New Year Visit to Anza-Borrego State Park
This winter we once again found ourselves back in a new favorite boondocking location near Borrego Springs, California. Again, we would to ring in the New Year in this special place.
Clark Dry Lake Boondocking Area
I don’t really know why I’m drawn to such a barren, dry and desolate place but once setup and chairs out I’m loving it. There are many places for RV Boondocking in Anza-Borrego State Park, but we returned to the now familiar surroundings of Clark Dry Lake off HWY 22 near Borrego Springs. The crowd here is a little more subdued than in the ATV areas and the views are stunning. Greeting you is a sweeping panorama of the dry lake bed surrounded by mountain slopes that change color throughout the day and cast intricate shadows as the sun sets and rises.
When out here you really fall into the rhythm of the place, slow down and relax. Mornings are usually an early photo shoot / hike while it is cool, afternoons are spent puttering around the RV, working at the computer, reading or doing chores and then we are off to photograph at sunset. After that we head back to the RV for a late dinner, admire the starry sky and early to bed. My favorite thing here and in the desert in general is the silence. Because of this any sound that does happen becomes amplified. The crunching of the crusty rocky ground beneath your feet, the yipping and yappy coyotes, buzzing insects, even the wind all seem extra sharp and clear.
Last year we explored the many cool metal sculptures surrounding Borrego Springs, hiked through the Slot canyon and witnessed an amazing sunrise on the Clark Dry Lake. This year we ventured a little further around Clarke Dry Lake bed finding some broken down old buildings and really cool looking cracked mud beds. Up in the hills only 20 minutes hike from our camp we learned of a rock sculptured snake and spent a beautiful morning exploring it and the surrounding hill top. Our little beagle had a blast on these hikes and every evening we had a good and tired doggie.
One evening we took a drive south of Borrego and hiked the easy Yaqui Well Trail. This is a nature type trail showing off a multitude of plant life found in the area. Here we found Ocotillo cactus in bloom always a great subject for a photograph. The washes and crevices of this area were stuffed with interesting little plants and cacti and the rocky terrain lit up as the sun sunk down lower making for some great shots.
The next evening we ventured east back down HWY 22 to a place that overlooks some cool hill sides and canyons. A place you can see for miles and miles all the way to the Salton Sea. Here very few plants survive and even fewer animals but to my surprise just as the sunset a long eared jack rabbit bogeyed by me a lightning pace. The desert is much more alive than we think.
Well that was our third stint boondocking in Anza-Borrego State Park and second New Year’s celebrated there in row! I think a new tradition developing perhaps? I know now we have barely scratched the surface of the place but Joshua Tree was calling our name, the weather was perfect up there so we had make the difficult decisions to say good bye and leave more Borrego Springs for another day. Such is the hard life of nomadic RVing.
I think photos best express what I love about the park, Enjoy.
