Borrego Springs Revisited

The next stop after Yuma was Borrego Springs. Once again, the drive was a short one. Unfortunately, Sol was 'injured' not long after we entered California. There was a lot of road construction on I-8 and the trencher machine was throwing cascades of rock everywhere. Well, I don't know how anyone escaped having their windshield cracked passing by this machine on a one lane highway. Yes, Sol had her windshield cracked. It is not a large crack and we hope to make it back to Florida before having it replaced.
 
Bob and I originally visited Borrego Springs, California, in December of 2012. The desert was pretty much brown except for Palm Canyon. This time our visit was in April, during a desert super bloom. Oh, yes, that blooming desert. Our campsite this time was a little bit south of our original site. Connie and Larry knew about the mud oven that other Boomers built about 8 years ago. It is still intact and usable. We camped very near the oven this time at the end of the pavement for Rockhouse Trail. The weather was hot and Connie and I enjoyed spending the afternoon in Sol's shade.

 Larry and Connie's rig was parked perpendicular behind Sol.

I was feeling a bit better and so we cooked those Mexican shrimp on the grill. Our shrimp were marinated in garlic Tabasco and olive oil. The packet has sliced potatoes with olive oil and garlic. Dinner was yummy!

I was beginning to feel a bit better, but I didn't want to overdo anything. Bob and I started with an afternoon walk in the desert near our campsite. We saw some of those desert blooms on our walk. This lily is on its way to seed, but it was still pretty.

 The indigo bush was not only a deep purple, but you could smell it from quite a distance away.

 The next day, since I was feeling better, Bob and I decided to go geocaching. Bob found a power line run where we could get about 20 caches if the road was good. In addition to finding caches, we found some other interesting finds. This lizard kept still under the bush so I got multiple photos. I think this is the best one of the bunch.

We also saw large caterpillars. The toe of Bob's shoe should give you an idea of how large this guy was.

 This caterpillar was stretched eating his noon meal.

 The most noticeable blooms in the desert were the ocotillo shrubs. Usually the branches are brown with long thorns. When these plants get just a little bit of water, they sprout green leaves which cover the thorns and they develop gorgeous blooms on their tips.

 Here is a close-up of an ocotillo bloom.

 Also blooming in the desert at Borrego were the cacti. This is a beavertail cactus with a pink blossom.

 The barrel cactus had yellow blooms.  Notice the barrel is in close proximity to a pencil cholla.

 Also blooming was Bob's favorite cholla. And yes, the cholla got both of us on this outing. I got a pod stuck in the sole of my shoe and Bob caught one on his ankle.

 We enjoyed geocaching and seeing the desert in bloom. I think I am ready to do more.