"Staycation" Drive, Anza Borrego, March 2010

Thursday March 18, 2010

We decided to make our annual late winter trek to Anza Borrego Desert State Park, to see the wildflowers. Expectations were high, since this El Niño rain season had brought 7.41 inches to the Anza Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center (as of March 15), at least 50 percent above normal.

We drove through Ramona, to snap a few photos to add to our recent blog, then stopped at the Dudley's Bakery and Café in Santa Ysabel. They had changed their operation quite a bit since our last visit in March 2009. Before, they kept their inventory behind the counter, where personnel would slice the loaves on request. Now, they have racks of pre-sliced bread arranged in front of the counter, to allow customers to pick their own loaves. (We suspect this approach was an attempt to save labor costs). We selected three: our favorite, apple pecan; a new Louisiana maple pecan; and a rosemary savory bread. Current prices are $4.65 per 24-ounce loaf; if one buys four loaves, the fifth one is free. Too bad we do not have sufficient freezer room to accommodate five loaves!

On our way to Julian the first time today, we noticed swatches of bright yellow daffodils. We learned that Julian was celebrating a Daffodil Festival the March 20-21 weekend. The last remnants of snow were gone and temperatures in Julian were in the 60s F.

We decided to take the Wynola Road cutoff to reach SR 78 and Banner Grade. County Road 3 (Yaqui Pass) took us to Borrego Springs past the now defunct Casa del Zorro Resort/Borrego Ranch Resort & Spa. We first checked out the picnic tables at Christmas Circle Community Park. However, this was a warm, sunny day with an intense sun and essentially no shade. We decided to head to the Visitor Center via Palm Canyon Road.

Even this weekday, the Visitor Center was swarming with people. But the grounds were in spectacular bloom. The painter indicated that Borrego Springs was hosting a plein aire art festival that coming weekend.

After our visit we decided to have our lunch among the palms in a picnic area located immediately south of the Visitor Center parking lot. Many of the tables were well-shaded and we dined in comfort. (Note: there is no parking or standing allowed next to the picnic area, but it's only a short walking distance from the main parking lot).

We spent early afternoon heading east on Palm Canyon Road (County Road S22), north on Pegleg Road and west on Henderson Canyon Road. The best flowers were on the east portion of Henderson Canyon Road, where the ground was hummocky and the drainage was good. Note the ranger-led group in the background of the second photo.

The comparatively cool, wet winter had resulted in an unusually abundant crop of field mustard (by now bereft of flowers), resulting in a green groundcover in the less well-drained areas, especially those along Henderson Canyon Road just east of Di Giorgio Road.

We took a run up Di Giorgio Road to its terminus at Coyote Canyon where we had seen beautiful flower displays in the past, but this year they were not especially noteworthy (perhaps the recent warmer weather improved things). Additionally, the sand looked a bit too treacherous for our little Corolla.

Our final stop in the Borrego area was a little fruit stand located at the northeast corner of Di Giorgio and Henderson Canyon roads, where we bought a large bag of tangelos for $3.

We returned to Julian via Banner Grade to indulge in a tasty, sinful treat-slices of Dutch style crumb-topped apple-berry pie a-la-mode at our favorite pie shop, The Julian Pie Company. There are several other pie shops in Julian, some perhaps better known, but we have always enjoyed the personable staff here. By the way, the pie was delicious and we recommend it highly. Note: they were mourning the passing of one of the founders of the shop, Keith Smothers, 69.

We finished the drive by driving past nearly-full Cuyamaca Lake and still snow flecked Cuyamaca Peak to Interstate 8 and home. Approximate mileage: 200.

Anza-Borrego Desert Flower Display, March, 2009

We decided to make a return trip to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, to see this year's wildflower display. (See the 2008 Borrego Posting for the routing).

March 6, 2009 was brisk and cool as we left San Diego, and was predicted to be cool in the desert as well. Our first stop, as is our tradition, was Dudley's Bakery,where we bought loaves of Danish Apple Pecan and Sun Dried Tomato bread. Their breads are still offered in 24-ounce loaves for a current price of $4.60 apiece. (They offer a deal where one buys four loaves, the fifth loaf is free). Some changes we noticed since last year's visit: The establishment is now open only Thursday-Sunday, and the business plan now calls for more self-service for walk-in customers.

The Anza-Borrego Desert Visitor Center is an excellent source for seeking out the best blooms, and after obtaining the routing map, we strolled about the grounds. Here are some photos of their representative specimens.











Another tradition for us is a picnic on the grounds of Christmas Circle Park, located in Borrego Springs. This being Friday, we were fortunate to be able to visit the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce Farmers' Market. This Certified Farmers' Market operates each Friday from 7 am to 12 Noon. We had a hankering for fresh strawberries so we bought a basket to supplement our picnic.






After lunch, we drove north on DiGiorgio Road to Desert Garden, located at the mouth of Coyote Canyon. We felt the display was not as showy as it was in 2008, and the ground seemed drier.

On the other hand, flowers along Henderson Canyon Road, where we took these photos, were on excellent display, and the stand of Arizona Lupine near Peg Leg Junction was the most spectacular in recent memory!









We then headed up Banner Grade to historic Julian, where we took time to stroll the main street. One of our favorite hangouts in town is the restaurant, now known as the Miner's Diner. It is located in the Levi-Marks Store Building, which has existed since 1886, and the old-fashioned soda fountain in the photo dates back to 1928. Many years ago, we would stop in Tozer's Drug Store, as it was known then, for their sinfully rich chocolate milk shakes. Back in the 1970s, each shake cost 55 cents; we're sure they are over $5 each in 2009!

Anza-Borrego Desert Flower Display, March, 2008

A nice early spring day drive from San Diego is to visit the Anza-Borrego area for the flower displays, then loop back through Julian, Cuyamaca and Descanso to Interstate 8 and home. We took SR 67 to Ramona, SR 78 to San Ysabel, SR 79 north to its junction with County S2, continued east and north on S2 and S22, and west on Palm Canyon Road to the Anza-Borrego Desert Visitor Center. For the return trip, we took County S3 to SR 78 (Banner Grade), turned at the Wynola Cutoff so we could drive through Julian, then continued south on SR 79 through Cuyamaca and Descanso to Interstate 8, then home. From Pacific Beach, the drive totaled about 150 miles.

Our first stop was at a famous institution, Dudley's Bakery, where we picked up a 24-ounce loaf of freshly baked Danish apple pecan bread for about $4.

It had been several years since we had seen the Anza-Borrego Desert Visitor Center. We were impressed in how they have freshened their exhibit areas and included more material on human culture in the Anza-Borrego area. Staff at the visitor center were most helpful in recommending drives to see the best blooms.

By the the time we took in the visitor center and strolled around the grounds (where many of the flowering plants are well identified), it was time for a picnic lunch. Our favorite spot is grassy Christmas Circle, located in town on a large roundabout at the junction of Borrego Springs and Palm Canyon roads.

The best flower displays we saw in Anza-Borrego were at the north end of DiGiorgio Road, where the pavement ends at the Desert Garden area; and the eastern stretch of Henderson Canyon Road between Coyote Creek and Peg Leg Junction. We saw mostly the sand verbena in Desert Garden, and a mixture of verbena and primrose along Henderson Canyon Road. There were also clusters of deep blue Phacelia where Ranchita Road (S22) bottoms out on the desert floor below Lookout Point. The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Web site link is updated weekly during the blooming season, and provides good details on current and forthcoming displays.

We were hoping to see lavender lilac in bloom along Banner Grade, but we suspect we were too early. However, this was daffodil season in Julian and the bright yellow blooms enlivened many front yards as we passed through the historic town.

Brim full Cuyamaca Reservoir was the only bright spot on an otherwise disheartening stretch of SR 79 through Rancho Cuyamaca State Park. A combination of the 2003 Cedar Fire, drought and pine bark beetle infestations have exacted a devastating toll on the forests in this area. Another tragic loss was the 1923 Dyar House, which served as the headquarters and museum for Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. (See the 2004 North County Times article). The State has erected a new visitor center and museum nearby (open only on weekends). There was a spectacular display of wildflowers in the burn areas during Spring 2005; perhaps April and May might bring another good bloom this year. Fortunately, the scenery along the remaining stretch of SR 79 was pretty well intact with brush covered slopes underlain by green grasses responding to the recent rains.