Spring 2021: California

I was curious to see a new area around Palm Springs and revisit two old friends, Anza-Borrego and Death Valley.

Palm Springs Area

The area around Palm Springs has a multitude of places to hike, but it those areas involve so many jurisdictions, land use angencies as well as differing elevations that I decided to make an investigatory trip to help me decide where to go during a future trip.

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This was my first view of what may be the most spectacular sight of the trip. At first glance it looked like it could be a conference center or a UFO that had landed. In fact, it is a single family residence. I later learned that it is the Bob Hope house, built by the legendary entertainer in 1979 and is today worth roughly 15-20 million dollars.
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The Bob Hope house is not only spectacular, but it sits high enough above Palm Springs to give it an expansive view of the entire Coachella Valley, which extends much farther than this picture can capture.
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The hillls in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument are all similar to this view. Despite the monotonous terrain, I really liked it. This part of the NM is just ouside Palm Springs.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Anza-Borrego is the largest state park in California.  I limited my visit to the Borrego Badlands and Truckhaven Rocks areas in the northeast part of the park.

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Do you see rocks bulging out of the wall, erosional indentations in the wall or both?
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From the end of Calcite Mine Road, you can view the Salton Sea at 236 ft below sea level. Did you know that California has an inland sea?
Sometimes the desert shows its splendor for just a few hours of the day
Sometimes the desert shows its splendor for just a few hours of the day
This scene reminds me of badlands, but perhaps it's something else.
This scene reminds me of badlands, but perhaps it’s something else.
Fonts Point offers a nice view of badlands and the desert and hills beyond
Fonts Point offers a nice view of the Borrego Badlands plus the desert and hills beyond
This was an interesting spot. Note that the tree and bushes were in bloom.
This was an interesting spot. Note that the tree and bushes were in bloom.

Death Valley National Park

On this trip to Death Valley, I allowed revisit some old place plus a new one but, sadly, few new photos.

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I’m not a geologist, but these rocks and white plants are seem to be sure indications of volcanic terrain.
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The mouth of Bighorn Gorge, my destination for the day. These rocks look like they’re suffering.