Saturday, January 31, 2015

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME….AGAIN!

Saturday, January 31 - We delayed as long as possible this morning from pulling out of Yuma, AZ,  because we knew we would be crossing into the Pacific Time Zone minutes after leaving Yuma. We didn't want to arrive at our next campground too early.

We headed West on I-8 to El Centro, CA. We pulled over at the rest area for a short bathroom break and were treated to an air show by the Blue Angels. They winter in the area and were out practicing this morning.

Blue Angels

In El Centro, CA, we turned North on the Imperial Highway (CA S2). What a wonderful scenic drive S2 is all the way to Anza Borrego Desert State Park. We enjoyed this drive immensely.

mountains 

We are staying at the Stagecoach Trails RV and Horse Ranch. What a find! We nearly have the park to ourselves. The sites are nice and level with barbecue grills, fire rings, picnic tables, 50amp FHU, gravel sites, and gravel roads. We are in Site 139 but can use 144 right next to us too.

Stagecoach Trails

Stagecoach Trails

Looking right.
Stagecoach Trails

Looking left.
Stagecoach Trails

We are surrounded by mountains on all sides. This is the view out our back window. (Please ignore the dirt on the window.)

Stagecoach Trails

There is a beautiful log post and beam shelter house, a lodge, a store, basketball courts, and a hiking trail. We are between Julian and Borrego Springs and nearly surrounded by the Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

Stagecoach Trails

Stagecoach Trails

This is the neatest seat with a checker game attached. It was Bella’s move.DSC00107

We drove into Borrego Springs (about 20 minutes away over the mountain) to fuel up the truck. We don't want to risk running out of fuel out here in no-man's land. Fuel was $3.29/gallon compared to $2.39 in Yuma.....gotta love California!

gas price

On the way home, we kept our eyes peeled for Peninsular bighorn sheep and sure enough, we spotted a couple way up the mountain. What amazing and beautiful creatures. We spent nearly 20 minutes watching them roam the rocky mountainside before heading on down the road. Hopefully, we'll see more of them while hiking in the area.

We thought this was a goat but there is no mention of goats on their website.Peninsular bighorn sheep

Peninsular bighorn sheep

To borrow a phrase from Judy…The End!
Peninsular bighorn sheep

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

19 comments:

  1. Wow, I just passed by there yesterday on our way to Tucson. We had just boondocked off s22 near Borrego Springs. We were just floored at the beauty of the whole area. You aren't too far, don't miss Temecula the wine country.

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  2. Wow, I just passed by there yesterday on our way to Tucson. We had just boondocked off s22 near Borrego Springs. We were just floored at the beauty of the whole area. You aren't too far, don't miss Temecula the wine country.

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  3. It looks like you really did find a great spot. One year we were parked close to El Centro and enjoyed the Blue Angels buzzing our motorhome. They certainly are fun to watch.

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  4. An almost empty RV park is definitely a great find in my book. But seeing the sheep really makes the day.

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  5. Welcome back to CA. Great shots of the bighorn. When I had read how few of them there are in Anza Borrego, given the size of the park, it is certainly a wonderful surprise to find them.

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  6. You will love Anza Borrego! We've yet to see a bighorn there.

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  7. This is boondocking with FHU's!! How nice to have the place to yourself. Bella will love it:) Don't you just love being surrounded by the mountains!! Very nice header photo:)

    The bighorn with the large horns is a male and the female is the one with the smaller horns. Learned that yesterday at the Wildlife Refuge:)

    Fun times ahead!!! Happy hiking !

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  8. Welcome back to California! Having full-hookups with all that wide open space sure beats boondocking in my book! Great find on the park....I've driven by their quite a few times but never realized there was an RV park.

    Be sure to go to Julien for some Apple Pie from Mom's!

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  9. yep we checked out that park when we were in the area and looked nice and remote...

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  10. You should have keep your fine to your self, now you will have a campground full..lol

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  11. Spotting wildlife is such a treat. We once saw a whole herd (about 25) on the hillside at Lake Havasu City.

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  12. If you get a chance, visit the Escapees park near Aguanga. It is the best of all the Escapees Co-ops. Your first visit you can stay there for a week at 1/2 price.

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  13. Awesome, empty campground and wildlife, can't be beat!

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  14. Do I dare ask...who won the checker game?

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  15. What road did you see the Big Horns? We have yet to see any there.

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  16. I agree with John and Pam, that's a female bighorn. I wonder what the temps would be at that RV park in April. I'm looking for places to stay on my trip to Oregon this spring. I have a month to get there.

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  17. Great park, wildlife and pie near, can't beat that

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  18. Lucky you to see the Blue Angels practicing. And your park looks like a wonderful find. Great pictures of the big horn and loved your "End."

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