Date:         Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:44:10 -0700
Reply-To:     Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Anza Borrego Desert Wildflowers
Comments: To: James V <tornadored@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <817a54131003171728p66d4aa01s9ce943d7500a9e44@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

YES!!  There is open camping ANYWHERE in Anza Borrego!  Just find a dirt road, head off, and you're good.  Last weekend the wildflowers were just starting...been a bit chilly, but the last 5 days of 80's weather has insured that everything has "popped".  Really nice.  Very crowded at the Visitor Center (almost a quarter mile long line because the parking lot is small) so if you want to do that, be sure to go before about 10 am when the crowd arrives.  The hike up Palm Canyon (3/4 mile from Visitor Center to trailhead, then a 3 mile roundtrip to the Oasis, lots of water, awesome) is well worth doing.  You can park at the trailhead and eliminate the 3/4 mile walk....but its $8 per car...better spent on something else.

Yes, next couple weekends are just about PERFECT out there..GO!!!

No open fires without a metal container (they don't want endless scarred rocks) so I use an old Weber BBQ top for that (when I want a fire, which is never this time of year...too many stars to see).

By the way, FAIL on my Ice Cream Camping experiment (freezing it in a blob of ice); as predicted, was a sloppy mess, 32 F isn't cold enough....dry ice or ice with salt to refreeze it to sorta-hard or one of those Ball thingees is the way to go.

Rich
San Diego

--- On Wed, 3/17/10, James V <tornadored@gmail.com> wrote:

From: James V <tornadored@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Anza Borrego Desert Wildflowers
To: "Richard Koerner" <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 5:28 PM

So, I'd love to get out there for a long weekend IF I can get away
from work within the next couple weeks.  I haven't been for perhaps 10
years.... Can anyone provide more info on camping there - either in
the park or nearby?  I did a quick check of online it doesn't look
like there's much availability on the weekends.

Perhaps someone has a site they'd be willing to share?  (All I really
need is a 15' chunk of ground to park for the night :)  Or is there
open camping anwhere?  I've got a Syncro...

Thanks!

James V
86 Syncro Westy, etc