Friday, December 21, 2018

A nice leisurely drive to Borrego Springs......




Our Location:  Near Borrego Springs, CA

A nice night for sleeping and I managed to keep the peepers closed until just after 5AM PST. An improvement for certain. I woke to see the red glow out the window, rolled out of bed, grabbed the camera and a sweater before heading out the door to catch some spectacular sunrise pictures. I couldn’t decide which ones so included only my favourite. 

 
 
I did nothing to any of the sunrise pictures, the pictures are exactly as they came from the camera.
 
We packed up, hooked up and were heading north on Ogilby Road at 8:05 AM PST, I know because I checked the time. We hadn’t had any plans to leave early but we were happy to be on our way. I didn’t realize that the road would be so rough all the way to CA78. We also had no cell service in this small stretch of Ogilby Road and until we reached Glamdis Beach Shop where we once again seemed to pick up the cell towers. 
 

 
It was the most amazing colour of blue.

This was our first time through the actual dunes here at Imperial Dunes. Quite remarkable. Lots of storage for weekenders to leave their rigs behind and not tow home at the end of the weekend. Very smart idea for sure.

 
And the pink was amazing too.
 
We stopped in the town of Brawley for a few reasons and didn’t really manage to achieve any of them except getting some drinking water. Oh well, it is what it is and we’ll keep trying further down the road. We enjoyed about an hour’s rest at Walmart where we purchased a few things we wanted but that weren’t a necessity.
 
The Imperial Sand Dunes.

They seemed to stretch on and on and on and on...

 
From Brawley we headed out on CA78/86, passing through the border inspection station which was backed up for a long distance. It took us 20 minutes to reach the man at the shack, he simply waved us through. Whatever they were looking for we didn’t fit the profile. We didn’t take CA78 to Ocotillo Wells, it’s too much like a roller coaster and HRH Miss Kitty would have been ill. We instead opted to go further up CA86 to Salton City where we turned onto the Borrego Springs - Salton Sea parkway to continue on our travels. We did stop at the big gas bar/store at the corner but it would have been a half hour wait for someone to come out to fill the propane bottle as they were short staffed. We opted to move on, we’ll get it filled on the way out. 

Heading toward Brawley on CA 86.

Amazing bursts of red in numerous places.

Views from the Borrego Springs Salton Sea Parkway.
 
The drive on the Parkway was a bit rough and I pulled over once to check the tires. The road has an odd ripple to it that causes one to think their tires are in trouble. However it did eventually smooth out and the views of course were picturesque. We debated about putting our feet down on this road, the views are amazing but instead continued on toward Borrego Springs. Upon reaching Rockhouse Road we hung a right and took the tour. We even did a bit of a walking tour but couldn’t find anything that appealed to us and so we continued on to the little dust bowl a bit further down on the corner and are now parked at the exact spot we stayed at last year. 
 
Some friends of ours might enjoy their rides through these paths.
 
What do you think Ron?

 It took no time to set up and a call to dad had me talking to his machine but at least he knew we arrived safely. We then had some lunch, read our books and just enjoyed the new sights out the window. It was in this spot where we first met Doug & Yuma last year. What a truly wonderful meeting that was and we miss both man and dog. 


Sharon do you think you might enjoy seeing this?
 
Maybe this is more your liking.
 
Dad called later to say he’d received my message. He passed on the news regarding Brother Rick's broken leg. It seem he will be sitting out the next couple of weeks with his leg in the air still. According to the specialist it will be at least another couple of weeks before he can put ANY weight on the leg at all. Possibly after that he can start with a bit of weight but time will tell. He’s been a month since he broke the bone in his leg just above the ankle. For an active fella it’s hard to suddenly be inactive. Dad reported the weather as a mixed bag. Freezing rain, snow, about 4 inches/10 centimeters, more freezing rain, rain and now they have almost no snow again. All of this wacky weather TODAY. Sudbury and points north are reporting the highways and roads a mess due to freezing rain and snow. Seems they didn’t get the rain.
 
Heading along the parkway toward Borrego Springs.

Breathtaking.
 
So there you have it, thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

Just east of Rockhouse Road, you can see the dry lake bed in the distance.
 
I don't think I'll ever tire of these mountains.
 
Until next time…. take care, be safe,

 
Tonight out our living room windows to the west.

Tonight out the door to the east.
 
 
Deb
 
 
 
 
 
 

12 comments:

  1. Beautiful sunrise and sunset pictures the last two days. I especially, of course, like the ones through the Ocotillo...:)
    It is a beautiful ride into Borrego Springs on that highway. The sites along the way are breathtaking.
    Enjoy your time there and be safe.

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    1. Thanks Deb. I've been enjoying the sunrises/set myself. I too am feeling a pull toward the Ocotillo, they seem to offer some great photo opportunities.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  2. Glad that you mentioned Doug and Yuma as I have wonder about them . I hope all is well with them . Hope you have a Merry Christmas . Always enjoy your photos .

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    1. I haven't spoken to Doug but I''m not sure he's traveling this year. He has commented on my blog a few times over the past while though. Thanks Vernon, Merry Christmas to you and yours as well.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  3. Beautiful sunrise, would be hard pressed to pick a favorite! Beautiful drive you had. I love the sunset picture!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Shirley. The sunrise/sunset pictures were natural, just how they uploaded from the camera. I don't think we can improve on Mother Nature's pallet very often.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  4. Glad that you made it there safely, an area that we enjoy as well. Have too much fun and a Merry Christmas to you both.

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    1. Thank you George. Merry Christmas to you and Suzie and all your loved ones back home as well. We don't seem to have too much trouble finding something to occupy us and we usually enjoy it.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  5. Beautiful sunrise photos. Borrego Springs is one of my favorite places. Love the photos of the Badlands. I have fond memories of our adventures. My family is doing well but will probably not make the journey west this winter. Merry Christmas to you, Riley and Kitty.

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    1. Thanks Doug. We wish you and Dolly along with your family a very Merry Christmas!!! Glad to hear everyone is doing well. Sorry you won't be traveling as I know how much you enjoyed it.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  6. We have always found that short stretch of road after leaving the Arco station to be miserable. It sets up a porpoising effect which can really re-arrange things in cupboards and closets. I have always loved that drive coming down into the Borrego Valley. Sweeping vistas and huge mountains. Rockhouse Road is no longer a destination for us. Too crowded since the State Park restricted boondockers to a much smaller area than before.

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    Replies
    1. I agree with everything you've said. We park across the road on the land that is for sale. No one seems to bother and there are fire rings as well as other campers. It's not as private as we'd like but it is less crowded. However I'm not going to limit us to just this small space. I'm going to keep looking for other boon docking spots and I'll let you know if I find anything.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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