High Desert History and Mid-Day Rest
Ancient Traces in the Gulch
Blair Valley is a corner of Anza-Borrego rich with cultural history, and we spent the morning visiting of view of its sites. After a warm night, we enjoyed our coffee and hiked directly from our campsite into a peaceful gulch. We eventually found the morteros, ancient grinding holes worn into the stone by people who lived here long ago. Nearby, we discovered rock art of a much different style than the petroglyphs we’ve seen in Southern Utah.
The gulch was a beautiful scramble, a cactus cornucopia of teals and greens. We pushed just far enough to the ridge to catch a glimpse of the vast Vallecito Valley stretching out below us.
The Ghost of a Homestead
We moved the van a few minutes down the road to the Marshall South homestead ruins. In a feat of insane determination, Marshall South moved his family to this hilltop decades ago to pursue a self-sufficient life. Though the house is mostly gone, the stonework remains, including hand-built water cisterns and even a small kiddie pool carved into the rock. Standing there, looking out at the Sawtooth Mountains, it was hard to imagine the grit it took to raise three kids in such a beautiful, harsh environment. On the top of the hill we also met an older couple from British Columbia and chatted for a bit, just two if the many very friendly folks we’ve met in the area.
The Luxury of a Slow Afternoon
By early afternoon, we decided to break our streak of staying busy until sunset. We drove to a new dispersed site in the valley, set up the canopy, and cracked open a few cold ones. It was a treat to simply sit, read, and soak in the views. A friendly park ranger stopped by to chat and gave us a lead on a slot canyon for tomorrow. As the desert temperatures began to dip, we finished dinner and tucked in early, fully recharged.
Desert Magic and Salton Breezes
A Morning Stretch and a Hidden Oasis
We woke to a warm, sunny morning – the perfect excuse to stretch our legs after days of driving. Rose and I started with a jog up a nearby canyon before regrouping with Monika to plan the day. We decided to head toward Borrego Springs to a short trail leading to a desert oasis.
The hike took us through a wide mountain valley teeming with ocotillo, cholla, barrel cacti, and prickly pear. Though the trail was hot and exposed, the payoff was magical: a true desert oasis of palm trees, lush ferns, and green grasses sprouting around a clear creek with waterfalls and boulders. We scrambled through the palms for a while before making the descent back to the van.
Bookstore and Bittersweet Goodbyes
Back at the trailhead, we prepped lunch and plotted our next move. We headed into Borrego Springs to explore, stopping first at a fantastic bookstore and natural science center. The shop was filled with books about the desert lore of the area, and the clerk was super friendly and knowledgeable about the Southwest park systems. Afterward, a quick thrift store stop scored me a new pair of warm-weather pants, perfect for our upcoming Arizona trek.
By mid-afternoon, the road was calling Monika home. Between her recent marathon, the cold spells, and five days of car-camping, she was ready to see Josh, her cat, and her shower again. We said our goodbyes, and Rose and I headed back out, passing the town’s famous massive iron sculptures. I was struck by the “lazy beach town” vibe of the area; with the palm trees and the scent of salt in the air from the nearby Salton Sea, it felt just like laid back town on the coast.
Into Blair Valley
We spent the evening driving toward Blair Valley, a dispersed camping area surrounded by promising trails. The drive was epic, offering vistas of wide valleys and dense patches of barrel cacti. To our surprise, the valley floor was carpeted in vibrant green grass. We found a secluded spot in the foothills just before sunset, the nicest spot on the trip so far, ending the day with a quiet fire and a good book.
From Granite Crags to Date Shakes: A Desert Transition
Our latest leg of the journey took us from the high-desert chill of Joshua Tree’s granite playground to the sun-soaked palm groves of the Coachella Valley.
Hidden Valley and the Boy Scout Trail
We woke up in Hidden Valley, a legendary climber’s hub in Joshua Tree. The campground was packed with vans and campers, many even a bit more “distressed” than our own half-finished build, and filled with climbers posting up for the winter season.
While we had our climbing gear with us, we opted for an overnight backpacking trip instead. Our goal was to test out the new gear we’ve gathered for our thru-hike of the Arizona Trail this spring (thanks Mom and Dad!). The hike was short but scenic, offering an up-close look at the park’s signature rock outcroppings and quirky Joshua trees.
Reaching camp early gave us plenty of time to experiment with our new tarp shelter configurations and soak up the afternoon sun. However, as soon as the sun dipped behind the rocks around 5:30 PM, the desert chill took over. We spent the night hunkered in our sleeping bags, reading to stay warm as the remnants of a winter storm sent temperatures plummeting.
Seeking Warmth in the Sonoran Desert
The next morning, we were more than ready for the sun to crest the hills. After a quick hike back to the van and some brats for lunch, we decided to trade the high desert for the mineral hot springs to the south. We descended into the Coachella Valley, where the elevation drop provided instant relief from the cold, and spent the afternoon soaking in a hot spring that felt like a 1970s time capsule.
This region of California is an agricultural powerhouse, full of date palms among other things. We stopped at a unique little shop – part bodega, part garden oasis – to share a date milkshake on a shaded patio guarded by a friendly house cat.
South Towards the Salt Sea
Hoping to find a fun place to savor the warmth for a couple days, we set our sights on the Salton Sea and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park at the south end of the valley. Driving past massive citrus groves with the shimmering inland sea in the distance, we eventually found a perfect dispersed camping spot just inside the state park boundaries.
The change in climate was exactly what we needed. We spent the evening drying out our swimsuits, building a proper campfire, and enjoying the luxury of being outside without four layers of wool. It’s amazing what a few thousand feet of elevation loss can do!
Engineering Marvels and Art Deco: A Day at Hoover Dam
As a bunch of engineering school nerds, we couldn’t pass up a trip to one of the human-made marvels of the world. Being an electrical engineer, Josh was especially excited to get a look at the power plant and the massive scale of the hydroelectric systems that help keep this part of the country running.
Into the Concrete Giant
We drove out through Boulder City into the rugged landscape of Boulder Canyon, eventually making our way to the visitor’s center. We started with a short propaganda-filled intro video regaling us with the wondrous virtues of the Bureau of Reclamation, before heading deep into the structure itself.
Our guide led us down to view the truly enormous diversion pipes used to reroute the Colorado River during the dam’s construction. There were four in total, and the scale is hard to fathom: each one can carry enough water to fill an entire Olympic-sized swimming pool in just eight seconds!
Art Meets Industry
Next, we transitioned to the power plant. Seeing the massive generators and the control booth was impressive, as were the specialized cranes designed just to lift the magnetic cores of the generators for maintenance.
Another eye-catcher was the unexpected elegance of the place. The guide pointed out the fancy marble floors – the kind you’d see in a high-end city skyscraper. These weren’t just plain stone; they featured intricate artistic designs mimicking the pottery of the native Americans who lived in this desert over a thousand years ago. To replicate that amount of marble work today would apparently cost over a hundred million dollars.
Inside the Walls
The tour then took us into the ventilation tunnels in the middle of the dam itself. One tunnel ended at a vent facing right out of the dam’s face, giving us a dizzying perspective of the river downstream and the suspension bridge from the inside looking out.
We also got a fascinating look at the joints between the countless concrete blocks that prevent cracking. We learned that because the dam is over 600 feet thick at its base and Nevada is so seismically active, the structure isn’t actually permanently adhered to the canyon walls. Instead, it’s wedged in under its own immense weight, allowing it to vibrate safely during an earthquake.
Goodbye to the Crew
After a quick coffee at the site café, we began the transition to the next leg of our journey. Since Josh had a flight back to Denver, we stopped in historic Boulder City, a town built from scratch just to house the dam workers in the 1930s, to grab some smash burgers at a local brewery.
At this point, it was time to say goodbye to Josh. Monika headed off to the airport while Rose and I made a few pit stops for last-minute supplies. As the sun began to set over the wide, open expanse of the Mojave, we started the long drive west toward our next big destination: Joshua Tree National Park.
26.2 Miles and a Liter of Beer
Today was all about Monika. She was out at the crack of dawn to start the Lake Mead Marathon, while the rest of us took on the “strenuous” task of being a support crew.
The Lazy Marathon
Since the race route looped back by our campground every couple of hours, our day was a rhythm of snacks, beers, and Sudoku, punctuated by sprinting to the crossroads to cheer. By the final leg, we’d all downloaded air horn apps on our phones and jogged the last stretch with her. We were likely more of a nuisance than a motivation, but hey – only 0.15% of people ever finish a marathon. Great job Monika!
A Taste of Munich in the Mojave
To celebrate, we headed into Las Vegas to the Hofbrauhaus. Monika’s family is German, and this stop is a non-negotiable tradition when they’re in town. We went all in: massive plates of schnitzel, heaps of sausages, and liters of beer.
As we were finishing up, a crew of about 20 bros in matching tracksuits stormed in and started getting spankings from the waitress right away (no joke, look it up). Based on the volume, I can only assume we were witnessing the very beginning of a long, legendary night of Vegas debauchery.
Back to Reality
After saying goodbye to Monika’s parents (who began the long haul back to Colorado), the four of us caravanned back to the lake. We fell asleep to the “soothing” sounds of a developed campground: generators humming and car alarms chirping. Poor Josh is currently is braving it all in a tent!
From Snowdrifts to Sandstone
Today marks the official start of our year-long sabbatical! Our close friend Monika is running a marathon at Lake Mead this week, so we’re heading south to cheer her on and kick off our year in the dirt.
The Snowy Escape
We woke up in Crestone to cold, grey skies, eager to hit the Desert Southwest and finally warm up. The universe, however, had other plans. After a bit of a false start, we hit Wolf Creek Pass just as the snow began to dump. By the time we reached northern Arizona, the roads were unplowed and the driving was white-knuckled.
Luckily, things dried out as we approached Page. We pushed through the dark to White House Campground near Kanab, one of our old stomping grounds. We fell asleep tucked into the sandstone hills, just happy to be out of the storm.
Familiar Rocks and Creative Names
Waking up near Kanab felt like a homecoming. A few years ago, Rose and I hiked from this very spot down through Paria Canyon to Buckskin Gulch (one of the deepest slot canyons on earth). This morning, the canyon was silent, save for one other van.
As we hit the highway, we passed some favorite landmarks: the Cockscomb ridge, the road to the Wave, and a small peak “creatively” named Mollie’s Nipple (the early pioneers certainly had a sense of humor… or repression?). We followed the Vermilion Cliffs west before dropping off the Colorado Plateau into Hurricane, Utah.
The Desert Transition
Even in small desert towns, things change fast. Our favorite French bakery in Kanab was closed, and several other drive-thrus had vanished entirely! After finding a caffeine fix on the east side of town, we headed through the Virgin River Gorge. Watching the landscape transition from high plateau into the vast Mojave basin never gets old.
Before hitting the lake, we made a crucial discovery in Vegas: WinCo. It’s like a membership-free Costco with massive bulk bins. We stocked up on pay-by-weight nuts, dried fruit, and snacks. It was the perfect find for the backpacking trips ahead. We need one of these in Colorado!
Destination: Lake Mead
We finally rolled into the Lake Mead recreation area a couple hours after Monika’s fiancé Josh arrived from the airport. We spent the evening catching up with them two, cooking dinner at the campsite, and watching the desert sun go down.
