Anza Borrego camping and wheeling

December 17, 2021, 11:52:21 pm

We just returned from a near-perfect weekday camping trip to Anza Borrego. Borrego Palm Canyon had abundant sites open. Did a little rain and cool temperatures elsewhere scare people away? The weather was ideal for hiking, wheeling, sitting around a camp fire, and enjoying friends. The rain the night before kept the dust down and helped the tires bite in as we crawled down the drop offs. We will be leading a 4x4 trip in a month and I wanted to pre-run a few routes prior to taking people out where they might get get... ummm... stuck, or worse.

We did several of the drop offs in the park. Pinion Mountain drop off is just too dangerous and since people and vehicles get injured and damaged every season , so we skipped that one. The Slot drop off was slippery, steep, and fun and the Del Diablo drop off was great fun, as always. Broken Driveshaft Gulch was rocky, but had enough sand in it to avoid much undercarriage contact. We did encounter a couple in a new Rubicon coming up the gulch the wrong way. (It is a one way canyon.) They told us that Google Maps indicated that they could get to highway S2 in a few more miles. I asked if they were prepared to climb a 200+ foot steep drop off, the wrong way, in soft sand. They just looked at me with confusion. They wisely got turned around and returned the same way they came.

Cyndy kept us fed, as well as handled tire pressure duties. Tug was on constant alert for squirrel and jackrabbit intruders. The campfire was perfect for marshmallows. Tarantulas were out and wandering. We avoided running over any of them and a few were happy to pose. Camping doesn't get much better than this with good friends.

I can't wait to get back out.

Harold