It's been a good20 years since i did the Anza Borrego loop starting from Ocotillo all the way around to Julian along the old coach way. Normally I would just head to the shell canyon area or the shooting range area and go back the way I came via the 8, but I need a road trip for a while now and even just a single day trip was going to feel pretty good cleansing my mind, soul and body.
I left at 5am and there was a faint glow of light to the east.
I forgot how cool it was driving out to the desert. It's been quite a few years since I really did any road trips down here.
Sun Breaking the mountain horizon.
I always loved the drop into the desert, but something was different this time....
There were NO wind farms the last time I drove out there which means it was probably longer ago then I thought!
First stop was to check out the shooting range and then take a hike back into some of the canyons.
Bike Dunes...
I felt like a mountain lion was going to jump from on top of one of these formations and make me breakfast!
Great geologic structures back from the late Miocene period!
I moved up and down a few washes and came to my old fossil site, one of the first I checked out since coming to California.
Gastropod
Oyster
Scallops
Giant Boulder of Oyster!
After a 4 mile hike, I was back at the truck and heading to a new hike spot. More and more wind turbines...
I passed about 40 Border Patrol cars, so there must have been something going on in the area and came to a complete road block of Border Patrol. Nothing more than a/an unusual check point. I made a few stops along the way checking out all of the cool stops along the way and finally got to a wash through the Carrizo Badlands. I packed enough to drink and eat for a 7 mile hike. well, a little more water and Gatorade than that just in case.
My walking "Staff" served as a back up weapon.
This was an awesome hike back into the bad lands. I made my way through some granite peaks.
It was granite, Dolomite Veins, Sand Stones, Pleistocene Conglomerates...
It was so quiet. no wind, no noise what-so-ever, except for these rocks and pebbles that kept falling down the cliffs from the peaks. I felt eith like Jawas or Tusken Raiders were stalking me.... That's what I was hoping over something like the movie, The Hills Have Eyes...
Then i see this... So uncomfortable! I moved a little closer and said, NOPE. LOL
Way back around 5 miles, I find these holes drilled in the rock in some weird corner. I'm guessing core samples for some geologists.
Leaving the volcanic and granite areas to the Pleistocene aged formations.
Crazy folds to the layers.
Lots of these around, but no prints to ID. Any guesses?
Before I know it, I was wondering why i didn't loop back to the truck by now. As I pulled the GPS out of my back pack, I came to the unnerving notion that I was only half way and missed a turn somewhere with my rock gawking! Ugh!! I turned the gears up a bit and tried to get back quicker than the time it took to get there. As I got a mile from the truck, my legs and ass were cramping up and I swear I wasn't sure I was going to make it! Not even joking!, but I did and saw General Ursus still there and waiting for me! hahaha
I made may more stops along the way, but spent a lot more time on that hike then I was planning. I guess the other stops will have to wait for another day. I spent 6+ hours on those two hikes alone!
Multiple stops along the way just to stretch my aching legs.
Last time I was here (Actually stopped to look) was in 1995 with my buddy Todd.
Still looks the same even though I was half the age I was in this picture. Hahahahaha
I was hoping to see the Pictographs, but I was running out of time. I stopped for a beer and to pay a quick homage to the desert gods for getting me out without incident.
I continued through Julian, through Cuyamaca and returned home about 12 hours after i set out.
Oh, I forgot about this creepy ass place. I saw it surrounded by barbed wire and fencing.
I saw the back gate chain broken and took a quick peak in.
MOTHER f@ckER! I started to swing the door open and saw some messy stuff including a sleeping bag and swear I saw a head at the end of the sleeping bag! I don't know if it was a tweaker or a dead person, but I split fast as possible. I didn't smell anything dead, so figured it might have been a tweaker. Either way, I was gone!
Heebie Jeebies!
That was it. Made it home and it was an incredible drive! Mind, Soul and body were cleaned in the best way!
Thanks for reading!
