key military and navigation outpost. It’s the Cabrillo National Monument and if you’re in San Diego it is WELL worth the visit.

This stone monument of Cabrillo keeps watch over San Diego Bay

Of course, as with every story it’s best to start at the beginning and right here that means the indigenous peoples. The ‘Iipay and Tipay (Kumeyaay) tribes inhabited the San Diego coast for thousands of years before anyone else came here. They never quite settled in Point Loma (due to lack of water on the peninsular), but roamed the beaches and harvested seafood. Their lives (and that of the whole of the Americas no less) changed the day the Spanish explorers discovered the “New World”. For San Diego that day was Sept 28th, 1542 and the fleet was led by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who is have thought to have landed on a small finger of land called Ballast Point on the bay side of Point Loma. It was the first landing by a European in present-day California and for many it’s considered the date and the place “where California began”.

View of Ballast Point, where Cabrillo is thought to have landed in 1542

Interestingly enough not much happened for ~200 years after that historic landing. The Spanish eventually made their way in-land and established missions in the area, with first settlement ~1769. Lonely Point Loma remained uninhabited but one of its’ bay side beaches (La Playa) served as a handy and protected port during this time. The peninsular was as remote and untouched as ever, but had already established its strategic importance to the Bay.

The historic Old Point Loma lighthouse which has been beautifully restored inside and out to 1880's appearance

At this point we forward almost another 100 years to 1854 and the erection of the first lighthouse and inhabited spot on Point Loma. By this time California is a well-established piece of land and already part of the United States. The erection of the Point Loma lighthouse marks a turning point on the peninsular and 36 years of lonely lighthouse keepers who lived a remote and isolated existence on the hilltop in monotonous daily routine with their lenses. During this time only access to the point was 15 miles of treacherous ridge road that took all-day to drive. Eventually roads were improved and a new lighthouse (which is still in service today) was built at a lower elevation, but those early days must have been something else! In the late 1890′s the Point also developed as a military base including the building of several gun batteries which served to protect the Bay through WWII.

View of the Naval Base on Coronado. If you look closely you'll see the Nuclear Submarine being guided into the bay.

Today you can see all of that past with a visit to the monument. These days much of the surrounding land remains dedicated to the military, and in fact the view from the point to San Diego Bay reveals the enormous sprawl of the naval base as well as the home for Submarine Squadron 11 (we got to view a massive Nuclear submarine being guided into port while we were there -> what a sight!) . The point itself contains the beautiful, restored lighthouse, a museum with the history of Cabrillo’s historic landing and remnants of its’ military service.

The shore at Point Loma has retained all its' natural beauty

What’s exceptionally cool is that despite all its’ strategic importance the remote nature of the peninsular has kept much of its natural beauty in-tact. Surrounding the visitors center and the lighthouse are beautiful sandy cliffs, interesting tide-pools and unblemished views of the ocean (it’s a hot whale-watching spot this time of year). People come here to hike the shore, surf the break, enjoy the peace….and of course stand and view the spot where California began.

The gorgeous restored 1880's interior of Point Loma Lighthouse

Another view of the lighthouse. Spring flowers make this a particularly pretty time to visit.

View up the spiral staircase inside the lighthouse

A whale-bone marks the point's importance as a whale-watching spot

Memory Foam Saves the Night

Paul and Taggart watch the topper expanding by our site..I was definitely the most excited of the 3!

A few weeks ago I moaned about our Sleep Number bed on the blog. I’ve had issues with that darn thing since we bought the rig, but have always felt that the issues weren’t quite bad enough to warrant spending the money on a new mattress (especially with RV mattresses being so expensive). This dilemma has kept me in a semi-poor state of sleep for 2 years. I know, I know…it’s ridiculous. Sleeping is such an important part of life that we should have thrown that mattress out the window right after we got it, but I HAVE been known to be on the stubborn side and I kept thinking that I just needed to fiddle with the number (the commercials do say you need to find your number, right?)

Well sometimes you just need a little push in life…

Our new topper!

First was the meeting with blog readers Richard & Ginger who (most generously I thought) invited us over to try their bed. Next was all the comments I got on the blog giving me all kinds of great new ideas on the matter. The final result of all this was giving me the kick-in-the-butt I needed to go do something about it. Bottom line (from everything I tried and read and heard) was to go try Memory Foam.

Will Memory Foam make me feel like this? Picture from www.rocketmime.com

Now Memory Foam (for those geeks out there like me who just need to know) was actually originally invented for space travel. Around the 1960′s NASA needed a special material that could withstand the G-forces of launch and re-entry during space missions. Research came up with a visco-elastic heat-sensitive material which was dubbed T-Foam. The cool thing about the material was that it softened & moulded to the body with heat (i.e. body-heat), but stayed firm elsewhere, and would spring back to original shape when you moved (as a material scientist I do love this kind of stuff!). In the end it was never actually used in space travel (due to off-gassing issues), but it DID make it to the consumer market.

I'll drink to this solution!!

And that’s where Nina’s night salvation comes into the picture. I looked around at buying a full memory-foam mattress, but decided it was easier and cheaper to try my luck with a memory foam topper. There are lots of spots you can buy these, but I’ve seen the best deals at overstock.com and Costco. Costco has a great return policy so went there and snagged the NovaForm® King-Size 2.5″ topper for $160. I left it outside for a few days to fluff up and release any smell, then took it in for the test.

The Foam Topper....oh yeah baby!! Picture from www.costco.com

And the result? The BEST NIGHT’S SLEEP I have had in 2 years!! With the sleep number bed pumped to very firm and the topper on top it’s simply fabulous! The topper is firm, yet soft at the same time. It gives support yet doesn’t droop. There is no longer any “cave” in the bed, I don’t feel the stupid partition in the middle anymore. And best of all, I never wake up with pins and needles in my arm anymore (I’m a side-sleeper). It does sleep a bit “warmer” than the old set-up, but that doesn’t bother me at all.

It may not work for everyone, but if you’re like me and have been having issues w/ the Sleep Number Bed I highly recommend giving this a try. Just goes to show that blogging is a great way to learn new stuff. Thanks for the tips everyone! It’s saved my night!

Geocaching -> Modern-Day Treasure Hunting On The Road!

My very first find!!!

I’ve always loved getting out to explore new areas, and while at Borrego Springs I discovered a new pass-time to do just that, with a bit of seek-and-find fun thrown in for good measure.  I’d never even heard of this until a few months ago, but in just a few weeks of “practice” I’ve come to the realization that I’m joining a massive worldwide group of enthusiastic seekers! It’s Geocaching -> the art of finding hidden caches (containers) using GPS coordinates. It’s modern-day treasure hunting, it’s perfect for RVers, it’s HUGE, and it’s rather addicting too.

Signing the log book on a find

It all started the day GPS (Global Positioning System) became available to the public. Originally strictly for military use, GPS was de-scrambled and released for general use on May 1st, 2000. Two days later Dave Ulmer decided to celebrate the event by hiding a bucket of trinkets in the woods outside Portland, Oregon and announced its location in a posting made to the USENET newsgroup sci.geo.satellite-nav. “ Take some stuff, leave some stuff! Record it all in the log book. Have Fun!” were the basic instructions.

Little did he know he’d started a treasure-seeking revolution.

There's a geocache somewhere right here.....

Within days more caches had been placed. By January 2001 there were ~300 caches and by November 2001 there were 10,000+ geocaches on the web. Today it’s estimated there are over 5 million little treasures hidden worldwide. Holy cow, that’s several life-times of activity!

Geocaching AND gold in the same spot? Sign me up!

This sounded like my kinda thing, so without further ado I signed up for a free account on the most popular geocaching website (geocaching.com, the place to be!) and did a quick search on geocaches within 15 miles of our lonely spot at Borrego Springs. I expected to find maybe a few, but what showed up was no less than 263 hits. The site is uber-cool and sorts everything by location, size and difficulty, even giving you extra hints (if you want them). There’s a phone app too. I wrote down a few of the easier ones, grabbed the phone and went a-seeking.

Geocaches come in all shapes and sizes

And I LOVED it!! You get to roam around in nature, act like a modern-day pirate and still get to see a bunch of interesting stuff. The rules of the game are the same as for the original cache -> take something (if you like), leave something (if you take something) and sign the log book. Then re-hide the cachce in the same place for the next seeker. Over the next days I hooked a bunch more caches, several of which I just took on the bicycle and made a day of.

Geo Dog Polly inspects a cache

Back in San Diego I’ve continued my hunting, and of course here in the big city there’s even more angles to it. San Diego not only has a geocaching meet-up group, but they keep a geocaching photo gallery, offer events for people who cache with their kids (Geo Kids) and hide special caches for those who go multi-legged and seek with pooch (Geo Dog baby! -> and YES Polly is now officially a Geo Dog). Even the County Parks have gotten into the deal, openly promoting geocaching at several of the preserves.

Geo Dog and I go a-hunting on off-leash pooch-friendly Fiesta Island in San Diego

Ooooo...that's a big one. Wonder what's in the loot?

And what if all this sounds too laid-back for you? How about extreme geocaching? Combining the fine art of seeking hidden trinkets with extreme biking, swimming, zip-lining and running into one, perhaps? Oh yeah, Wild Canyon Games has exactly what you’re looking for! This is not something limited to the US either. There are groups in Australia, UK and all over the world.

So far I’ve had a blast. Paul isn’t quite as enthousiastic as I am about this, but between Geo Dog Polly and myself we’re planning to hunt the city dry. Or at least log a few geocaches along the way

Geocaching Hint: If you’re using a Droid smartphone with google maps to hunt your coordinates, enter the code ”loc:” (e.g. loc:32.77383, -117.2194) into the search box to get an accurate lock on your GPS point.

There's a geocache somewhere here...and it's not where you'd expect..

One of the smaller geocaches. No "loot" in here...just a log book

From Desert Rats To Beach Bums

Two desert rats view their domain

We left the desert behind with fond memories of distant hills, beautiful moments of solitude in the wild, fabulous sunsets and dark, starry nights. Our time in Borrego Springs seemed almost too short and I’m sure it’s like that for almost anyone that goes there. I think Bayfield Bunch put it perfectly in this post “If you’re an outdoorsy type of person & you have a desire to learn new things then I would suggest Borrego Springs is the place to keep you busy for the winter”. Al and Kelly would know too -> they’ve been many years in a row and always find new and interesting spots to visit (just search their blog on Borrego for a taste). For a desert-nature-lover like me, it’s a winter wonderland and there’s no doubt we’ll want to go back.

Our new backyard -> yeah, it's pretty nice too!

But we love the water too, and with beach a mere 90 miles away it’s an easy drive back to San Diego and into surf city. We’ve got ourselves a new spot by the bay, with a brand new backyard and plenty of time to hang ten by the ocean. We’re going to be relaxing with friends, meeting new folks and exploring the area for at least another month. From desert rats to beach bums, it’s quite the change, but I love it doing it all.

Desert sunsets are something else

Rand is quite the desert explorer

A whole lotta nothin'

More desert fabulousness

Boondocking Site Review – Rockhouse Canyon Road, Clark Dry Lake, Borrego Springs, CA

Early morning hike in the hills by Rockhouse Canyon Road boondocking area

A lovely, large boondocking area just ~7 miles from Borrego Springs and right next to Anza Borrego State Park in SW California.

Location: Rockhouse Canyon Road, left-turn off S22 ~7 miles NE of Borrego Springs, CA
Coordinates: Approx. 33.2954N,-116.2893W (= SW corner of boondocking area). Link to map location HERE
Cost: FREE (no official stay limit at the moment, although this may change with State Park acquisition – see “summary” below)
How We Found It: This is a fairly well-known boondocking spot in the area. We first discovered it when we met a guy who was staying there our very first year in the area. The RV forums also talk about it, as do other bloggers. Much of this area is still private land so there is no “official” info on the place, but it’s a well-known/well-used location.
Nearest Dump/Water: Nearest dump at Borrego Palm Canyon campground  inside Anza Borrego State Park ($8 fee). If you’re headed east there is also a free dump at the ARCO station at the corner of S22 and Hwy 86 by the Salton Sea.

1. Access – 4.5/5 Very easy access for any sized-rig here although as usual a little extra effort is needed to access the best spots.
   Directions -> From Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs take Palm Canyon Drive (S22) east towards Salton Sea. Drive ~7 miles until you see Rockhouse Canyon Road on your left.
   Boondocking Spots-> Take Rockhouse Canyon road, up a short hill and past the “no trespassing” sign. Initial 100-ft of hill is paved, but road becomes reasonably firm dirt/sand after this spot. Boondocking spots are all over the desert after the sign, many off dirt spurs that depart from either side of the road. You’ll see plenty of cleared-out spaces with home-made fire-rings used by previous folks. Most people stay closer to the entrance (best Verizon signal here), but there are lots of really nice (and very private) spots further in. Some of the dirt spurs can be rather sandy/rough so check out the road before bringing in a big-rig.
2. Nature – 5/5  Fabulous nature spot. You are in the middle of the desert valley surrounded by scrub with outstanding views of the mountains all around. Good and easy-access hiking on nearby Coyote Mountain too.
3. Isolation – 4.5/5 Good to great isolation here depending on where you park. Only slight ding is this is a fairly well-known boondocking area and the Verizon signal is strongest near the entrance (closest to S22), so if you want a spot with good internet, you’ll likely get some rigs in your view.
4. Pet Friendliness – 5/5 Another great pet spot. You have days-worth of hiking and exploring in the surrounding hills, plus lots of space to hang out in camp. Also this is mostly “scrub” desert so not alot of cholla around which is a big positive for paws on the ground.

Overall Rating = 4.75

Summary: This is probably one of our absolute favorite boondocking spots.  It has easy access, lots of space, gorgeous desert nature and simply fabulous mountain views all around. Although it’s fairly well-known amongst boondockers, Borrego Springs is a lightly-visited town so there are lots of opportunities to find space to yourself. In boondocking circles you’ll sometimes hear this called “Clark Dry Lake” although the boondocking area is actually up the hill before the dry lake bed.  The spot is only ~7 miles NE from town, right off S22 on Rockhouse Canyon Road which is an easy dirt road that takes you back into the boondocking area. Front area (nearest S22) is super-easy to access and has the best Verizon signal, but is also the most popular. Further back on Rockhouse Canyon (nearer to the dry lake bed) the spots get much more isolated, but Verizon signal fades fast. We chose a spot a few miles down the dirt road which had very poor Verizon signal (just barely usable w/ our external antenna/amp), but really great privacy. The area is on private land inside Borrego Springs so there are no “official” rules about camping (this also means no restrictive dog rules), but that may change! According to our info a large part of this area was just recently acquired by the State Park, so it’s probable that boondocking will still be allowed in the future, but possibly with a stay limit and most likely some dog rules too. Lots to do & explore in the surrounding area including the cute town of Borrego Springs plus no end of historic trails and natural beauty in Anza Borrego State Park. Overall a fabulous spot and one we’d come to again and again.

Extra Info: No water or facilities (nearest dump/water inside Anza Borrego State Park). Good Verizon 3G signal near the entrance (closest to S22), but poor to zero signal further back.

Extra, Extra Info – OTHER BOONDOCKING? There is actually a ton of other boondocking around Boorego Springs

1. PEG LEG - This is actually right next to Rockhouse Canyon Road and is a great “beginner” boondocking area. It’s a large, flat and super, super easy-access “dirt parking” area right off Peg Leg road next to the Peg Leg monument. Cute little area and always rigs around. There’s a free book-swap in the mailbox. This is the same area where the annual Peg Leg Liar’s Contest is held. More info HERE. Free and no official stay limit.
2. GALETTA MEADOWS - This private land inside Borrego Springs allows free camping (3-day limit). Great for sculpture viewing! Contact Galetta Meadows for more info.
3. ANZA BORREGO STATE PARK - One of the unique things about Anza Borrego State Park is that they actually allow free, no-permit back-country camping anywhere within the state park as long as you stay within 1-vehicle length of the road, don’t trample vegetation and stay 100-feet away from any water source.  There are lots of dirt roads leading to interesting spots around the park, but for those looking for a specific spot there is “official” free back-country camping at Blair Valley (could fit big-rig at the entrance), Yaqui Pass (easy, large area), Yaqui Well, Culp Valley, Sheep Canyon, Arroyo Salado, Mt. Palm Springs and Fish Creek. Download the State Park magazine for more info HERE.
   NOTE/ If you have a dog be aware that Anza Borrego State Park does *not* allow dogs on any trails or in any wilderness areas. So if you go back-country camping w/ pooch you can only walk him/her on-leash on the park road.
4. OCOTILLO WELLS SVRA - This large off-road vehicle area east of Anza Borrego SP off Hwy 78  allows free 30-day camping anywhere within the area. It is also surrounded by BLM land. More info HERE.

"Aerial" view of our very private boondocking spot from Coyote Mountain. You can see S22 snaking off into the distance in the far background.

Another "ariel" view towards some nicely-spaced rigs near the back-end of the boondocking aera.

View of our boondocking spot from dirt spur off Rockhouse Canyon Road

Typical boondocking site. You'll see clear-out spaces and fire-rings like this all around.

Another site view, with another rig parked in the background

View of short, paved section near entrance of Rockhouse Canyon Road. Boondocking are starts right after the "no tresspassing" sign

Dirt-road section of Rockhouse Canyon Road. This is near the entrance with some rigs parked right off the road.

Biking around the dirt roads w Polly in the boondocking area

Very approximate map of Clark Dry Lake boondocking area. Borrego Springs in on the left. S22 constinues to Salton Sea on the right.

A Dream, A Mountain & A Desert Prophet – The Story of Marshall South

“we were out of step….temperamental misfits and innate barbarians…not equal to the job of coping with modern high-power civilization.”
Marshall South, circa 1939

Marshall South, the "desert prophet". From www.californiahistorian.com

Marshall South was a poet, an artist, a dreamer, a visionary, and a writer…and most likely completely nuts. But he did something unique which made its mark in history, takes us on a beautiful hike through the desert, and gives us a story to tell …and you know me, I love these kind of stories!

The year was 1929 and the Depression had affected everyone. At the time Marshall South (a fictitious name…he was born Roy Bennett Richards) was a writer living in Oceanside, CA with his wife Tanya. Exactly what happened next is a bit of a mystery.

On remote Ghost Mountain where the Marshall's made their home

In 1930 the couple packed everything they owned into a Model T and moved into the desert. It was the beginning of an ”experiment in primitive living” in a remote and completely isolated spot in the mountains at Blair Valley.  According to Marshall he wanted peace and solitude, and the ability to experience mental and physical freedom. However it’s likely the Depression played a factor and he saw the opportunity to make an alternative income riding the coat-tails of popular ”return to nature” movements of the time. Either way, a 17-year experiment had started.

Do I look like I could live here? The old ruins of the Marshall South Homestead

The South’s named their chosen spot Ghost Mountain and started construction of their adobe house, Yaquitepec….and popped out 3 children no less. The living arrangements were totally out there. They chose a spot with no water, far from civilization in a crazy, brutal desert environment. Being out in the boonies they became nudists too (who wouldn’t?). The entire thing was like something out of a fictional novel and Marshall finally capitalized on the story in 1939 with a contract with Desert Magazine to publish a one-year series entitled “Desert Year” that would feature life at Yaquitepec, month by month. It was a huge success, so much so that it continued through 1946 (you can read them in this book).

View of the badlands from Ghost Mountain. There is a special beauty here.

But here is where the story goes a little crazy, and become a little mysterious too. Marshall heavily romanticized his experiences on the mountain. Through his writings he portrayed a utopic life in harmony with nature and completely embodied this image, becoming “the desert prophet”. Personally I think he was swept away and trapped by his own written creation, living a life quite different from his mind’s eye. In a surprise (to just about everyone) Tanya filed for divorce in 1947, took the kids and refused (ever again) to speak about her time on the mountain. Marshall died a year later (sickness? malnutrition? heart-break? who knows…)

Taking the dirt road to Ghost Mountain

Another view of the ruins

Both the mystery and the story live on. Today you can still see the old ruins of Yaquitepec in Anza Borrego State Park. A fine drive to Blair Valley (mile 22.9 on S2) and a few miles on a dirt road takes you to the base of Ghost Mountain. Then another mile of steep uphill hiking takes you to the old homestead. Paul and I took the trip on an week-day morning bursting with winter sunshine. We were the only folks on the mountain and spent a good hour at the top, peeking around the old ruins and trying to imagine what a hard and crazy life it must have been. In many ways I can understand what they were doing here -> the need to find a link with nature, to experience peace, to depart from the norm, and in other ways I can’t understand it at all.

But I do love the story…

View of Blair Valley from the top of Ghost Mountain

Remains of an alternative life in the desert

Dried yucca flowers

Sun-dial made by the Marshall's

View from the trail

One of the water cisterns

Happy Hearts Day!!

Ahhh….the sweet pitter-patter of love, the strumming of heart-strings, the gushing of open-eyed wonder. It’s Valentine’s Day, my favorite love-day of the year and it gets me everytime.  A mere 15 years ago I met the man of my soul and we agreed to join our life journeys together. Through thick and thin he’s taken me as I am and I love him more deeply everyday (yes, I am a total sap and hope ever to be thus).

So, what better way to express that love than…..you guessed it….COOOooooKIES!

Oh yeah baby…Chocolate chip, gluten-free and drippingly luscious (the recipe is HERE -> I used half the sugar and double the choc chips), whipped up in a mere 20 minutes in our handy-dandy RV oven. Do you feel the love? I certainly do, and I’d venture to say that Paul is now a very satisfied man

Happy Heart’s Day everyone!!

Meetin’ & Greetin’ & Bloggin’

What a great capture! Photo Credit: Kathie Maxwell

One of the things that always amazes me about RVing is how social the whole thing is. Before we started full-timing I always imagined that once we got on the road we might have a tough time making friends, especially if we were boondocking. Once we got out there I realized that wasn’t the case at all and I wrote about this phenomenon last year in my 5 Ways to Create Community And Friendships On The Road. What I didn’t mention in that post was that the same thing happens while boondocking.

You may be out in the boonies...but you are not alone....

So, what's your name handsome?

You may be out there by yourself, off in the wilds and happily running around like primal man, but believe it or not you meet people. This past week in Borrego Springs was a fabulous example of that. Not only were we in this wonderful, isolated spot but we made several friends through contacts on the blog (this post), met others who we found through their blogs (this post) and met even others that we just bumped into on the road. It’s actually one of the many, many reasons I love blogging -> your writing attracts people who think just like you and by a simple sharing of adventures and thoughts you create this wonderful sense of community right through the internet. How much cooler does it get than that?

Bob & Paul chattin' by the fire

But outside of blogging the physical interactions are always the best. We met Kathie & Bob on the road hiking near our rig and were invited over to a wonderful evening of fireside chatting & snacks. Not only was it a great night (and we have plans to meet again when they come and workamp in San Diego), but Kathie took the best shot of the day, maybe even the best shot of the week, which so perfectly captured the moment (first shot above) that I just HAD to share it.

Meeting The Bayfield Bunch!!

Another great meeting was bumping into Al & Kelly from The Bayfield Bunch at the farmer’s market. It was actually Al’s wonderful pictures and easy, personable style of writing about The Slabs that got me hooked on his blog several years ago, and I’ve been an avid follower ever since (do go check it out!). Since I’d read the blog for so long meeting them in person almost felt like meeting an old friend. And indeed they were just as lovely, inviting & relaxed as their posts (plus they got superstar bonus points for giving me the title of  ”youthful charm” in their blog  ). Lovely to meet you guys!

Just goes to show that RVers are a great bunch. But then, you knew that already didn’t you?

The Amazing Hidden Slot Canyons – Anza Borrego State Park, CA

Paul leans on a squeeze-point between 2 boulders in "The Slot"

In “real-time” it’s a day since we left our fabulous boondocking spot in Borrego Springs, but in “blog-time” I’m still sitting in the sun and enraptured by the place, and will be for at least another 3-4 blogs or so (there’s simply TOO many great impressions to write about). So, get ready for a little delayed writing, but with all the impressions as real as today.

One of the images still etched on my mind are the slot canyons. It’s one of a mere multitude of deep impressions from Anza Borrego State Park, and for those unfamiliar with the place I have to start there….because the park really is something else.

On the dirt road to nowhere...Anza Borrego beauty

Anza Borrego is the largest State Park in California. At over 600,000 acres (2,400 km²) it’s got  500 miles (800 km) of dirt roads, twelve designated wilderness area, and 110 miles (180 km) of hiking trails. It’s a desert wonderland encompassing millions of years of history, deep canyons, high mountains and endless reams of solitude. And completely unique to this park (and just about ANY state park I know)….you can boondock anywhere in the back-country for free!

"The Slot" badlands as seen from the parking spot

But today we’re taking a trip to the badlands and deep into the slots. These areas take you back in time to when the California desert was a tropical sea. Badlands are super-cool, deeply creviced tracks of land that look like giant-blown-up stretches of 100-year old alligator skin. Geologically they’re areas where softer sedimentary rock has been eroded by years of wind and rain. In Anza Borrego that soft rock is mostly sandstone, and in areas the rock has been eroded down to form slot canyons up to 100-foot deep.

Hanging out in the deeps

I love going into these slots, mostly because the light-and-c0lor plays can be amazing (depending on the time of day), plus you feel like you’re squeezing into some deep and unexplored geological past. Our very first slot experience was Antelope Canyon in 2010 in AZ. It was very pretty but it was guide-only and heavily over-run with tourists (there must have been at least 5 groups going through with us at the same time). Here in Anza Borrego the grey/blue/brown rocks may not be quite as pretty, but the experience is totally rocking.

A wide-open section at the very back of "The Slot"

We decided to hit “The Slot” which is a few miles off Hwy 78 ~1.5 miles east of Borrego on a road supposedly called Buttes Pass. I say supposedly because (honestly) the dirt spur looks like any other dirt road in the entire park, has NO markings on it whatsoever, and we would have totally missed it if our GPS hadn’t indicated the name (one time I’ve actually liked the darn machine). There’s nothing that tells you you’re getting close either, but if you’re lucky enough to find the road, simply take it 1 mile to the “Y” intersection, stay to the left and then drive another 0.8 miles to a relatively flat spot which is where you park.

Warm colors and gorgeous curves

We arrived at ~9AM with first light filtering the tops of the badlands and striking diffuse silhouettes in the canyon. A short scramble down from our parking spot and we were in the slot and ready to explore. Best of all we were the ONLY people there. Paul and I spent a couple of hours scrambling through the slot and around some of the “arms”, exploring the beautiful curves, admiring the light and feeling the cool, sandy walls on our fingers.

The whole experience is pretty surreal. It’s like being inside a living sculpture reliving eons of time with your footsteps, and while you’re in the slots everything above and around you seems almost like a dream. Coming out of the canyon and into daylight wakes you up to the heat and expanse of the desert, almost a surprise. There are several other slot canyons around Anza Borrego, all of which are worth a visit. Be prepared for back-country driving, the cool depths of the canyon and impressions that will etch their way into your mind forever.

Paul leans in the shadows

Beautiful blue-grey lines