Garden Travel Food and Wine

Eerie Vision: The Salton Sea

After leaving Palm Springs…

Palm Springs Sunset Photo © Alice Joyce

my desert sojourn to Anza-Borrego State Park followed a route south along California State Highway 86, to enter the park and the town of Borrego Springs from the eastern entrance.

Salton Sea Blue Sky Photo © Alice Joyce

The drive along Hwy. 86 runs nearly parallel to the western edge of the Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley, past Desert Shores and Salton Sea Beach; desolate towns that time seems to have passed by.

Salton Sea Photo © Alice Joyce

A State Recreation Area, the Salton Sea SRA Parks web site lists budget constraints as the reason for the closing until further notice of Bombay Beach and other areas located on the opposite side, where Hwy. 111 runs along a stretch of parkland. A unique inland body of water some 200 feet below sea level, the strangely eerie Salton Sea resulted from massive flooding of the Colorado River more than 100 years ago.

Salton Sea - Photo: wikispaces

Photos show what I believe to be the Chocolate Mountains in the distance. I chose not to photograph the wasteland where we parked to car to walk down to the shore — decrepit buildings at the end of the road in a landscape strewn with trash. A setting as surreal as the sea itself.

For a history of the Salton Sea, visit the Salton Sea Museum web site.

Joshua Tree Journey

The otherworldly landscape of Joshua Tree National Park is transporting.

Joshua Tree National Park Photo © Alice Joyce

One’s senses are heightened when taking in the powerful juxtaposition of wondrous rock formations and the oddly entrancing forms of Joshua Trees marching across the desert’s hills and flatlands.

Joshua Tree Silhouettes Photo © Alice Joyce

I had vowed to return to the park after an all-too-brief foray a few years ago; managing but one hike on a perfect winter’s day in bright sunshine. Checking into our hotel after driving from Borrego Springs, we set out immediately for Joshua Tree, knowing that a rainstorm was predicted for the following day: A day when I had planned to spend long hours exploring the park.

Yucca brevifolia – Joshua Tree

: Joshua Tree Rockscape Photo © Alice Joyce

By the time we arrived in mid-afternoon, the weather system at Joshua Tree had rapidly shifted. The sky threatened rain, and the strength of the bitterly cold wind at the Keys View overlook nearly toppled me as I stood facing a vista of the Little San Bernardino Mountains.

: Joshua Tree – Keys View Overlook (Photo: Alice Joyce)

Despite knowing I would not be returning the following day for another hike in the sun, I felt thankful to have caught a ‘window’ before the storm hit. Although too early in the season to see the Joshua trees in bloom, their presence was a stirring sight. (The park’s succulent species generally flower in April or May.)

: Joshua Tree Panicle: Wikipedia

The parkland spans diverse ecosystems; taking in a section of the Colorado Desert – part of the vast Sonoran Desert, the Mojave, and an area of the Little San Bernardino Mountain range. The flora encompasses Palo verde (Cercidium) and pencil cholla (Cylindropuntia), smoketree, ocotillo (Fouqueria), and chuparosa (Justicia). It’s the north part of the park that is, in fact, the southern boundary of the Mojave Desert: the special habitat where you’ll see the Joshua tree – Yucca brevifolia, looking palm-like to some eyes.

Created by age-old volcanic activity, the parkland’s ‘rockpiles’

- stunning geologic formations – are breathtaking and mesmerizing.

More to see in Borrego Springs… & Southern California

The Desert in Bloom

Fouqueria splendens Anza Borrego Photo © Alice Joyce

Wildflower Guides .. Amazon

Beavertail Cactus – Opuntia Basilaris Photo © Alice Joyce

Known as one of the top U.S. sites for spring wildflower displays, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park did not disappoint. I’d hoped to visit since moving to California, and finally found time for a mid-March getaway.

Myriad conditions must be in harmony for wildflowers to appear in this magnificent setting: A matter of rain, sun, wind, and temperature: all in harmony during the prior year and the season leading up to Spring. 2011 is proving to be noteworthy, with vast swathes of lupine, dune evening primrose, brittlebush, and ocotillo (Fouqueria splendens), to name but a few.

Set in the midst of Anza-Borrego State Park is Borrego Springs .. a town that comes to life most vividly during the wildflower season. A small, friendly oasis, Borrego Springs offers a limited number of rooms available in a comfy resorts, motels and no-nonsense hotels, campgrounds, and the lovely Borrego Valley Inn.

My trip began in Palm Springs, where I hiked in Andreas Canyon; one of a group of the Indian Canyons.

There are easy hikes of great beauty in each of the canyons, along with more rugged treks: I recommend the foot trail along Andreas Creek, culminating in a lush grove of native fan palms. A peaceful setting of breathtaking beauty that I had hoped to find on this sojourn.

Seated on my hotel balcony in Palm Springs, I waited for T. to arrive after the drive down from Northern California. I took a flight directly to Palm Springs, where I watched the sun set just as he was pulling into the hotel’s parking lot.

XIV Michael Mina Restaurant L.A. (Photo: Alice Joyce)

A cool topiary outside Michael Mina’s XIV Restaurant in Los Angeles on Sunset Boulevard.

You’ll notice, I’ve been hopping between cities and towns in Southern California. But I invite you to stay tuned for upcoming features, where I’ll shed light on destinations from Palm Springs to California’s Central Coast. Stunning natural settings to trendy eateries: When my travels include vigorous workouts in rugged terrain, I look forward to indulging my foodie cravings, accompanied by a glass of excellent wine.

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Eerie Vision: The Salton Sea

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