"Pegleg" Campsite at Borrego Springs

Borrego Springs, CA 12/8/12 to 1/28/13

Pegleg campsite, facing west.

Returning to “Pegleg”, our old haunt in the southern Californian desert, is as close to “comin home” as any place that’s not Vermont.  Our Canadian friends Ted and Carroll & pooch Suzie were instantly out to greet us as we swung the tin can into a nice spot flanked by them and Mike “The Mechanic” where we spent the next 7+ weeks.  We’ve known these folks and others here for years now.  Bert & Janie arrived in Borrego later as planned with Adam & Sue, fellow Airstreamers who split their time between Maine & Boston when not out on the road.  We all had a hoot together.  Chuck & Ann from Michigan Jim & Jane from Ontario, Dick from Saskatchewan, appeared again, and newcomers Jim & Kendra from Port Townsend, Washington joined the gang around the campfire. 

Pegleg, facing east from first rise on Coyote
Mtn.  We're in lower right corner.

Nearby Borrego Springs is a small quiet town surrounded by Anza Borrego State Park, the largest contiguous state park in the continental US.  Camping out in Pegleg is free but requires a certain degree of independence, as there are no services.  We have all the solar power we need and several water jugs to replenish our tanks so we are self-sufficient and quite comfortable.  Borrego Springs is one of the first communities to be designated “dark sky” so stargazing is awesome.  The weather here is just about perfect.  There were only 2 very welcome rainy days during our stay.  Dan, a friend of Nancy’s from Vermont, came to visit us 2 years ago and hasn’t left.  He’s a true veteran now having made it thru 2 summers.

Happy hour campfires, beautiful quiet starry nights, evening card games, sunny days filled with hiking, biking, horseshoes, an almost acceptable substitute for bocce, and loafing passes time quickly.  Throw in a couple of side trips to LA and Phoenix for medical appointments and suddenly our 7 weeks here are gone.  We are somewhat saddened to leave but it is time to move on to someplace new.  San Diego, here we come.

Nancy abandoned happy hour to bag this sunset for the record.

Taken on morning hike on slope of Coyote Mtn.  Orange groves & nursery just outside town.

Ted on same hike, he's built at least 50 of these "inukshuks"

Nancy hiking a slot canyon.

View from just around the bend from Pegleg on a chilly morning.  

Impressive metal sculptures, including prehistoric animals, raptors, horses, missionaries, 130 in all,  are found all over the Borrego Valley.  Sculptor is Ricardo Breceda.

This Serpent is the largest and most impressive with the last loop of it's tail on the other side of the road.

This scorpion awaiting his final resting place, with people & metal grape vine workers gives a sense of scale.  He is small compared to the Serpent. 

One of the grape vine workers in the background of the Scorpion shot.

Nature's sculpture: "Eagle Rock" 

120 foot long rock Rattlesnake just above Pegleg.  Had a closeup of head but seems to have disappeared.  That'll happen.

Petroglyph found on secluded "Indian Hill" hike guided by Chuck

Century Plant, Indian Hill hike

Adam & Don riding in Coyote Canyon, Bert zooming ahead as usual to get photos.

Nancy & Mike on their last set of horseshoes

Nancy ends her horseshoe season at Pegleg with a Ringer

We haven't seen a Tarantula here before, but caught this guy heading across the desert. 

Bert contemplates last year's hike up Coyote Mtn, as seen from Rattlesnake Ridge.  Pegleg camp is at the left foot of Coyote Mtn. 

Borrego Sheep, the Park's icon.  We surprised, or maybe the other way around, a group of bachelors on a back country hike last year. 

Newly borns handle the rocky slopes quite handily.

Many of ewes are radio-collared for tracking.   

Howls of the ubiquitous coyote are often heard at night.  Cats and small dogs beware. 

Who's that staring at us from just beyond the campfire glow?

Just a little Kit Fox.  No wonder we've seen so few Kangaroo Rats this year.