Double Fun @ Anza Borrego - March 2019

Oh man, was this going to be fun. A trip like no other (so far). A trip with a twist. A trip that was actually two. Let me explain.

For a while now, Anza Borrego Desert State Park in California has been on my list of places to explore. Like Death Valley - which we've visited quite a bit and recently hiked for three days - it's a great place to visit during the winter because temperatures in the summer can get rather unbearable - so much so that certain roads in the park are closed from mid-June to September. The problem is that the drive to-and-from Anza Borrego is a bit too long to make our normal 6-day jaunts worthwhile.

So you can imagine my excitement when I realized that there was an opportunity to nearly double the length of the trip and cut the driving in half, all at the same time!

To find out how, read the first chapter and see photos of my first experience in Anza-Borrego, check out:

Double Fun @ Anza Borrego - March 2019 (Part 1)​

more photos and the full story:
Double Fun @ Anza Borrego - March 2019 (Part 1)​

 

...The sandy washes were fun to drive in and we made reasonably good time except for me stopping every couple minutes to take pictures. But really, how could anyone resist - the sun was out and the weather was a far cry better than the snow we'd left in Washington!

Check it all out in Anza-Borrego Part 2 - Fun in the Sun!​

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Anza-Borrego Part 2 - Fun in the Sun!​

catch up on the entire story here:
Double Fun @ Anza Borrego - March 2019 ​

 

...A short drop from the viewpoint down into the canyon and we were almost immediately in what I think was the most breathtaking canyon of the trip - Canyon sin Nombre.

Not only were the colors amazing, but so was the geology. The entire area had been uplifted in giant synclines and anticlines, and then crushed and folded into amazing shapes. I wasn't the only one who wanted to stop and get out for a closer look - we were both hopping out of the truck on a regular basis at this point.

See tons of photos of what it looked like and read the rest of the adventure at
Anza-Borrego Part 3 - Stymied at Sandstone Canyon​

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Anza-Borrego Part 3 - Stymied at Sandstone Canyon​

catch up on the entire story here:
Double Fun @ Anza Borrego - March 2019


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Oh boy... I will read your report tonight! Just took a quick look at the photos there. My kids and I spent a lot of time up Split Mountain and Sandstone Canyon back with my first Tacoma (2001-2004). Ten years later, with my new wife and third Tacoma, too! That was sometimes with other SoCaTacos on runs.

 

Today was Fish Creek Wash and Split Mountain Road...First up were the Elephant Knees. This amazing formation was created over millions of years - its sedimentary layers deposited as part of the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) and prehistoric Lake Cahuilla (the precursor to the Salton Sea). And, like any sea-based sedimentary formation, the Elephant Knees are littered with fossils. From corals, clams, crabs, and shrimp to sharks, rays, and baleen whale - numerous fossils can be found in vast quantities in this area. In fact, vast quantities of oyster shells are what make up the slightly harder layers of sediment - slower to erode as the soft mud above and below wash away, these layers have become the "knees" of the formation...

Read the full story and see all the pics in Anza-Borrego Part 4 - Elephant Knees, Wind Caves, and Dinosaurs

Anza-Borrego Part 4 - Elephant Knees, Wind Caves, and Dinosaurs



catch up on the entire story here:
Double Fun @ Anza Borrego - March 2019

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That was great... Traveled to most of those sites to break in my new Tacoma in 2001 with my kids.

 

Split Mountain was pretty cool, for sure. As you can see, we got "stuck" there in Part 4 - just too much cool stuff to look around at!

Thanks . Lots more good stuff coming, it was a fun trip for sure.

 

Sock

 

...we were a little worried about something else entirely: the longer we were on the tracks, the more likely we were to encounter a representative from the railroad. Rumor has it that this rail line is now used by migrants trying to enter the USA from Mexico, and so is randomly patrolled. And, as a narrow swath of private land running through Anza-Borrego, the rail company has apparently decided that the best way to reduce liability is to keep everyone off the tracks - by issuing hefty tickets to anyone they find along the line.

Whether that was true or not, we didn't really want to find out...

Full story and photos: Anza-Borrego Part 5 - Palms, Pups, and the Longest Trestle​

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Anza-Borrego Part 5 - Palms, Pups, and the Longest Trestle​

catch up on the entire story here:
Double Fun @ Anza Borrego - March 2019 ​

 

Thank you!

 

Finally, we found it!

We took it all in. We enjoyed every minute. It had been a true Indiana Jones style adventure - one where we'd known what we were looking for, but not where to find it. One of those rare places that the Internet alluded to but never actually divulged the exact location. And in the end, I think that's what makes it so special...

And we captured it all in Anza-Borrego Part 6 - Finding Blue Sun Cave​

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Anza-Borrego Part 6 - Finding Blue Sun Cave
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catch up on the entire story here:
Double Fun @ Anza Borrego - March 2019​

 

... we were keen to see what was at the end of Sheep Canyon, and so we pushed on. As it turns out, what's at the end of Sheep Canyon is a campground - and, at least on this day, a full one at that! Disappointed, we made our way through the small loop and noticed a white first gen Tacoma camped in the very last spot - as far from anyone else as possible. "Nice first gen," the owner said as we drove by. "Back at you." replied @mrs.turbodb as we started back down the way we'd come. It was 2:30pm and we were now unsure what we were going to do for our last night in Anza-Borrego. We stopped along the side of the road and started looking at our maps...

Little did we know what was about to happen. It's a small TacomaWorld, I tell you!

Find out who it was in
Anza-Borrego Part 7 - So. Many. People.​

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Anza-Borrego Part 7 - So. Many. People.​

catch up on the entire story here:
Double Fun @ Anza Borrego - March 2019​

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Rig Review: Anza-Borrego & Ruining Around in Utah - What worked and what didn't?

Covered in this Rig Review:

1. SCS Stealth6 Wheels replaced with 3rd Gen 4Runner 5-Spoke Wheels (new)
2. The Bed is Cracking
3. The CVT Roof Top Tent - A Stargazer-less Rain Fly
4. The CVT Roof Top Tent - Sticky Zipper
5. Coleman Camp Stove/Grill (updated)

catch up on the entire story here:
Double Fun @ Anza Borrego - March 2019



check out more trips and stories​

adventures of @turbodb​

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Hi @turbodb we just got back from a few days in ABDSP and I wanted to say thanks for your posts which we used for guidance. Appreciate that you provide enough info to be useful for a savvy person, and don’t just post GPS coordinates for any bozo to follow.

Unfortunately we did NOT take our Tacoma, and our van needed some rock stacking to get over the tracks on Mortero Wash at the Dos Cabezas crossing, but that’s all part of the fun. And sleeping in the van vs tent was nice on the first night with howling winds. Then we took the Mortero Palms route to the trestle which was, uhh, challenging but fortunately my 65 year old body climbs over obstacles better than my van does. The entrance to Canyon Sin Nombre was probably doable downhill in the van but very dry and mogul-y so I didn’t think I’d make it make up; rode our mountain bikes instead and still had to walk back up. Slot canyon on the left (we stashed our bikes) was a highlight! Thanks again for the tips.

 

Glad you had a good time! Post some pics if you have them!

And, the million dollar question - did you find any new/cool places you'd like to share?