Borrego Springs and Beyond

There are plenty of reasons to love Anza-Borrego, first and foremost being that it is just a few hours from home on the coast, and second being that a good part of those few hours are scenic country roads. I highly recommend this day trip to fellow SoCal residents in need of a weekend escape.

The first order of business upon arriving in Borrego Springs was breakfast at Kendall's Cafe at The Mall. I am compelled to give The Mall a good mention here. Call it a nostalgic nod to an era well-preserved in the shopping center's architecture. Built in 1965, it continues to bustle with locals and visitors alike. In a society where "newer, bigger, better" seems to be what we are meant to strive towards, The Mall is a pleasant contrast. In short, it's like "Back to the Future" only without the DeLorean. Yeah, it's that good. So back to Kendall's, a quaint little diner with what appears to be all original decor awaiting you inside. Come for the decent fare, but stay for the retro ambience. Oh, and bring a jacket because the only place in Borrego Springs that you're going to be cold are air conditioned establishments such as this one.


Thank you, desert gods, for making sure that this year the Anza-Borrego visitor center wasn't overrun by seemingly unattended school groups and the like, tromping through the blooms and generally creating a feel similar to that of a raucous summer theme park. After checking out the gift shop and meandering down a few of the nearby trails, it was time to embark on the initial purpose of this adventure.

On to Coyote Canyon for some offroad exploration and communing with nature, but not before grabbing some fresh, tasty dates from a roadside fruit stand enroute. The rocky, dirt road through Coyote Canyon begins shortly after several groves of aromatic orange trees. First stop: Desert Gardens.

Anza-Borrego is quite the study in ecological diversity, in a way that the full impact of its intricately balanced ecosystems aren't realized (or appreciated for that matter) until you're down within a few feet of the ground. At this range, there are an assortment of insects going about their buggy business, plants small in stature but as tough as their larger counterparts, and a virtual mecca of varied rocks and minerals. Desert Gardens was the prime location to get acquainted with the flora and fauna in just this way.


A memorable sight in Desert Gardens, for me anyway, was a small plant that had decided to eke out its humble existence smack-dab in the middle of the trail. Rather than uproot what some might consider a nuisance, rocks had been carefully arranged in a circle around it so as to keep it safe from us visitors. Pretty cool.

Yay for desert wildlife: countless Western Side-Blotched Lizards performing impressive little push-ups in the sun, Cactus Wrens singing their hearts out high atop the trees, a Greater Roadrunner sprinting across the road safely ahead of us, Black-chinned Hummingbirds taking advantage of the new blooms, California Quail darting from bush to bush, Cottontails and Jackrabbits, and Rock Squirrels commanding their posts from the tops of rocky outcroppings.


Not to be outdone, there is the plantlife, particularly in the springtime: Ocotillo, dainty Desert Chicory, Desert Sand Verbena, richly colored blooms of Wolf's Cholla, and the list goes on. Many, such as the Ocotillo, are easily seen from a distance, but as mentioned earlier, it pays to get down low and explore the tiny little guys pushing bravely up through the coarse gravel and from in between rocky crags.

Further down the (increasingly) bumpy road, we stopped to check out one of the few washes with actual water coursing through. The erosion along the banks made for some artfully carved out rises that only Mother Nature can serve up. At around this point, Noontime was upon us. The weather was, dare I say, pretty close to perfect. Although in the low 80s with the sun hanging at the highest point in the sky, a nice breeze managed to take the edge off.


Lunch time! Back to The Mall and Carmelita's Mexican Grill and Cantina before heading home. And what would a day trip be without a stop at Dudley's Bakery? It would be like going to Julian without grabbing three piping hot apple pies to go, that's what it would be. So after loading up with fresh bread and some pastries for the rest of the ride back, we were following the sun west, and on the way to a late afternoon nap on the couch. Relaxing in nature has a way of sending you home sleepy, kinda like mom tucking you in at night after you've been playing outside all day with your friends.