I did a bit of exploring around Anza Borrego this afternoon. After a quick stop at the Visitor Center I headed over to the Buttes Pass area, checked out the top of the Borrego Mountain Drop-Off (too many big holes for my X) then wandered over to Hawk Canyon to find a shady spot for lunch. It was in the high 80's, and pretty hazy, so the pics from this part of the trip looked kind of bland.
My lunch spot part way up Hawk Canyon.
Looking out across the Badlands from Buttes Pass towards Font's Point.
I took Buttes Pass north to San Felipe Wash, then turned right and followed that over to the OHV Area and eventually to Hwy 78. Total off-road distance was about 14 miles. It didn't look like it was going to clear up out there, so I decided to try Blair Valley, which is on the other side of a range of hills, and at a much higher elevation.
What a difference 2,000 feet can make.
The air was much clearer in Blair Valley, the temps a bit cooler, and the sky a lot bluer. One of the great things about traveling alone out here is the dead silence when you shut down the engine. That, and the fact that I can stop whenever I want to take a picture, and back up, or make a u-turn, or take as long as I want. The whole time I was in Blair Valley, over 15 miles, I saw one other truck, and one guy on a mountain bike. I had the whole place to myself it seemed.
It's a little tough to see in this picture, but in the upper left corner is the moon rising over the dry lake bed.
Here's one from the other dry lake bed, the one closer to S-2.
By the way, for anyone who is looking for an easy but very scenic drive, Blair Valley is 2WD the whole way, the only part I didn't do this time is that last section up to the Pictograph Hike parking area, but that's usually okay in 2WD. There were a few spots with soft sand, and some potential for deep mud puddles, but today it was fine.
More pics in
this gallery.
I was heading up Hwy 78 a bit before sunset, but with the heavy clouds/fog and drizzle at the top I never saw it. Visibility went from several miles to very little in a matter of a few minutes.
Also, when I stopped at the Visitor Center they showed Sandstone Canyon as still blocked. Doesn't surprise me, those rocks looked pretty big from the pictures I saw. I'll try to check it out in the next few weeks, and then decide about November.
