A Hike up Ghost Mountain

The wind stopped blowing through the night, so we decided to take a trip to Ghost Mountain. Before we left we took the dogs for a walk through the desert, where we found a little campsite all out lined with rocks and in the center we found this

Isn't that too cool.

So about ten this morning we took the dogs and headed for Ghost Mountain, approx 25 miles from Borrego Springs, the road was really good as it winded through Yaqui Pass, and Centenac Canyon. We turned into Blair Valley, drove beside the playa until we reached the base of Ghost Mountain. Ghost Mountain is where the poet/author/artist Marshall South and his wife Tanya moved in the early nineteen thirties, then homesteaded with their three children for sixteen years atop this dry windy mountain.

the start of the trail

Skip part way up the one mile trail that went straight up.

About half way up the mountain, I was taking a rest. the green dot in the center is our tracker

the remains of the homestead

Skip checking out the remains of the cisterns

  
The sundial was right on 12 noon

We think this is the  morteros  where Tanya ground corn and seeds etc, just as the Indians had done for thousands of years.

Being on top of Ghost Mountain, left us both in awe of the family who dared to live  life their way in such a harsh, unforgiving climate, blazing sun, wicked winds, and even snow, and yet as we sat there in silence, I could hear children laughing, so it must have been good.

Marshall South wrote about their life in a series of monthly articles for the Desert Magazine. It has been put in book form, which I just bought, I will lend it to anyone who is interested ( except a certain person
who never returns my books..you know who you are)

We were at Ghost Mountain yesterday, today we left  Anza-Borrego and we are at Salt Creek Rec. Area
at the Salton Sea.

This is kind of a long post but I couldn't pare it down.

Jean





                                                                                

Didn't do anything today

But watch a football game, and walk the dogs. The wind has been blowing nonstop since last night, and it is cold... no laughing allowed.  IT WAS COLD.  Almost all the  rigs have left the area we are parked in, the long Thanksgiving weekend is over, we are only about 100 miles from San Diego and a lot of people come here for the free camping.

We may leave ourselves tomorrow, if the wind is still howling, we plan to go to the Salton Sea for a couple of days and then head to Arizona. We think we will come back here before we come home there are a couple of hikes we want to do, Alcoholic Pass and Ghost Mountain.

We had fun at the Tamale Festival, but I found out I don't like Tamales, yucky!

elementary school kids dancing

this little guy was only six years old, but could he sing . He just got a recording contract

the Mariachi band was really good.

We also saw this car.

It is  a 1954 corvette nomad, Chevy only made one, and then they destroyed it, so the man driving it built one himself. He is an older man from Idaho. the funny thing is he drove by and then stopped, turned around and came back to ask us about our tracker. I asked if he minded if I took some pictures of it, and he said to go ahead  but I should be taking pictures of the scenery.

Jean

Borrego Springs Tamale Festival

 I knew that the desert got cold at night, but I wasn't prepared for how cold, as soon as the sun goes down, it cools off fast, we don't usually keep the furnace on,  because the fan is such a power hog, we both woke up about three this morning to find that Jake was sleeping on the foot of the bed, (how a hundred pound dog can sneak on to the bed unnoticed, is beyond me, but there he was and not about to move. Skip got up and checked the thermometer and it was 42F, I guess Jake was cold, he is big but delicate apparently.Skip turned the furnace up to 60 and we heard it turning on and off the rest of the night.

We went to town for the annual Tamale Festival which was held at Christmas Circle. For some reason I can't upload my pictures, so I will try again, tomorrow. I think my verizon aircard isn't getting a srong enough signal.


I heard from Shawnarae, that a fellow I used to work with had taken his life on Thursday, that makes me so sad, I know my friends are hurting and I wish things were different. I am sending good thoughts and vertual hugs to you.


Jean

A Trip to Fonts Point and Lunch Out

This morning Skip and I took a trip to Fonts Point. Pedro Font was a Spanish priest and diarist on the second anza expedition to California. We headed up Fonts Wash which accessible only by four wheel drive, after a few miles, we parked and climbed up to the point, and this is what we saw.

Looking south over the badlands to Mexico

A dry creek bed

That's the dry lake bed where we are camped.

Then we went for lunch at a small Mexican restaurant in Borrego springs, where we found more animals
I had to show you this one.

the detail is amazing. As usual you can click to enlarge.

Glad it's warming up for you all.

Jean

A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

We are still at Clark Dry Lake Bed in  Anza Borrego, we have a few neighbours, our closest neighbour came over to meet us, she had seen our BC plates, turns out they are from Sidney. Martin and Gay are an interesting couple. They travel most of the year, six months in the states and six months in Canada. They have a tear drop trailer, which they ordered from the factory,with just beds and cupboards in it. Gay cooks in a tent, and they keep their food in coolers.

that's us, with our solar panels up, the dark green bushes are Creosote Bushes, and the lighter ones are Chaparral.

We took the dogs and went  to the Pumpkin Patch. We had to travel through Tule Wash which was really
amazing. Skip put the tracker in 4x4  and away we went.

Seven miles of bumpy roads, through various washes, we arrived at the Pumpkin Patch.

They are concretions formed millions of years ago, They are formed much like a pearl is with a nucleus of sandstone that is created by a cementing agent of either calcium or gypsum, the surrounding material erodes away leaving weird shapes or pumpkins. It covers an area  about the size of a city block.

More of Tule Wash

you can click on pictures to enlarge.

I am glad it is going to warm up for you all.

and Yay Canucks.

Jean

Found some cool animals and hiking slot canyon.

 We came across these animals in a field yesterday and some more today.

they are in a field which is private property, but the owner lets the public on his land to see them. They are metal, with incredible detail right down to eyelashes. Click to enlarge. The dogs were with us, it was pretty funny..they were in the car barking, thought they were real .

Skip and I left early  this morning to hike Slot Canyon. It was amazing, some of it was so narrow, I had to lift my backpack to get through.

We are moving down the road a bit tomorrow, the area we are in turned into a dust bowl this weekend,
it seems this is the place to come with dirt bikes and atvs, it was really noisy and we figure with next week being American Thanksgiving it will be the same thing, only for four days instead of two.

Hope everyone is staying warm

Jean