ANZA BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK, Guest Post by Tom Scheaffer

In January, my brother Tom Scheaffer did an overnight visit to Anza Borrego Desert State Park, about an hour and a half drive from his home in San Diego. Anza Borrego is the largest state park in California, totaling 650,000 acres of rugged mountains and desert floor. Recent rains had washed the landscape clean, so that it glowed in the winter sunlight. Plants were green and spring flowers were just beginning to grow. (In spring, flowers carpet the desert floor.) Unlike summer, when temperatures can rise to well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the winter weather is cool and pleasant, perfect for hiking the desert paths and canyons. After staying overnight in Borrego Springs, the small town at the center of the park, Tom took a morning hike in Palm Canyon. He has graciously shared some of his photos with The Intrepid Tourist.

Learn more about Anza Borrego Desert State Park at the Anza Borrego Foundation.

MAGNIFICENT CACTI AND SUCCULENTS: The Desert Garden at the Huntington, San Marino, CA

Desert Garden at the Huntington Botanical Garden, San Marino, CA.

When “June Gloom” blankets the Pacific coast on the west side of Los Angeles where we live, we go inland to get a little sunshine. We don’t have to go far—one of our favorite places is the Huntington  (located in San Marino just a 40 minute drive way) with its Library, Art Museums and huge Botanical Garden. We enjoy all the themed gardens—the rose garden, herb garden, Japanese garden, Chinese garden and more—but our favorite is the desert garden with its plethora of cactus, succulents and other drought resistant plants. It is always our first stop as we make our way around the 207-acre grounds of the Huntington estate. Here are a few photos of the desert garden from a recent visit.

In one section of the garden, dozens of barrel cacti seem scattered like spiny bowling balls across the sandy soil. It is hard to resist taking photographs in the desert garden--close-ups that reveal the complex shapes of each species and broader views showing the wide range of colors and shapes of the plants.

 

In other parts of the garden the plants are tucked among chunks of volcanic rock that become hiding places for small lizards. After pausing for a few seconds for its picture to be taken, this lizard scampered away.

The range of colors in succulents is amazing--from yellow, orange and red, to multiple shades of green, blue and grey.

Some of the plants have delicate blooms. This past winter Southern California had record setting rains, which may explain some of the lushness of the desert garden on our visit.

These herbaceous plants known as "towers of jewels", have an other-worldly appearance, resembling spiny multi-colored spaceships. They are endemic to the Canary Islands.

Little cacti next to big cacti illustrate the range of sizes in the cactus world.

While cacti are armed with sharp spines, this succulent has a leaf-like covering and "arms" that end in delicate clusters of blooms. Alluaudia procera comes from Madagascar.

The branches of this white flowering floss silk tree is covered with white flowers. The bulging trunk is armed with sharp thorns.

Gravel paths wind through the desert garden providing visitors with close-up views..

Everywhere you look, there is something to marvel at--the variety of shapes and colors, the wonderful symmetry of nature, the repetition of patterns, the remarkable way that desert plants have adapted to the stresses of extreme heat and lack of water.. 

The Huntington Library, Art Museums, and Botanical Garden is a collections-based research and educational institution founded in 1919 by Henry E. and Arabella Huntington. Henry Huntington was a businessman who built a financial empire in Southern California. The former residence of the Huntingtons is now the Art Gallery. You can see their portraits displayed near the entrance.

Visiting the Huntington

Tickets for visiting the Huntington can be purchased online, where you are asked to choose an entry time. Reservations are required for most days.  For prices and details check the Huntington website. The website also has a map and directions. Parking is free.

There are several places to eat at the Huntington ranging from cafes and a coffee shop to the Rose Garden Tea Room (for which you need reservations weeks in advance.) On our recent visit we ate lunch at the Jade Court Café where we enjoyed delicious Chinese food, sitting outdoors at a shaded table.

The Huntington also has an excellent gift shop, located near the entrance.

There is much to see at the Huntington. For an earlier post at The Intrepid Tourist about a visit to the Chinese Garden, click HERE.

  

NAMIBIA: Spectacular Dunes and Abundant Wildlife, Part II, Guest Post by Owen Floody.

Zebra at Etosha National Park, Namibia.

With many thanks to our friend Owen Floody, who was my husband's field partner on our trip to East Africa in 1971. Art and I have not been back to Africa since then, but Owen has made numerous trips in recent years and written about several of them for The Intrepid Tourist. His latest report chronicles a trip to Namibia—his third—and is accompanied by his excellent photographs.

Where the Namib desert meets the sea.

My previous post began with my description of a recent photo-tour of Namibia and ended as we flew by small plane from the red sand dunes of Sossusvlei to coastal Swakopmund, marking the tour’s transition from an emphasis on landscapes to one on wildlife. The flight itself provided a second look at the shapes and distributions of the Sossusvlei dunes. Particularly impressive was how abruptly the dunes end and the ocean begins. In addition, the flight permitted us to look down on one of the shipwrecks that give the Skeleton Coast its name. Finally, we viewed an impressive bank of mist extending inland from the ocean, as is very typical of this area.

These mists limited our activities in the Swakopmund area. One victim was a planned excursion to Walvis Bay in search of flamingos and other water birds. But we did see quite a few flamingos from the plane.  And the mists could not completely derail a Living Desert tour that exposed us to a few of the small creatures (chameleons, geckos, skinks, and spiders) able to make the dunes their home.

Gecko.

From Swakopmund, we continued on to our last two stops, Etosha National Park (in northern Namibia) and the Erindi Private Game Reserve (about midway between Etosha and Windhoek, our endpoint).  Even though we saw wildlife earlier in the tour, these were the areas that we expected to be the most wildlife rich.

The Etosha Salt Pan.

Etosha is the third largest of African national parks at 8600 sq mi, closely approaching the size of New Hampshire. Contained almost entirely within it is the Etosha Pan, a salt pan of about 1840 square miles. Etosha is dry, though average rainfall levels vary seasonally and regionally.  Due to its aridity, much of the wildlife viewing in Etosha occurs at waterholes, some natural, others man-made.  A few of these (including one a few feet from my room) are lit at night, permitting interesting views of a great variety of animals as they (very cautiously) visit to drink.

Giraffes and rhinos at the water hole.

Of the waterhole visitors, zebra are so photogenic as to be hard to beat. Nevertheless, the most prized nighttime visitors were the black rhinoceros and giraffes: I did not expect to see this many rhinos and was very pleased by the turnout.  And nothing could have beat the show put on for us by a large herd of elephants during a daytime waterhole visit. All of them, but especially one expressive and irresistible baby, had a grand time frolicking in the dust, water and mud.

Mother elephant and her calf having a mud bath.

Even though these sightings were great and made our visit to Etosha memorable, sightings of some other animals, especially big cats, were scarce. It was suggested that this reflected eastward movements of some animals in response to conditions that were unusually arid even by Etosha's standards.

Mother cheetah and her cubs.

We hoped that these gaps would be filled at Erindi.  And, to some extent, they were, as we were able to get good views of cheetah (6th image) and lions there. Unfortunately, at least some of these sightings came at what I considered unacceptable costs.  One of the benefits of private reserves is the ability to drive off road and at night.  And done judiciously, I think that these can be valuable.  However, our efforts to track a hunting mother cheetah suggested to me that the drivers at Erindi (which were not those attached to our tour) were prone to engage in two unethical practices.  First, they frequently plowed right through any shrub or small tree that might otherwise have required a detour. Secondly, several vehicles maintained positions close to and on at least three sides of the hunting cat. It is hard for me to believe that these intrusions didn’t compromise the hunt (which did end unsuccessfully). One of the drivers claimed that he knows the animals individually and well and would have broken off the pursuit if the animal was distressed. Perhaps this is true, but I am unconvinced. Since many of the cats are radio-collared, it should be possible to collect data on the outcome of hunts accompanied and unaccompanied by safari vehicles. If the success rates are similar, I will praise the sensitivity and skill of the drivers. Otherwise, I will give Erindi a pass, as I did on our remaining game drive.

Please bear in mind that this incident occupied no more than two hours of a 17-day trip.  Therefore, anyone attracted to Namibia but concerned about the incident should recall the saying about throwing out the baby along with the bathwater. Taken together, the sights and experiences of this trip for me elevate further a destination that already was one of my favorites. In my opinion, tweaking the itinerary would be an appropriate response, staying away would be overkill and unnecessary.      

Part I of Owen’s report appeared on July 3, 2023.

ANCIENT PETROGLYPHS IN THE ATACAMA DESERT OF CHILE, by Caroline Arnold at The Intrepid Tourist

Petroglyphs in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile

In December 2009, Art and I spent five days in the Atacama Desert in the far north of Chile, staying at Tierra Atacama in San Pedro de Atacama. Each day, our hotel arranged tours to sites in the area.

The focus of our second day’s trip was an ancient petroglyph site in the foothills of the Andes. This turned out to be a private tour, as no one else from the hotel wanted to go there that day.

For thousands of years, a large rock outcrop at the foot of Andes has been used by indigenous artists to make drawings of people, animals and other images.

About an hour’s drive north of San Pedro, we approached an open valley surrounding a semi-circular rock outcrop. A caretaker was inside the small visitor center, but otherwise we were the only people there.

A life-size drawing of a llama, with a smaller image inside it.

Even from a distance I could see the outline of a llama on the first boulder. Deeply incised on the vertical surface, it was nearly life size. The surprise, as we got closer, was that there was another smaller llama drawn inside the larger one, perhaps to indicate fertility.

Puma

Although it is difficult to date rock art, it is believed that some of the images are thousands of years old.

Drawings were found all over the site.

Scrambling up the boulders we saw petroglyphs of more llamas, big and small, as well foxes, pumas, jaguars, snakes, flamingos, and human figures with feather headdresses.

Seated person with feather headdress

As we stood there in the shadow of these ancient images, it was easy to imagine prehistoric hunters resting here on their way to the next oasis.

Foxes

The extremely dry climate is ideal for preserving rock art, and in many cases the drawings appear as fresh as if they were made yesterday.

Our shaded lunch spot in Rainbow Canyon

For our picnic lunch we went to nearby Rainbow Canyon, named for the unusual variety of colorful rock formations. Shade was in short supply, but we found a large rock whose shadow was just big enough to set up our lunch table.

Terraced fields in the village of Rio Grande

For our final stop we drove to the remote village of Rio Grande for an example of terraced farming. The contrast between the small but lush fields at the base of the river canyon and the stark, steep walls that contained them was huge.

Village church in Rio Grande

On the way back to the highway, we spotted a group of guanacos, the wild relatives of llamas and alpacas, domestic animals that are kept for their wool and meat.

Guanaco

A full report of our visit to the Atacama can be found in these posts from May 2011:
Chile: Atacama Desert, Part 1, Flamingoes, Oases and Volcanoes
Chile: Atacama Desert, Part 2, Ancient Rock Art, Llamas and Geysers 

A FALL TRIP TO THE DESERT: Anza Borrego State Park, California

Anza Borrego State Park, Palm Canyon Trail

In late October, Art and I spent a weekend at Anza Borrego Desert State Park, about a three hour drive southeast of Los Angeles, the largest state park in California and one of our favorites. When I first came to California more than forty years ago, I viewed the desert as a dry barren place. Since then I’ve learned to appreciate the wide variety of wildlife that makes its home there and the amazing adaptations of the many desert plants.

Cholla cactus. When it rains, the cactus absorbs water and stores it for later use.

Most of my many trips to Anza Borrego have been in the spring--when birds are singing, winter rains fill the seasonal streams, and flowers burst into bloom everywhere. This was my first visit in the fall. In contrast, the landscape was almost uniformly brown, the steam beds were dry, and there were many fewer birds– and not many people either.

The walkway between the Visitor Center and the campground is crossed by late afternoon shadows.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon and after checking in at our hotel, the Borrego Springs Resort, we headed for the Visitor Center where we looked at the exhibits and chatted with the helpful volunteers at the desk. We then took a short walk down the paved trail leading to the campground, looking for signs of life.

A bee getting nectar from a chuparosa flower.

We startled a rabbit that scurried away through the cactus and spotted a hummingbird getting its last sips of nectar from the red chuparosa flowers before the sun went down. But otherwise, it was fairly quiet.

Beginning of the solar system walk. "If the diameter of the Sun were 36 inches, the diameter of this steel sign stand, how large would Earth be? How far away? Follow the trail and find out!

Along the walkway we passed markers giving us a vicarious tour of the solar system. Each planet is a proportional size and distance away, giving a sense of the immensity of our universe. (Earth was just a tiny dot, not even a half inch across.)

The sun rises to the east, visible between the palms planted around our hotel.

The next morning we got up early to begin our walk to Palm Canyon before it got too hot. (Even in fall, desert temperatures can be in the 90s.) After parking our car at the trail head a park volunteer gave us a map and nature guide and made sure that we had packed plenty of water for the three-mile round trip hike. Even though the morning air was still cool, it quickly became much warmer.

Although we were unlikely to see them, signs warn hikers of mountain lions and rattlesnakes.

We followed the trail up the canyon, occasionally scrambling over boulders or climbing steps to get to the next level. As we approached the oasis we began to see spots of green, telling us that there was water not far below the surface.

The California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) is the only palm tree native to California.

At the oasis native California fan palms flourish, providing shelter and food for wildlife. Pools provide water for bighorn sheep, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels and other animals. If you are lucky you might spot the bighorn sheep (called borregos in Spanish) that live in the canyons and ledges. We saw footprints and scat, but no sheep.
After resting in the shade for a while and sipping some of our water, we headed back down to our car.

Tall rocky mountains border Anza Borrego to the north. Rain at upper elevations funnels down through the canyons.Flash floods carry boulders down from the mountain. Nooks and crannies underneath make habitat for desert wildlife.

The quiet atmosphere made the starkness of the geology even more striking and though we had to look a little harder for signs of desert wildlife, we knew it was still there.

The Verdin is a common desert bird.

SUPERBLOOM! Flowers Everywhere, Guest Post by Gretchen Woelfle

California poppies, Antelope Valley

My friend and fellow children's book writer Gretchen Woelfle, a frequent contributor to The Intrepid Tourist, recently went to see the amazing burst of wildflowers blooming in the Southern California hills and deserts this spring. Here is her report.
Southern California has made the national and even international news again this spring. No fires or floods or earthquakes this time, but a Superbloom in the hills and deserts, and in small native plant gardens like my own. Just add water and anything will grow in So Cal.  Add lots of it and you get a Superbloom!

Poppies below, gawkers above at Antelope Valley. Poppies open in mid-morning and close at sunset.

The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, fifteen miles west of Lancaster, outdid itself this year. This desert grassland, with eight miles of looped trails, offers close-up and long views of whole hillsides of poppies, interspersed with lupine and other colorful blooms.

Desert garden at Anza-Borrego Visitor Center.

 Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a 600,000 acre state park north and east of San Diego, comes alive with winter rains. The visitor center near Borrego Springs is staffed with friendly rangers who can guide you to the best flower-viewing areas, as well as camping and hiking sites.

A desert bouquet.

The park is a refuge for the rare and endangered bighorn sheep. I didn’t spot any on this trip, but the flower display on the Alternate trail up Palm Canyon was the most spectacular I’ve ever seen. 

Indigo bush in full bloom.

Tiny flowers carpet the ground, bigger ones entwine with mounded flowers to create a natural bouquet. Tall shrubs like the indigo bush and ocotillos sport brilliant blooms as well.

Ocotillo against the mountains.

My own native plant garden, designed by my son back in 2001, has evolved over the years as certain species have thrived and others not.

Native chaparral grasses in my garden.

This year, soft mounds of sages (black, white, and California), California brittlebush (bush sunflower), manzanita, California buckwheat, penstemon, poppies, and tall chaparral bunch grasses make the walk from the sidewalk to my front door a botanical adventure.

White sage, California sage, bush sunflowers in LA.

The painted lady butterflies loved the record rains too. They staged an invasion this spring, as they migrated north. Millions were seen along California's highways, byways, and gardens.

Painted lady butterfly (Vanessa carduii)

I couldn’t capture a photo as they flew by, but Caroline Arnold supplied a photo for me, taken in my garden when she was working on her latest book, Butterflies in Room 6.
Viva la lluvia!

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=627
For Caroline's report of her visit to Anza Borrego State Park in 2013, click HERE.