Last weekend, Shoestring Adventures spent three days exploring Anza Borrego State Park, just in time for desert wildflower season!
Everyone arrived at the campsite Friday night, hungry for dinner and adventure! I prepared homemade chili, and we kicked off the weekend with s’mores around the campfire.
On Saturday morning, I lured everyone out of their tents with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. We stopped by the Visitor Center, where we picked up a map and plotted our first destination: the Wind Caves.
We loaded into Ari’s 4WD truck for the off-road journey through the sandy canyon of Fish Creek Wash. From the trailhead, we hiked a quick mile uphill to the Wind Caves overlooking the Carrizo Badlands and Elephant Knees.
Camper and geologist Robin took us back in time by studying the landscape.
We explored the Swiss-cheese caverns in the sandstone and fueled up with Munk Pack before moving on to our next destination.
Another off-road journey led us to the trailhead of The Slot for an exciting hike down the narrow canyon. We navigated through the rock until the canyon opened up where it was wide enough for off road vehicles to enter from the other side.
Chasing the daylight, we headed back to camp, stopping to photograph wild elephants, horses and eagles at Galleta Meadows along the way. There are over 130 metal sculptures located in Borrego Springs, inspired by the wild animals that roamed the desert millions of years ago.
The wind greeted us back at the campground, threatening to blow our tents over. We bundled up in our Parks Project beanies and settled down for some arts & crafts, painting clay pots for baby succulents. Each camper took home their own tiny desert garden from the cactus nursery adjacent to our campground.
We enjoyed sausages and campfire veggies for dinner and spent the rest of the evening toasting s’mores, finding constellations and photographing the night sky.
Just as we tucked into our sleeping bags, the wind pick up again, rattling the walls of our tents throughout the night. Sunday morning, we all woke up a little groggy, but excited for a few more adventures before heading back to Los Angles.
After breaking down camp, we headed over to the Borrego Palm Canyon Trailhead for the most spectacular wildflower show of the weekend. With dark clouds looming above, the 1.5-mi trail led to an oasis with a tricking waterfall surrounded by skirted palm trees.
Before the rain, we had just enough time to visit the flower fields at Desert Gardens, which were being devoured by thousands of giants caterpillars. We could hardly find a place to step! As the first rain drops fell, we started our journey home.
Looking back, I had the biggest smile on my face all weekend. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to experience the outdoors with others.
Special Thanks
Ari, Kyrsti, Shevaughn, Robin and Yukino, thank you for joining me on this weekend adventure! Parks Project and Munk Pack, thank you for providing my campers with awesome souvenirs! I’m incredibly honored by all of your support.
