Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, named for Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish word for bighorn sheep, is the largest state park in California. It features washes, wildflowers, palm groves, cacti, and sweeping vistas.
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| Sunrise at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park |
While I was there, the wildflowers were beginning to bloom.
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| Browneyes |
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| Brittlebush in Bloom |
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| At the End of an Ocotillo Tendril |
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| Desert Fivespot |
The Slot
This slot canyon was approximately a mile long. It provided to be a fun and immersive experience. After parking near the edge of it, I made my way down to the canyon floor and then headed through.
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| Odyssey Parked Above the Slot |
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| Beginning of "The Slot" |
It did not take very long for the rock walls to narrow and rise higher above me.
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| Taller Walls, Narrower Passage |
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| Even Narrower |
Never very straight, the slot canyon began to wind its way back and forth between the rock.
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| What Is Around the Corner? |
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| Can I Make My Way Through? |
In a couple of places, I was forced to skirt around or over rocks and debris that clogged the passage.
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| Time to Climb the Shelf and Pass the Boulder to the Right |
The slot canyon was so narrow in three or four places that my shoulders and sides touched both walls at the same time as I walked slowly through. At this spot, I had to remove and carry my daypack, turn sideways, and sidle through while leaning my upper torso at an angle.
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Narrowest Spot
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I wonder when this piece of the wall separated. I am glad I won't be there if and when it crashes to the canyon floor.
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| Leaning Tower |
As I neared the distant end of the canyon, the walls naturally widened again.
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| Grooved Canyon Walls |
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| Coming Out the Far End of "The Slot" |
The top of this rock formation completely intrigued me. It is so smooth as compared to the rock below it that it almost seems fake or manmade.
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| "Unnatural" Flow |
San Felipe Wash
The park's 500 miles of dirt roads allow a person to see up close many facets of the desert landscape including washes such as this one. I, on the other hand, chose to explore it on foot.
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| San Felipe Wash |
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| The Wash at Ground Level |
Wind, water, sun, and erosion combined to shape or expose the rock and soil in a variety of interesting ways.
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| The Base Looks Too Fragile to Hold Up the Top |
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| Tilted Layers |
I usually overlook or avoid insects, but the coloration of this one made me stop and notice. It was actually a challenge getting a good photo because this beetle was moving across the ground at a faster pace than you might expect.
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| Inflated Beetle |
To exit the wash, I had to climb up a defile. In the middle was a high ledge that required some careful steps to navigate.
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| Must Shimmy Up and Along the Ledge |
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| A Look Back Down the Exit from the Wash |
West Butte
West Butte was one of the high points in the park. Its sides were strewn with jagged dark brown rocks.
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| West Butte |
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| Cluttered Hillside |
The trail to the top was a steady but not overly difficult climb along ridges and spines.
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| The Trail Climbs Upward |
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| The Top of West Butte |
Once I was at the top, I had a panoramic view of the land and surrounding mountains.
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| Mountains Rise Above Badlands |
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| Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to the East |
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| Lines of Black Rock Stretch Across the Desert Floor |
Badlands
The terrain in this section of the park was full of multicolored hills and gullies.
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| Badlands |
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| Edge of the Badlands |
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| Wrinkles and Gullies |
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| Landslide or Mudslide down the Face of the Hillside? |
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| Pronounced Stripes |
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