The California Desert

After a couple weeks in Morro Bay, we traded the ocean for the desert.

Near Palm Springs/Indio and at Anza Borrego Desert State Park, we did several great hikes. Got a little culture at Palm Springs Museum. Visited a Huell-Howser monument of Americana, the Desert View Tower. Did another bird festival at the Salton Sea.

At right: Overlooking the Borrego badlands and valley at Font's Point, Anza Borrego State Park, Feb 2004


MECCA HILLS: PAINTED/LADDER CANYON HIKE
East of Palm Springs/Indio and north of the Salton Sea, the Mecca Hills offer colorfully striated rock faces and a long slot canyon traversed via a series of strategically placed ladders. We hiked first through Little Painted Canyon, walked the ridge, made our way down Ladder Canyon, and then returned through Big Painted Canyon.
























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