BORREGO SPRINGS CALIFORNIA....WHAT A GREAT LITTLE PLACE:))

OUTSIDE THE BORREGO SPRINGS LIBRARY & MINI SHOPPING CENTER

We have a steel roof on our mobile home here in Bayfield & right now it's raining so hard I can't even hear my own mumblings.  The weatherman sure hasn't co-operated for our Canadian Thanksgiving week-end so far.  Even the turkeys are soaked. LOOKING WEST ALONG BORREGO'S MAIN STREET FROM THE CHRISTMAS CIRCLE

Two weeks from this morning we will be busy loading ourselves into the rig for our trek to the southwest.  I will be happy to finally pull the gearshift lever into drive & end all this apprehensive waiting.  These final 2 weeks would be very exciting if I was still a kid but as an adult the excitement is always a bit subdued by the reality in thought of the journey ahead with it's concerns & unknowns.   Once the big wheels are rolling those thoughts quickly diminish & it's on with the business & enthusiasm of the journey ahead.  Nice to once again see the countryside rolling by, feel the gentle roll of the big rig underfoot, & hear those traveling tunes cranked up on the stereo.   Let er rip Mr. Nelson.......On The Road Again:)) 

GOLF COURSE & LANDSCAPING AT THE 'SPRINGS AT BORREGO'

WANDERING WILLY  had 3 posts recently about his early RV camping & trailer days which reminded me of a unique RV trailer park in Bisbee, Arizona that we saw last winter.  Called the SHADY DELL it consists of vintage travel trailers laid out in a park setting that you can stay in for the night or by the week.  Check to-days blog photo album for our walk-through the 1950's style nostalgic RV park earlier this year.

View Full Album

We were in Slab City California a couple seasons ago having our solar panels installed when a passing comment from a fellow RV'er about a place west of the Salton Sea led us to the quiet little desert/mountain town of Borrego Springs.

We spent 17 days boondocking at the Clark Dry Lake Bed area that time & another 17 days just this past season again.  We will likely end up there this year for a few more days as well.

ANZA-BORREGO STATE PARK VISITOR'S CENTER

BORREGO SPRINGS is literally an oasis in a harsh desert landscape nestled into the foot of the towering San Ysidro mountains .  Palm trees, green grass, lush flowers & vegetation along with acres of orange, lemon, & grapefruit trees make Borrego Springs a true diamond in the rough.  No traffic lights here, no car crazy chaos, no big box stores or chain restaurants.  No endless acres of paved parking lots with ticky tacky stores as far as the eye can see.  Main street stretches east & west for about  half a mile or so & has retained its early western flair tastefully blended with modern facilities like a great library & small shopping complex.  A large round-about & wide traffic route called Christmas Circle begins the main street from the east & is the center of events for flea markets, farmer's markets, etc.  An award winning design for the Anza-Borrego State Park visitor's center is here complete with RV Park & can be found at the western end of the main street.  There are 2 or 3 other RV Parks as well including one very high end park complete with a large beautifully landscaped golf course called THE SPRINGS OF BORREGO.  This are also permanent living units here as well. 

OVERLOOKING BORREGO SPRINGS BELOW FROM NEAR THE CULP VALLEY CAMPGROUND

TOURING THE BORREGO BADLANDS ON A JEEP TOUR WITH LOCAL BORREGO SPRINGS RESIDENTS

Despite the harsh appearance of the surrounding desert, Borrego has a very ritzy side to it so be sure to see our photos of both the ritzy & the dusty side.  Borrego has a small airstrip as well & it's nice to drive around the backstreets to see the beautiful homes with their ever creative desert landscaping.

 CHRISTMAS CIRCLE

If you check our side bar to the right you can scroll down to our archive section where you will see the months & years listed of our travels.  We have spent a total over 34 days in Borrego Springs over the past couple of years so check out 2007 for the dates between December 21rst & 31rst.  Also January 2008 from Jan 1rst to the 7th.  Also have a look at December 31rst of 08 right up to January 17th of 2009.  All photos for those dates can be found in our photo albums for those dates as well.  PHOTO ALBUMS.  You will find our day trips to the Borrego Slot Canyon, Palm Springs Canyon, Hell Hole Canyon, Marshal South's Ghost Mountain, the little mountain town of Julian, Salton City by the Salton Sea, a couple of Jeep tours with local Borrego Springs residents, the Borrego Badlands, & a drive along the old Butterfield Stagecoach route heading towards San Diego, plus hikes & drives in & around the desert landscape.  This is a very friendly little RV town with lots of activity put on by the Anza-Borrego State Park & the local townspeople themselves.  I should add that Borrego Springs is totally surrounded by the vast Anza-Borrego State Park system.

 KELLY BUYS A COUPLE DOGGY BEDS FROM A VENDOR ON CHRISTMAS CIRCLE

Oh, & I should add that the nearest Wally World to Borrego Springs is a leisurely 58 mile drive to Brawley.  That is an important factor to RV'ers for sure & I might add this is a new looking Wally World with with a real southwest design to it having only been constructed in the last couple years.  And they have a McDonald's as well as all the assorted fast food places in Brawley as well so it's is a popular last stop if your heading to Borrego Springs from the southeast. 

THE BORREGO RANCH & SPA RESORT

Turned out to be a busy afternoon here at home in Bayfield to-day as Kelly scurried back & forth to the motorhome with armloads of this & that.  Wanted to take advantage of the sunny day because next week is looking cold & wet again.  Two weeks from now we should be stopped for the night somewhere north of Indianapolis.  Yay team:))

BOONDOCKING AT THE CLARK DRY LAKE BED NEAR BORREGO SPRINGS WITH NEIGHBOR'S CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ON THEIR AIRSTREAM TRAILERS

GROANER'S CORNER:))  Two Mexican detectives were investigating the murder of Juan Gonzalez. 
'How was he killed?' asked one detective.
'With a golf gun,' the other detective replied. 
'A golf gun? What is a golf gun?' 
'I don't know. But it sure made a hole in Juan.'

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

CULP VALLEY HIKE

WEDNESDAY JAN 2/08

Another clear & sunny California morning. This sure is a great area for consistently great weather. Night time temps drop to about 40F & the day time sunny days get up into the high 60's to low & mid 70's.

Butch & another RV neighbor, Keith, dropped over for a chin wag around 9. Butch, Keith & his wife come here every winter so it's always good to talk with people like them about the ways of the weather in these here parts. We're always a little concerned about the wind & the weatherman says we may be getting some wind & rain over this coming week-end. If we feel it's going to be a little rough we'll slip into an RV park in Borrego Springs to get out of the winds. We found one to-day that is affordable just in case.

Headed up Montezuma's grade later on in search of the Culp Valley campground. That Montezuma's grade is quite a road twisting & turning through the mountains. Found the campground at mile marker 9 & pulled off the highway onto a bumpy dirt road into the campground. No problem for the sure footed Santa Fe though. This a really nice & private RV campground hidden away in the rocks of Culp valley. Only a couple of small truck campers there. The hardest part is getting an RV up or down Montezuma's grade to actually reach the campground. There are scenic hiking trails here & one took us up onto a ridge overlooking the valley floor below to the east. We could see all the way to the Salton Sea & beyond to the Chocolate Mountains. Between the Sea & the Mountains is Slab City but we didn't see anyone we remembered from the Slabs:)) Kelly busied herself building half a dozen Inukshuks & we left one of our Bayfield Bunch internet cards under one of them. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy Maybe we'll get an email from the park's, Smoky the Bear now.
Another trail led us down the mountainside towards the Pema Springs, but we didn't make it. It was a steady downgrade, the sun was beginning to sink towards the mountain tops, this was mountain lion country, & it would be a tough hike back up to the car, so we only went about two thirds of the way to the spring before turning & heading back up to the car. We built ourselves up a good sweat on the upgrade though.

Back down the mountain into town, a quick stop at the grocery store & back out to the desert. Kelly got a campfire going & that was about it for another day in the life & times of.............. The Bayfield Bunch:))

To-morrow we head for.........Ghost Mountain!!

Note: To answer Vito's question about the Slabs...... We left the Slabs a couple of weeks ago so don't know anything about that Slab City Talent Show on January 26th. Sorry Vito:((