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“The story of the whale swallowing Jonah, though a whale is large enough to do it, borders greatly on the marvelous; but it would have approached nearer to the idea of a miracle if Jonah had swallowed the whale.”
- Thomas Paine
I have a confession to make... Occasionally I have a really counterproductive habit during the planning stages of my travels. I try and squeeze in too much to see, in too short an amount of time. It's like I'm afraid I might not come that way again, so I have to see as much as possible while I'm there. Sounds silly, but I catch myself doing it quite often. So on one hand, we see a lot of great stuff. On the other hand, when we find a new place we like, we sometimes can't stay to enjoy it as long we want to. I've gotta work on that...
I liked Anza Borrego. I could see the appeal as soon the sun came up. And I wanted to see more. With no real plan, just a map borrowed from Al, we started our day early. Coffee, showers, pay the fee (gladly Nic) and drive north. Soon we are taking the turn-off for the Rodriguez Canyon trail.
We should have done Oriflamme Canyon. I hear now it's easier. But due to my insistence on leaving some things on the road a mystery (hence no GPS), adding some real flavor to the adventure, I didn't know then what I was really getting into. I have long subscribed to the Chris McCandless train of thought in one aspect,
"Wanna go where no one has been, even though someone has been everywhere and it's all mapped? Throw away the map."
Rodriquez Canyon, Anza Borrego -
I pay later for my lack of knowledge of the area when we are turned back by more rock obstacles than I am willing to tackle alone, especially with a week of our trip still remaining. We did a short hike to scope out more of the area and made the smart call to not push our luck, but continue back out the way we came in. Instead of being bummed, we reminded ourselves that it's Monday morning and most people are on the job today, but not us.
Perspective. It's all about perspective. Get some.
Rodriquez Canyon trail -
Suddenly some local 411 seems like a good idea, so we head up to Borrego Springs and the parks' underground visitors center. Driving past a pasture of metal animal sculptures, we stop for a lunch break in a local sandwich shop (
Mia's favorite lunch of the trip - chix salad on a croissant. I added bacon & avocado because I'm feeling California). Then onto the extensive exhibits at the visitor's center...
Things I learned on this trip #2 -
Anza Borrego is CA's largest state park at over 600,000 acres.
Borrego is Spanish for bighorn sheep.
The mountain lion in the visitor's center looks very real.
This place is cool. It may not be as well known (to those outside SoCal) as Death Valley, Joshua Tree or Mojave, but that may be it's ultimate appeal. Or maybe it's the wide open valleys, or hidden slot canyons, or the Spring bloom, or mud caves, or over 500 miles of roads, or Palm Canyon, or old railways.... well, you get the idea. Maybe it's the diversity that is its appeal to seasoned travelers and what makes Anza Borrego unique, in an area where deserts are common. Or it could just be that some people know a good thing when they see it.
An Anza Borrego visitor. Cool outfit -
If you find your way to the park for the first time, check in the visitor's center. It's one of the most impressive & detailed I've seen in any state or national park out west. We barely got a taste of Anza Borrego, before our path lead out of the park, through funky Julian, CA and southward, to catch up with some friends on the coast.
After days out in the deserts, we're ready for our very first visit to "America's Finest City", sunny San Diego. Friends, dinner and a bed are waiting for us. But we'll come back to Anza Borrego sometime, a little better prepared and even more anxious. Speaking of anxious, have I mentioned how stoked I am to see the beach?
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