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A few weeks ago, Hanie and I visited Anza Borrego Desert State Park to do some hiking and check out the desert wildflowers, which were blooming for a short time after a generous amount of recent rainfall. Roughly an hour and a half drive outside of San Diego, Anza Borrego is the largest state park in CA and the second largest in the US. The majority of the park is located in San Diego county, with a few parts that bleed over into Riverside and Imperial county.

The drive out to Anza Borrego is a relaxing and fun drive, comprising of curvy mountain roads, small towns, and scenic views. The best part of the drive is the descent from the mountains to the desert floor via S22. The road has an 8% grade and gives you a wide view of the desert all the way out to the Salton Sea. S22 continues through to the town of Borrego Springs, which sits quietly outside of the park and the park visitors center.

The Anza Borrego Desert State Park visitors center is actually one of the best visitor centers I’ve been to. It has a very pleasing, low profile southwestern architecture that compliments the desert scenery. The visitors center has a small trail that winds around and nearby, presenting the various plant and animal species within the park grounds. Informative and well executed, you can tell this part of the visitors center was never an afterthought and an integral part of the center’s design. The interior of the center continues the same theme, with nice displays of the history of the park and its environs. Most importantly, it was properly air conditioned and contained numerous bathrooms.

Prior to checking out the wildflowers, Hanie and I hiked the popular Borrego Palm Canyon trail, which starts near the visitors center. A little over 3 miles roundtrip, the trail follows a creek and ends in a massive group of native California palms. Surrounded by boulders, Hanie and I had fun climbing and scrambling up the various boulders. The weather was perfect the entire hike, staying in the high 70s. During the heat of summer, even an easy hike like this could be punishing.

After the hike, we drove to the outskirts of Borrego Springs, which lies adjacent to the park, and took pictures of the desert wildflowers as the sun was setting. We chose the easy spot for picture taking, off of Henderson Canyon Rd., as we only had a 2WD drive vehicle. The other wildflower spot, Coyote Canyon, has a more varied collection of wildflowers, but a vehicle with 4WD or AWD was recommended as the road isn’t paved. Our good friend Val actually went out to Coyote Canyon, with the help of some good ole 4WD.

I definitely plan to return. The park is massive and there is a lot left to explore and hike. Here are some teaser photos from our trip, following with the link to the entire gallery.

Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Went to the Wild Animal Park a few weeks ago with Hanie, Johann, Reina and Doug. We scored some premiere parking up front because we were driving a hybrid. Prius - 1 : Everyone else - 0. The highlight of the trip was the new Journey Into Africa tour, which replaces the aging, squeaking Wgasa Boosh Line monorail. Instead of following the outer perimeter of the open and expansive animal exhibit, you now board a biodiesel/bioethanol tram. I don’t remember which fuel it uses, just that it was green. The new tour snakes its way through the exhibit, bringing you much closer to the animals. The only downside is that it costs an additional $10. Luckily for us, Reina and Doug had coupons and existing membership passes, so it wasn’t pricey at all. It was an awesome trip overall. Here are a few pics from the trip. Follow the link afterwards for the rest.

Wild Animal Park Gallery

It’s been 2 months since returning from spending Thanksgiving in Prague, and I can say without a doubt that it’s fueled both my desires to travel more and to ultimately return back. I have fond memories of cobblestone streets, confusing alleyways, intricate architecture, friendly locals, rich foods, unbelievable beer, and Absinthe. Although virtually unscathed by WWII, the city bears the scars of years of Communist rule with soot-laden, graffiti-ridden buildings. However, to say that Prague is a dirty or ugly city would be a mistake. The city is in fact incredibly beautiful, with a healthy mix of modernness peppering the landscape of various old world architecture. Even though the city has an excellent rail system, its history and beauty beckons you to walk and explore it.

The cuisine in Prague is heavily centered around fresh, wild game meats: duck, rabbit, venison, etc. The generously portioned dishes are very rich tasting, but never overwhelming. Even though I have never lived in Prague, the dishes have a strong sense of hearthy nostalgia, which is very befitting of the cold, snowy weather and beautiful locale. Although simple in construction and straight-forward in taste, the ubiquitous dish of Czech goulash with dumplings is tasty, satisfying, and never monotonous. I certainly miss it.

Cheaper than soda, the beer is plentiful, palatable and smooth. Nearly every local beer, from dark to light, was excellent, including craft beers like coffee beer. It is a travesty that these beers are non-existent stateside aside from Pilsner Urquell. Aside from bottled water from the local market and an occasional cup of coffee, all I drank was beer. It compliments well with the food, prepares you for the cold autumn air, and never leaves you with a hangover.

Anyways, I could writes pages about Prague, but I’ll just cut to the chase with some photos and a link to the full album. Enjoy.

Photos of Prague