Last Weekend of 2012: Anza Borrego and Salton Sea Exploration

[Allof75]

It had been a long time coming; we visited Anza Borrego State Park in California a couple times before, and likewise much of the Ocotillo Wells SVRA at different points, but there was one thing we hadn't explored yet- the Salton Sea. So, in a late night meeting in Downtown Huntington Beach, we committed to our plan of attack. We had a good idea of what we were getting into (we were running trails we had done before), and were looking forward to returning to the cold dry air of the desert. We set the date for the last weekend of 2012. The menu was entirely Gluten-Free (for me) and (Mostly) lactose free.

December 28, 2012:

We assembled at 9:45 AM, my '02 Pathfinder, my friend's '93 Bronco (93BroncoBuff), and my other friend's '09 Xterra (later than the planned 9:00 because the X decided to get gas on the morning of)

We were on the road by 10:05 AM.

We stopped at the Rest Area near Camp Pendleton so as to double check our gear on the rack, and determine lunch plans (In-N-Out in Escondido)

At the In-N-Out in Escondido, the 93BroncoBuff decided to lock his keys and wallet inside the car.

A quick call to my AAA, and 20 minutes later, the locksmith had us back up and running.

We were in Borrego Springs and checking out the amazing metal sculptures by 2:45 PM

We got back on the road, and hit Blair Valley by 3:30 PM.

From this:

To This- the Bronco driver is very happy

We parked and hiked up to the Marshal South Home

There were some great views too

We made it to camp by 5:45 PM or so.

We had some Gluten-Free Spaghetti

And we went to bed around 11:00 PM, I got to try my new sleeping platform. We had to pull in the coolers to try and make sure the eggs wouldn't freeze and crack over night; the temperature dipped to about 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 C)

End of Day 1

 

[Allof75]

Day 2

December 29, 2012:

The full moon, while beautiful, was rather disruptive to our sleep patterns, especially combined with the sub-freezing temperatures. I certainly chose the wrong trip to leave my good 20 degree bag in Santa Rosa! Anyway, we awoke to a beautiful morning.

And we stumbled upon some old Native American grinding-stones

We cooked up a breakfast of eggs and bacon, with a side of grease fires.

We were just about to get back on the trail when, we found out that the X had a dead battery, because of their decision to charge their camera's batteries overnight. So I gave them a jump.

"Here we go"

It gave me time to check a book or two out of my library.

The Bronco hanging out

We were on the road by 10:30 AM, a bit late.

Of course, on our way to the Ocotillo SVRA, we became stuck behind some caravans. (Wish we could play konkers with them Top Gear- style :sombrero

We took Pole Line Road to cut from the 78 to the S22 and to add a bit more dirt-road driving to the mix.

We had lunch at the Gas Domes and caught the Cahuilla trail back to Pole Line

As the trip leader, I had to get some decent pics of my rig. :ylsmoke:

And we messed around a bit.

We left the no-holds-barred organized chaos of Ocotillo Wells SVRA's Pole Line Road and took S22 to the 86 to follow the Salton Sea. Because of the extreme lack of established gas stations and myself being with a small tank and poor mileage, I earned some grey hairs over the my fuel level despite having an extra 20L of Supreme on board. But, because the Bronco was limited to 60 on the highway, I was able to get some rather excellent mileage.

Continued...

 

[Allof75]

Day 2 Continued

We took 86 to 195 briefly and then hopped on the 111 to go down the Eastern edge of the Salton Sea.
We checked out some birds. From the eastern side of the Salton Sea, you can't see the other side, but the curvature of the earth is visible.

And then, we visited Bombay Beach. It was just what we had come for- destroyed and run-down buildings, salt and water everywhere, and a strong post-apocalyptic feel. People do inhabit the city, but as in poor cities in Africa, I'd recommend locking your doors.

And, somehow, some way, someone managed to roll a PT Cruiser.

We quickly left Bombay Beach, and looked, unsuccessfully for a beach to drive on.

We were pretty much alone during our entire time on the East Side

There's a bit of a south of the border and 1950s influence visible here.

We were on our way to some gas volcanoes in the very south of the Salton Sea area, when we encountered one of the roughest washboard farm roads we had ever seen.

Eventually, we made it

Zoltan, the Xterra Driver/Sun God.

It was here where the X departed from our convoy.

The Bronco and I now were in desperate search for gasoline, specifically a Chevron. It was about 5 PM.

We found a Texaco in Brawley which would do. While there, and enjoying Teriyaki Bowls (only GF thing there) at the Jack-in-the-box, we planned where we were to camp that night. We decided on the Ocotillo Wells SVRA. So we hit the road again.

We found Ocotillo SVRA bustling with moto-x riders, jeepers, and sand-railers (word?) and there was a great show of fireworks. We were the only ExPo guys in the park, but fine with it, and enjoyed the warmer night temperatures than in Blair from the night before.

For dinner, we made the hottest Fajitas ever, an homage to the South of the Border nature of the trip. I suppose I should have caramelized the onions... maybe then there would have been less crying over dinner.

We lit a fire, and talked about cars, women, and life.

That is, until about midnight, when we simultaneously ran out of steam and crawled into our cars for the night. We had successfully accomplished our goal of the trip, and circumnavigated the Salton Sea.

 

[Allof75]

Day 3, the final day.

December 30, 2012:

I had been woken up by the sunrise, and while briefly awake managed to capture one decent picture. Then it was back to sleep.

The night had not been nearly as cold as in Blair Valley, and both of us were well rested and up by 8:00 AM.

He called in an air-strike

We ate a breakfast of granola and the remaining salad, packed up, and left.

We headed to Borrego Springs to pick up some stickers to commemorate the trip, and on our way...

Once in Borrego Springs, we picked up a few souvenirs, and admired the likeness to Cars the Movie.

The place for stickers and everything in between.

Maybe I drank a little too much water...

On our way home, we ran through Julian to pick up some pie. (They had gluten free! :elkgrin

The town was bustling, and it began to snow.

Two of these things are not like the others

We became caught behind yet another string of caravans

Went to In-N-Out Escondido for lunch/late dinner

While there, we found one of these guys, I could've sworn American Pickers said they were rare or something. Neat either way.

And, so as to avoid the completely stopped traffic on 5, we made a little detour for Holy Jim, and aimed for the mud.

We caught the sunset there

The Bronco and I met again at my home, exchanged communal gear, and exchanged pleasantries, knowing we'll do it all again, all too soon.

 

[1leglance]

Cool write up and pics of a short but sweet trip. Thanks for taking us along and it seems like you guys covered some ground.

 

[Allof75]

Oops, I just realized, I think maybe I should have put this in the "Completed Adventures and Events." If an admin thinks so too, by all means.

 

[stioc]

Hey very nice write up and pics! looks like you guys had a great time.

How did you actually use the Trasharoo? did you hang it off the truck somewhere since they typically go on the spare wheels?

Oh and I have a 0 deg mummy bag that's barely adequate for sub 20deg temps, the rating usually means survival rating not necessarily how comfortable you will be in one. Worse, I run colder than most. I recently bought a -10deg rectangle bag. It's bulky but oh so big and comfy with the microfiber liner instead of the gawd aweful umbrella like fabric that's cold to touch.

That sleeping platform looks like a good mod in the making? How long is it? I probably won't fit though, I barely fit in the 4 person tent (length wise).

I think the gas tank size on the Pathys is a respectable 21gals, a 3rd gen 4Runner for example is only 16.5gals for comparison. With a 5gal jerry can you had 26gals which if I recall is the what the Broncos have and my guess is with his tires and heft his MPG is worse?

 

[J&S Garage]

I should of done this trip.but wife and kids and a friend needing motor work kept me at the garage this time.

Broncos hold between 26 and 30gal depends on the year.

Kudos too you on your wright up and picks


Thinks for looking from
J&S Garage-works
Wildomar Ca.

 

[Allof75]

Hey very nice write up and pics! looks like you guys had a great time.

How did you actually use the Trasharoo? did you hang it off the truck somewhere since they typically go on the spare wheels?

Oh and I have a 0 deg mummy bag that's barely adequate for sub 20deg temps, the rating usually means survival rating not necessarily how comfortable you will be in one. Worse, I run colder than most. I recently bought a -10deg rectangle bag. It's bulky but oh so big and comfy with the microfiber liner instead of the gawd aweful umbrella like fabric that's cold to touch.

That sleeping platform looks like a good mod in the making? How long is it? I probably won't fit though, I barely fit in the 4 person tent (length wise).

I think the gas tank size on the Pathys is a respectable 21gals, a 3rd gen 4Runner for example is only 16.5gals for comparison. With a 5gal jerry can you had 26gals which if I recall is the what the Broncos have and my guess is with his tires and heft his MPG is worse?

Thank you very much! I had an absolutely wonderful time.
To answer your questions:

I put the trasharoo up on the rack, and as in the pictures on one of the days, I put it sideways on the gas can. This was ok but the straps made a lot of noise in hitting the roof and some trash blew out. For the ride home, I mounted it with the wind, where the water was, and it made a huge difference. The extra tension in the straps stopped the smacking and the trash and bag didn't move an inch. In camp, I put it on my driver tire, and another night on the bronco's tube bumper.

I left my 20 degree REI bag in Santa Rosa so had to make do with my junker old Coleman Bag, let's just say with my Patagonia Nano Puff jacket on my feet I still managed to be cold. But I'm fine, and everything still works

The sleeping platform is 6' 1" long and 16" wide and I found out if you slide the passenger seat all the way forward, take off the headrest and lean it all the way back, it makes a pretty nice quasi-bed area. Give it a try; I suspect it would leave enough sleeping room for even a 6'+ guy or gal to sleep with the right platform.

And for whatever reason, I refused to crack into the can unless I absolutely had to, so the gas light came on right as we rolled into Brawley. If the Texaco wasn't there, I'd have to break into the can. The bronco has a stock 32 gallon tank and decent highway mileage despite 32s and 4.56 (not at all a great highway combo, limits him to be comfortable at 60) Anyway, if you plan on circumnavigating the Salton Sea, I highly recommend the insurance of extra gas.

It was a superb trip to figure out and evaluate the pathy's strengths and weaknesses.

 

[BorregoWrangler]

Great trip report and photos. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. I'm hoping to explore around the Salton Sea this month. There's a bunch of interesting stuff to photograph that I'm sure my wife would love.

 

[Allof75]

Here's a quick vlog-style vid i threw together from one day of the trip. It's now obvious how badly I need to upgrade equipment.
Enjoy anyway

 

[93Brooncobuff]

Twas a ************** trip!!! I cant wait for the next one which btw will be ************** as well... anyways anyone who is on facebook, and friends with allof75, should join our private 4x4 group on fb (ORJ) off road junkies.... its the best way of convo. for all of us for trip planning and general 4x4 disscousion.

 

[bat]

I think the Bronco gets the next round of drinks

 

[Allof75]

Twas a ************** trip!!! I cant wait for the next one which btw will be ************** as well... anyways anyone who is on facebook, and friends with allof75, should join our private 4x4 group on fb (ORJ) off road junkies.... its the best way of convo. for all of us for trip planning and general 4x4 disscousion.

I think the Bronco gets the next round of drinks

Indeed to both! :ylsmoke:

 

[Ghost65]

Very cool report...and I love that whole area of the desert.

P.S. - if you can converse over your tire noise (video) and be understood...they are perfect expedition tires! :ylsmoke: