Bighorn Sheep: Four bighorn sheep casually traverse a rocky hillside near Yaqui Pass in Anza-Borrego State Park in California. The sheep moved across the sloped hillside before disappearing behind large boulders down the hill. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Desert Sand-verbena: The Desert Sand-verbena was one of the wildflowers that was in full bloom in and around Borrego Springs, Calif., during a recent visit. The tiny blooms covered the desert floor in some areas, creating a colorful landscape. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
We love traveling and roaming through the desert southwest region of our beautiful country. After several days in Arizona, we crossed into the desert region of southern California on our way to an RV Rally in San Diego.
We have visited the Borrego Springs, Calif., and Anza-Borrego State Park numerous times but it was calling our name again as we drove through the desert near the Salton Sea. We reached the road to Borrego Springs, headed west, and enjoyed the spring flower blooms and beautiful desert vistas in the area for the next couple of days.
We have seen and photographed the wide array of outdoor sculptures around Borrego Springs, and they lured us to stop and enjoy a couple of the unique sculpture characters along our route. However, on this trip, we were more focused on the desert blooms and color following recent rain in the area. We also wanted to travel some of the area’s back roads to enjoy the scenic beauty of the desert.
We also love viewing and photographing the desert hills and canyons, especially in the early morning and the golden hour just before sunset, and the minutes following sunset. We enjoyed several roads around Borrego Springs and the state park before we headed toward San Diego.
Most travelers would drive a few miles to I-10 and take that route west into the Los Angeles area before turning south on their freeway of choice across the LA area to I-5 to travel into San Diego. As you know, that is not how we roll. We left Borrego Springs on the S-3 highway over Yaqui Pass, a desert mountain pass, to catch California Highway 78. Highway 78 would lead us over the Vallecito Mountains on some winding and mountainous roads and into the northern end of the San Diego metro area.
What a treat this drive turned out to be as we enjoyed beautiful scenery, mountains, valleys, growing a variety of fruits and vegetables, and some interesting shops and restaurants. We managed to limit our stops to photo ops through the mountains until we arrived in the community of Ramona in northern San Diego County for a mid-afternoon lunch break.
Once you are in the metro area, it is almost imperative that you get on an Interstate or widely traveled state highway; otherwise, the journey across town could take days! Our rally destination was just south of the downtown San Diego area, so our travels through the city were much more stressful and lined with traffic than the mountain portion of the drive. We are currently at the RV Rally until Sunday, when we get our van back into travel mode and begin our travels back to Colorado.
Once again, the back roads did not let us down. Fantastic scenery, less traffic, and the opportunity to travel through several small Southern California communities. Two lanes and a full tank of fuel are all it takes to make an enjoyable road trip for us.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Evening Primrose: Evening Primrose blooms open up near sunset, a short drive east from Borrego Springs. The sun was about to set when this photo was made giving it a warm color tone. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Cacti & Wildflowers: A tree cholla cactus stands surrounded by Desert Sand-verbena in a desert open space in Borrego Springs, Calif. The spring bloom was helped by the rains that fell over Southern California a few days ago. Any additional moisture will help extend the blooming season for a while longer. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Serpent Sculpture: The serpent sculpture is one of the most popular metal sculptures that can be seen in the desert in Borrego Springs, Calif. We visited a couple of the sculptures but chose to search for wildflowers and desert vistas during the spring blooming season on this trip. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area: The Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area is located a few miles east of Borrego Springs, Calif. The area is a haven for off-road enthusiasts. Dirt bikes, off-road vehicles, dune buggies, and trucks could be seen and heard as they toured around this portion of the desert. The vehicles were moving over and around the rocky and sandy desert in the recreation area. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Pricklypear: A Purple Pricklypear cactus shines in the late afternoon sun near Borrego Springs, Calif. The purple coloring on the cactus is accentuated by the matching blooms of the wildflowers surrounding the cactus. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Road to San Diego: This was our route from Borrego Springs, Calif., through the mountains to the town of Romana in the northern end of San Diego County. We passed through several small communities along the way gaining a glimpse of the desert mountain lifestyle. The road was dotted with antique stores, a couple of pie houses, and gift and art shops. We also saw apple orchards and a few apple cider bars. The drive took longer than the Interstate but was much more enjoyable. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com