After a quieter weekend, with a couple of walks and a trip to a winery in Ojai, we took off Monday morning on a four and a half hour drive to Anza-Borrego State Park where my sister-in-law Harriet and her husband are camphosting. For a lark, Joanie and I had arranged a stay in a vintage Airstream trailer near the park. More about that later.
We arrived early afternoon and spent most of the afternoon at the campground. Perfect weather allowed for a couple of walks and Ken grilled a tri-tip for a wonderful supper, followed by my first campfire of the season. We even were treated to a visit from Lower Loop Larry, the roadrunner.
We arrived early afternoon and spent most of the afternoon at the campground. Perfect weather allowed for a couple of walks and Ken grilled a tri-tip for a wonderful supper, followed by my first campfire of the season. We even were treated to a visit from Lower Loop Larry, the roadrunner.
Tuesday morning, we were up and at 'em early and picked up our guide, Harriet, for a more in-depth look at the area. The park has some incredible stone and wood shelters and an ampitheater used for groups and talks by rangers. Some of the shrubs are starting to bloom, including the brittlebush, pictured here.
No visit to this area is complete without checking out at least some of the 130 iron sculptures by Ricardo Breceda scattered around the desert on private land. There are dinosaurs, mammoths, camels, tortoises and an immense sea serpent, among others. The detail is fantastic. The woman with the cross has a rosary made of stones and iron.
We also visited the ABDNHA Borrego Botannical Garden in Borrego Springs--a small but excellent display of desert plants. Then back to the park to the Visitor's Center to see the displays about the history of the area, the plants and the animals. Of course we picked up a few souvenirs in the gift shop before we hit the road for the long drive back to Ventura.
The only fly in the ointment was our lodging. The outside of the vintage Airstream was cute enough with a pleasant sitting area and a nice grill. The inside was another story. Among the things that didn't work: the fridge, the bathroom door, and the faucet in the bathroom sink. There was no light in the bedroom and the kitchen cabinet doors were broken. TV and wifi reception were poor and a tacked up cloth strap was apparently supposed to serve as a towel bar in the bathroom. I do not recommend Palm Canyon Hotel and RV Resort!
Today, we will relax and do pretty much nothing very strenuous. Tomorrow I will spend most of Butch's 79th birthday doing something he loved: flying. Thankfully, the 6-10 inches of snow that was once forecast for my arrival home seems to have been downgraded considerably. All in all, a great trip!
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