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Anza-Borrego Flowers

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In case you haven't noticed, we've had a bit of extra rain this year, about double our typical amount. And that means flowers in the desert. So this month we'll offer some possibilities for exploration in Anza Borrego. Don't miss it. (Hint: Go during the week, as weekends right now are jam packed.) But first, the Forum quiz. We use the term all the time, but do you know what Anza Borrego refers to? Answer follows.

TO THE DESERT

The desert here truly means different experiences to different people. For many it's a day trip out to Borrego Springs to see the museum and with luck see desert colors on display. For others it's a pleasant weekend away from the city's congestion to one of the resorts or campgrounds. For others it's an exploration out in the great open, with the nearest camper a mile away.

The desert evokes reactions that tend to grow on you. When they are on display, the flowers are truly memorable. The air is fresh, the vastness relaxing. (I recall driving out from the city with a backache from a week's hard work, and feeling the pain fade the closer I got to the desert.) Out there, you recall what sunsets and stars really look like on full display.

We are particularly fortunate in San Diego because our desert is almost entirely a state park, at nearly 600,000 acres the largest in the state system. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park takes its name from a Spanish explorer of two hundred years ago - Captain Juan Bautista de Anza - and the Spanish word for lamb - borrego - from the resident big horn sheep. The park was established in 1933, and except for scattered inholdings and the community of Borrego Springs, the huge area within its borders is all public land.

TO BEGIN

Whether your first time or tenth, the Park's Visitors Center is well worth a visit. For many its excellent displays, maps, books and slide show will give you an appreciation of why so many people enjoy the desert. Outside is a short trail displaying many of the desert's plants with descriptive markers. The rangers and volunteers are well-informed and will provide tips, camping options, road cautions, etc. Phone is 760-767-4205.

Directions: take I-8 east to 67 north. Drive through Ramona to Santa Ysabel. Take 79 north to S-2 east. Keep alert for sign to S-22 which veers off to the left. Just as you enter Borrego Springs, turn left to Park headquarters.

WE GOT FLOWERS

Already this is an excellent year due to the heavy rains. Yet flowers may be profuse in a specific location on a given week, slim the next. Then they'll disappear near Borrego Springs, and be plentiful at Mountain Palm Springs (south) or Culp Valley (higher). Before you go, call the Wildflowers Hotline at 760-767-4684 (new area code from last year). Here are some good possibilities (no guarantees) from the Ranger's report of late February.

    * Near Visitors Center. Likely flowers in bloom include filaree, pincushion, desert poppy, desert star, Spanish needles, chuparosa, fish-hook cactus and desert lavender.
    * Driving Tour. This 25 mile trip offers a variety of views and stopping places to get out and see flowers up close. Likely in bloom: sand verbena, desert sunflower, evening primrose, brittlebush, desert lilly; dune sunflower.
    * From the Visitor Center, head east 9 miles on Palm Canyon Drive, then left to Henderson Canyon Road. Continue to DiGiorgio Road, turn right and drive to road end. Return to Henderson Canyon and turn right. At Borrego Springs Road turn left to return to town.

GET OUT AND AMBLE

To fully experience the desert take a walk along one of the many trails or drive off the main roads. Get a map or ask for tips at the Visitors Center. Remember to be properly prepared. Carry water. Wear a hat and sturdy shoes. Watch out for the tricky cactus, especially those" jumpers", and take along tweezers (just in case). Encouraged so far? Know where you're going, travel with others, watch for rattlesnakes, don't get stuck....

Here is a sampling of accessible, easy and rewarding hiking trails:

    * Borrego Palm Canyon Trail. This is the most traveled trail in the park, located a short distance from the visitor center. What you will see on this three-mile round-trip hike is a full-desert array - a running stream, ample foliage (and flowers now), great rock climbing, and eventually a plush palm grove. Directions: when entering Borrego Springs, take the sign to the park campground and pick up the trail there.
    * Kenyon Overlook Trail. This one-mile trail winds up and over to spectacular views of the desert plains (Mescal Bajada), canyons and mountains, plus a full range of barrels, ocotillo, beavertail and cholla. Directions. Head down 78 from Julian to S-3 left or north. Just north of Tamarisk Campgroundis a marked parking area on the right (about 1.5 miles from 78). Or can park a bit further in Yaqui Pass Primitive Camp.
    * Cactus Loop Trail (1 mile loop) across from the Tamarisk Campground.
    * Elephant Trees Discovery Trail. This is an easy and excellent introductory trail which loops around a variety of desert plants, with many informational markers. Pick up a pamphlet at the start and follow the stone guides. Barrels, ocotillo and many others. About a half-hour easy stroll. Directions: head down 78 from Julian, about 34 miles to Ocotillo Wells. Turn Right (south) on Split Mountain Road. Drive about five miles to marked dirt road to right and parking lot.

DESERT CAMPING

Plenty of options exist from full hookups to primitive campgrounds to find- your-own-haven (rare in public parks). For information contact Park Headquarters at 760-767-5311 (reservations at ParkNet 800-444-7275), Agua Caliente County Park at 619-694-3049, or e-mail me a request.

Remember to e-mail your favorite outdoors tips to the winpres@aol.com.