Anza-Borrego Desert, CA (2/9 & 2/10/2018)

My plan was to stop at Henshaw Lake for a week or two, since it was in a nice, mountainous area with a lake, close to Mount Palomar and other attractions that appealed to me.  There are two highways that would get me there, one that goes over the mountains with lots of curves and grades.  I meant to take the longer, safer route, but Gertie tricked me by starting on the road I wanted, but screaming "Turn Right" at a new road.  I wrongly assumed it was just a shortcut to my preferred road, and by the time I realized where we were headed, it was too late.As it turned out, the road was in  great shape and the "tricky" part had little traffic, so I actually enjoyed the trip.  We passed through five Indian Reservations, one of them offering unleaded gas for "only" $2.84 per gallon (compared to $3.15 to $3.79 elsewhere).  It seems the Indians aren't required to collect the California gas tax.

Unfortunately, the RV park I went to was a dump.  I drove in and looked around, but the roads were such that the RV's rear end scraped at every turn, and the few vacant sites were badly out of level.  I left without stopping to explain why.  With no other campgrounds in that area, I chose to drive on to Stagecoach Trails in the desert, where I had made reservations for two weeks out.  As expected, they had no trouble accommodating my early arrival.  Their normal rate is $40 per day, plus 12.5% "environmental fee" and 8.5% sales tax.  My club membership got me half-price for the week.

The name "Stagecoach Trails" is because the road through this part of the desert was the original trail of the Butterfield Stage Line that served the West for many years. (Twenty-three days from  Missouri to California.) 

My first full day here was extremely windy and my neighbors said it was due to rain on the way.  The desert could use some rain, since there hasn't been any this winter and the desert bloom of wildflowers I was hoping to see isn't going to happen.  I spent the day driving trails and washes in the desert, most of them having heavy "wash board". 

 Some clever soul found fun in planting a road sign above the intersection of two washes.

It wasn't until afternoon that I found something interesting, the Mud Caves in Arroyo Tapiado.  These hills are nothing but dried mud, no rock whatsoever.  Consequently, when it does rain, there is serious erosion that creates canyons.  There are numerous slot canyons here, and some 22 caves to be explored.  Since I didn't have a flashlight with me, I only went into the slot canyons or more open caves.

 At first, the color of the mud seemed pretty "blah", but when the sun hits it right, color begins to appear.  The later sun really brightens the mud.

I had several good hours exploring the area and meeting others who were there.  It was especially interesting to spend time with a geology professor from UCSD who had brought a dozen students out for "hands on" learning.  What a great group they were.

Back at camp, we experienced a marvelous sunset resulting from all the high clouds.  The west was blocked by Laguna Mountain, but all other directions had wonderful color.