The Cholla Cactus Tracy told me a story about why the Cholla are called the Jumping Cactus: that little ends of the branches fall off and are blown a bit away from the plant, so you’re more likely to miss seeing the bits as you’re busy avoiding the plant. Bang—you step on them, let them […]
Tag: California
Joshua Tree Hikes
I’ve really been enjoying myself boondocking outside the south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. I think I’m getting the hang of the desert, although I can’t say that I love it (yet, at least). I have lots of pictures to show you and stories to tell, but I thought I’d show you our hikes […]
Thankful, Behind and Ahead
Last Thanksgiving, we were in Big Cypress National Preserve, in the first part of our long winter tour of Florida. I feel like we’re a world away this Thanksgiving, here in the desert in Southern California. But it’s funny: we’re in our same home and cooking and eating our same meal (thanks for putting up with […]
Hellhole Canyon and the Slot
There’s not a ton of hiking near us in Anza-Borrego, but we’ve done two short ones that have made the stay here worth it. Indeed, hikes are a memorable as the names. Hellhole Canyon The park brochure description makes this out to be a 6-hour hike into the wastelands of misery, but we did it […]
Anza-Borrego
The small tourist town of Borrego Springs is right in the middle of Anza-Borrego State Park, about 40 miles north of the Mexican border (in California). We came here because we’re basically dilly dallying around the southwest for the winter, trying not to get to our “destination,” Yuma, so early that we’ll be bored there […]
Co-camping among the Manzanitas
Imagine that a friend, whom you haven’t seen in two years, pulls up to your remote campsite. Imagine that she pulls out of her car: a bottle of champagne, a dinner kit of salmon and veggies (prepped and ready for the stove), and a bag of limes. Now, imagine that she also pulls out a […]
Famous Alabama Hills of California
We drove straight west from Las Vegas, to the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains—an area called Alabama Hills. (More on the name below). Unlike other times when Tracy’s felt confident exploring dirt roads to find just the right spot for us, here we could see campers scattered all over this national scenic area […]
I Spent My Birthday on Tatooine
I didn’t know this until I’d been here a few days and was scrolling through the Death Valley info on the NPS app: several Star Wars scenes from two of its movies were filmed here. This was a national monument back then, not a national park and national wilderness like it is now, so it was legal […]
A Different Salt Life
I do miss the Salt Life of the ocean; this time last year we were skirting the Gulf of Mexico on our way from Texas to Florida and loving the small towns along the way. The salt here is pervasive though, and in Death Valley the standing water at the lowest basins is sometimes saltier […]
Mosaic Canyon
This is another slot canyon like Golden, but the geology is much different. The rock here has been turned to marble due to so much flash flooding, and it’s as smooth as a marble countertop in places. We walked along the widest parts with a gravel floor for the wash and had excellent views of […]
