Imperial Sand Dunes- Gordon’s Well

Toys filled the back of the hauler and we were off to the Imperial Sand Dunes at Gordon’s Well, a  sand landscape with big dunes and good friends.

Caleb ripped through the shifting sand, following the leader.

The dunes are amazingly large and vast.  It’s important to stay close to the person in front of you, because if you lag behind you may lose sight of them behind the next dune. 

Can you see our leader on the right?

Taking a break on top of a dune.

Until next time…

Imperial Sand Dunes- Glamis, CA

It’s hard to believe that our Christmas Break has come and gone!  When we left Tucson, we headed past Yuma to boondock on Ogilby Road in California.  We were headed for the dunes!  Our friends arrived in Glamis and set up camp, so we made our way out to boondock in the Imperial Sand Dunes!  The Imperial Sand Dunes are the largest in the state, extending for more than 40 miles in a band averaging 5 miles wide!

This area is popular for off-highway vehicles (OHV) of all shapes and sizes.  The guys came to the area before Thanksgiving,

but this was a first visit for me!  We went for great rides in the dunes…

and took time to hang out and play games around camp.

From racing up the dunes,

to playing on the sand hill overlooking camp,

one thing is for certain.  We had an awesome time hanging out with friends and playing in the sand!  I have a feeling that we’ll be back!

New Year’s Eve–Rockin’ in Galleta Meadows

On our venture out to Galleta Meadows this morning, we entered the Christmas circle round-about and Whoa!  There’s a Farmer’s Market!  Check out our good eats… smoked fish, fresh produce, gluten free bread and honey!  Yum!

Provisions in hand, we could now continue our journey to…

We entered a time from long ago with beasts rarely seen today.

We tried to hide behind the barrel cactus to go unnoticed by the ferocious Sabertoothed Cat.

We were lucky but this unsuspecting wild horse was not.

But then we found this friendly one that allowed Caleb to give him a jolly pat on the head.

We crept through the desert until…

We came upon the Sloth family rockin’ out for New Year’s Eve!

Papa Sloth got his groove on!

Meanwhile Laser, our fierce German Shepherd, warned these ferocious party animals to stay away from our truck!  So to calm him down we ran into this pup playing fetch.

Once safely back in camp, Chris ventured up to the Overlook Trail to see which campsite has the best view!

Happy New Year’s Eve!  May God fill your lives in 2011 with peace & joy!

Hiking the Palm Canyon Trail

This morning the wind was calm and it appeared that we’d be able to venture outside!  We rode our bikes over to the visitor center where Caleb completed a Jr.Ranger program.  Since the “adults” were not allowed to attend, we watched a short video about the park, meandered through the interpretive displays, and walked around the short trails around the center.  We contemplated listening to a ranger talk on the endangered Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, but decided it was time to go hiking!

We replenished snacks and water at the trailer and then headed towards the trailhead.  From the trailhead, the Palm Canyon trail is 3 miles round trip.  One thing we learned from the nature trail guide is that Ocotillo cactus lose their leaves when they are too dry.  But once it rains enough, they will leaf out completely within 5 days.  We hiked up the sandy wash and over boulders to see a native Palm oasis.

The trail followed the creek, with small waterfalls over the large boulders.  But along the way there was evidence of massive flash floods.  Palm tree trunks were lodged into boulders 20 feet or more from the current creek bed.

The California fan palm is the only palm native to California and it is rare to find one in the wild.  Finding palms ensures there is a water source.  From the craggy desert mountains lined with Ocotillo, one’s eyes are then drawn to the tall, green tops of the palms! 

Our feet got a bit wet boulder hopping to get into the oasis but the site was worth it!  We had never seen native palms clustered in the desert!  While watching our step on the trail, we kept an eye open for the well camouflaged Bighorn Sheep, but didn’t see any. 

Back through the desert, the sun was setting behind the mountain shading much of the trail as early as 3 in the afternoon.  When the sun sets it gets chilly in the arid West and we were glad to be heading back to camp.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park- Borrego Springs, CA

We arrived in San Diego over a week ago in the rain, so it was only fitting that we left in the rain!  Over the mountains and around the bend to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Borrego Springs was our destination.  We are staying in the park’s campground, appropriately named Borrego Palm Canyon.  This rainbow would come and go as the storm circled and swirled. 

This is the largest state park in California!  We plan to scratch the surface and hike the Palm Canyon Trail with hopes of seeing the endangered Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. 

With the wind sweeping through the canyons around us, we enjoyed a game of Yahtzee inside.  Tomorrow is supposed to be clear to check out the trails!
Review of Santee Lakes- Santee Lakes is a great option for camping near San Diego.  It provides easy access to the freeways and is close to many major attractions.  It is a park like setting, even though there are lots of sites.  They offer many amenities.  Weekly/monthly pricing is reasonable for this area.  But watch out for the ants!  The park suggests some “natural” ways to deter them…go straight for the Raid!  We tried the natural first to no avail.  Even with the Raid, we had to be on the lookout for new points of entry and trails in the trailer.  We had planned on taking out our Sea Eagle Kayaks on one of their 7 lakes.  However the park staff informed us that only their boats are allowed.  Although the rains while we were there broke records, it did make for a wet site that didn’t seem to drain.   They have several different areas and we were in a deluxe pull thru at the farthest end of the park.  The deluxe sites are very wide.  I would easily choose a standard site in the Willow loop (sites 129, 135, 136, 137, 152,153,163*,167*,119 all seem to be well suited for a 5er but check their website to be sure. *preferred*)

Christmas with Shamu

After opening the presents that Santa left under the tree, we went to spend Christmas with Shamu at SeaWorld!

SeaWorld is all about the shows!  We laughed as Clyde & Seamore parodied some of today’s popular TV shows.

Then we hurried over to be amazed at Blue Horizons, the new dolphin show.

While we waited for Shamu’s Christmas Celebration, Caleb decided to try out the ice!

He did pretty well for an Arizona desert boy!  We have two more days of zoo or SeaWorld fun!

San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park

We found this monkey at the zoo and decided to take him home for Christmas!  We thought about adding a gorilla but decided that might be a bit much.

But we seriously considered the shiny Polar Bear for Christmas decorations outside the trailer!  You know the ones that inflate wouldn’t even compare to this guy!
Like all good shoppers, we decided to look for a better deal…and came upon this ginormous elephant!  It is perfectly baffled to allow for good airflow, so we could just strap it right on top of the fiver!
Ultimately we opted for the smashed penny.  Much more ecofriendly.  Copper is the new gold.  Reduce-Reuse-Recycle…that’s what the tour guides kept telling us to do!

Caleb saddled up an Okapi and careened through the park…round and round to the left.   I think that Okapi has copied that carousel for far too long, he just wouldn’t veer off course!

With all that excitement we finally broke the centrifugal force and rounded up the family for a camera on a rock picture… Merry Christmas Eve!

Phew!  Our feet are tired!  Time to go back to the fiver!

Santee Lakes “Pineapple Express”

Waking up to the orange glow in the roof vent, I knew the desert sunrise must be a beauty.  So my photography assistant, Chris, rushed outside to get me a shot.

We pointed our rig towards the Pacific Coast and smacked right into the Pineapple Express!  Being Christmas we’re thankful that it’s not the Polar Express!  According to Wikipedia…
Pineapple Express is a non-technical term for a meteorological phenomenon characterized by a strong and persistent flow of atmospheric moisture and associated heavy rainfall from the waters adjacent to the Hawaiian Islands and extending to any location along the Pacific coast of North America. 
We navigated the Interstates, they let us past the border patrol checkpoints, and we pulled into the Santee Lakes Campground.   I knew from the website that there were 7 small lakes, but didn’t know that you could order one right outside your door!

I woke up at 3 AM wondering if we’d hydroplane.  We’re going to stay buttoned up in our trailer today, watch Christmas movies on cable and enjoy our fiber optic Christmas tree!