Bye Bye Borrego Springs…Or Rather Adieu
So sadly we’ve come to the end of our time at Borrego Springs. This is the third time we’ve been here and everytime we come I always wonder why we don’t stay longer. It’s one of the nicest boondocking spots I know with a really cool little town next door, a cute Friday farmer’s market and literally thousands of places & trails to explore.
There’s Ghost Mountain & the Story of Marshall South , the most excellent Slot Canyons, fabulous Monster Art In The Desert, and that’s really just touching the surface! What about the Wind Caves, the Badlands, the Pumpkin Patch and other intriguing spots? If you really want to dive into how much there is to do here just check out The Bayfield Bunch and some of the many blog posts of the area that they’ve done over the years (just search “Anza Borrego” on their blog). Al and Kelly probably know more about Borrego Springs than almost any other boondocker and I often refer back to their old posts for ideas on interesting places to see.
But this year we’ve been lazy…..veeeery lazy. I knew it up-front as soon as we got into our spot. It was just sooooo nice, soooo very relaxing that we whiled away most of our time simply gawking at the view and hanging around the RV with the 12 paws. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you. The glory of nature can be appreciated just as well from your back yard, especially when the yard is as attractive as this one. And given we are mere slaves to our kitties, if the feline queens want to spend the day sunning in our chairs we stay put! Or, that’s my excuse anyway.
And then there’s been the socializing, and you just know I’m a social gal. Put me in the boonies with a view to a rig and my curiosity will eventually drag me over to start a conversation. With RV Sue And Her Canine Crew practically right next door I got into the habit of rambling down with Polly for a lazy afternoon chat. There’s nothing quite like the happy wiggly butt greeting of two little doggies to capture your heart and Spike and Bridget definitely wound their way in there. Plus it’s always fun to chin-wag about life with interesting folks.
We also spent several doggie afternoons with Sue & Dave, got a visit from other blog readers and even managed to bump into friends of mutual friends. Our last morning in the desert we saw a rugged off-road beast park a ways down from our site. Interestingly enough we’d heard about this very rig from some friends of ours and when the couple came walking by I jumped in to ask if they knew our buddies. Indeed they did and five minutes later we were chatting and learning about their plans to travel the world in their new super-rig. Pretty cool!
But our travels have moved us on. As we drove off we wove goodbye to RV Sue and our new friends and motored the hills towards the ocean. We’re back in San Diego for a month and seeing our first day of rain since summer. It’s strangely odd to be in an RV park again. I love the boonies and feel so very in touch with nature when I’m out there, but I also enjoy civilization. It’s the two opposing sides of my personality and I’m thankful RVing gives me both of them. Adieu, my dear Borrego….we will definitely meet again.
We’ve come to love Borrego Springs and the desert too. We’re back in civilization at Santee Lakes and enjoy this park very much. Oddly, Dave ran into the first coyote’s of the trip here last night. They followed him back to the rig while he was out walking the dogs. Scary to be stalked in the dark….Looking forward to visiting with you again in San Diego some time during our stay.
Glad you guys are enjoying the park, despite the coyotes. I must say we’ve always heard them around Santee, but never saw them wondering through the site like you have! I guess they’re getting very bold in the area!
Nina
Great photos, as always, Nina.
There was no need to differentiate me from the “little wiggly butts.” I’d take that as a compliment!
Hehehe…well, I’m happy to hear you’re “all-in” with the wiggly butts. I probably had a little wiggle myself when Bridget and Spike came out to meet me. Kind of hard not too, they’re so darn cute.
Nina
It’s a nice balance to enjoy the nature of boondocking and the culture of a Park.
I agree. I do so enjoy both.
Nina
Sure enjoyed your photos tonight Nina. Really love the dragonfly…and of course all your furkids.
Yeah I had fun with the dragonfly shot. I was kinda amazed he stayed still long enough for me to get a good shot (with my cheap macro set-up I have to get really, really close). Wish I could have gotten a pic of Rand with the lot, but that darn cat is almost impossible to capture on camera. Definitely the shy type…
Nina
I love the balance too and being able to feel comfortable boondocking as I do visiting a city…..love the sunset pics…hopefully we will be checking out this spot this winter….
I hope you guys get out here. I know you’d love it. Who knows…we may even go back after our stay in San Diego. Haven’t exactly decided how far we want to travel this winter. Jello plans ya know…
Nina
Welcome to San Diego! I’ve been enjoying your blog and your time in the desert. It was a favorite for years when we lived in SD and I look forward to visiting again when we check out from working and hit the RV trail. I’d love to look you guys up while I’m in San Diego for the next week to compare notes. I can suggest some spots around Austin,TX if you ever get to the area.
Let me know if you are up for a visit.
Bill
Hi Bill,
Sure! Feel free to look us up. We’re at Mission Bay RV Park Site 154, and you can always drop by or send me an e-mail (see a link to contact me in the right column, very bottom).
We loved Austin when were there last year. Stayed at McKinney Falls SP which was just lovely.
NIna
Taggart looks to be the boss…
Oh she is definitely queen bee…Polly will even step aside when she walks past 🙂
Nina
Great photos and now you may get to see some precipitation, badly needed here as in so much of the country. Welcome back to SD. 🙂
Looks like the rain is in San Diego allright! Hoping it doesn’t last too long. See you guys soon.
Nina
Hi Nina and Paul! This is Lissa and Stephen from Coos Bay, Sunset Beach Oregon. I have sent a couple of e mails to you but never have you responded back. I must be doing something wrong, as I am not very techi. Your travels are making me jealous!!! Been to many of the same places you have. Anyways, most importantly, I wanted to tell you that our Cali Pug passed away 3 days after we took her golfing. She got weak, and then parylized, saw the Vet as you suggested, and they think she died from Coonshound Disease, Myostenthia Gravis, or Stephen thinks Pug Siffilitus, another nuerological disorder. Our baby was only 4 yrs old. Anyway, we were heartbroken. We ended up getting 2 more babies in Oregon from the same breeder 2 days later. Maggie and Murray 7 mos old. Now 6 mos! They are beautiful, and alot of fun. I will tell you more later. Do you have a cell phone #? I would love to talk to you Nina and Paul. You are awesome mentors to Stephen and I. And we WILL meet again. By the way, we are selling our RV. Too many sad memories with Cali dying in it. I went to New Orleans Thanksgiving week with a couple of girlfriends and had the time of my life! Bye for now, Lissa Ornellas
Hi Lissa and Steven,
Hopefully you’ll get this comment. I’ve never recieved any e-mails (?), but I’ve seen and responded to your other comments on the blog. Certainly do remember both you and your lovely Cali Pug. I was very, very saddened to hear of her passing. It’s always incredibly hard when something like that happens. I still remember her sweet little face when you were parked next to us at Bullards Beach. A wonderful doggie and I was glad I got to know her.
I’m happy to hear of the adoption of your new doggies and do hope to see you again someday.
Nina
We arrived at Borrego Springs yesterday afternoon, too bad we missed you, would have been nice to say hi. It sure is a great spot, thanks for letting us know about it. If you get the time check out my wife’s photography blog, I think you’d like the landscape shots. http://annemckinnell.com/
Cheers Ray
Oh neat!! Sorry we missed you guys, but glad you found the spot and are enjoying it. Just checked out your wife’s blog and it’s WONDERFUL! Some amazing shots in there. Thanks for sharing it!
Nina
Just found your blog and am enjoying the heck out of it. As newbie full-timers (Winnebago Rialta), I appreciate all the tips I’m gleaning, in particular, new trails for us to run and explore. Definitely going to hit up Borrego and run the slot canyon.
Vanessa and I are currently in San Diego but looking to head to Arizona for the rest of the year sometime next week.
Oh how cool! Just looked at your site. I see your a barefoot runner? We aren’t quite barefoot, but do all our hiking in minimalist shoes. Love it! Where are u staying in San Diego? If you’re close and interested in meeting up let me know. We’re here for a month.
Nina
Hey Paul & Nina – Mollie & Larry here (from Cape Blanco days)…have enjoyed catching up with everything you have experienced since we parted ways back in early September. We are currently in the Rio Grande Valley – Mission TX Bentsen State Park for a few more days – and then 1/1/13 moving over to Brownsville Rasaco de la Palma State Park hosting. We are learning more than we ever thought possible about birds and butterflies. Take care you guys! Hopefully we may see you both again….
Mollie and Larry,
Oh how wonderful to hear from you!! It’s been/foggy here in San Diego for a few days so we were thinking back to our month in Cape Blanco and were just talking about you and wondering how you both were doing! Glad to hear you’re doing well and enjoying your hosting jobs. Sure enjoyed our time parked next to you in Cape Blanco. You can tell Larry that Paul is getting better with his smoker, so next time we meet-up we’ll have to set-up it for a taste-test. Sure hope we’ll get to meet-up again on the road sometime.
Nina
Would love your vinegar tank cleanse recipe – our rig is new but still a good idea to wash out the gray tank. Keep in touch and we’ll do the same.
Hey Mollie,
I’ve got the GEO method in the blog here:
RV Tank Sensors &The GEO Method
I’ll send ya an e-mail so we can keep in touch there too!
Nina