Day Trips – Page 3 – Small Wanders

22 Mar 2023: Saguaro National Park East

The weather continued to be cool and rainy but great for hiking and photography. Saguaro National Park East appears to have more hiking trails than the west. There’s also a popular scenic drive loop through the park that has many pull-outs and trailheads. I thought the terrain was more interesting than the valley of the national park west. Along the trails, there were more wildflowers and changes in elevation. We enjoyed the scenic drive while it rain, stopping at a few scenic spots.

When we had stopped at the Visitor Center for a trail map. We overheard the park ranger recommend the Garwood Trail to another group of hikers wanting an uncrowded hike. This trail is part of several trails on the northern edge of the park which includes Douglas Spring, Converse, Wildhorse Loop. On one of the bends of the Garwood Trail, 1.5mi from the trailhead, is a rare crested saguaro cactus. It became somewhat of a scavenger hunt for us since the crude map from the visitors center, where he drew an X, was not to scale. Trail markers were also confusing since many different trails criss-cross the Garwood Trail. So we wondered if we had missed it but we continued along the trail and finally found this beautiful, unusual cactus – definitely worth the hike.

The rain has pretty much stopped so hike conditions were pretty good – cool but not muddy. The rain added to the photography by saturating the colors and adding water droplets. We did a lot of closeup photos.

Along the main road, we spotted another crested saguaro. It wasn’t nearly as intricately detailed as the Garwood Trail cactus. Perhaps in ~20 more years it will develop the flowery lobes. It was on someone’s property so not part of Saguro National Park East.

21 Mar 2023: Saguaro National Park West

by JamesMarch 21, 2023April 16, 2024Arizona / Day Trips / Hikes / National Parks / Sightseeing

We read that Saguaro National Park West is more popular than the East so we visited here first. With winter rains generating large patches of wildflowers in California and Arizona. Our first stop was just over the ridge dropping into Saguaro National Park West valley on W.Picture Rock Road. The Cam-Boh/Ringtail trailhead was covered in Mexican Poppies and a colorful start to the trail. Further along, the wildflowers densities faltered, mainly concentrated in the shadow of Mt. Picture Rocks. So we cut our hike short after taking some wildflower photos. We had just started and wanted to head further into the valley.

Oddly, as you continue west on W.Picture Rock Road, you exit the park. Entering from the east on W Gates Pass Road or the south on S Kinney Road are probably better ways to enter the park. W Gates Pass Road take you past the scenic overlook and both roads take you by Old Tucson.
W Picture Rock Road skirts the northern edge before you head south to the Saguaro National Park West (aka Red Hills) Visitor Center.
There isn’t a lot of infrastructure in this national park. There are restrooms at the Visitor Center and Sonora Desert Museum, which also has a cafe. Fortunately, we stopped at a Speedway gas station w/ Subway sandwich shop & grabbed a sandwich before our hike.
Most of Saguaro National Park West is in the valley west of Tucson. There are hills surrounding the park carpeted with Saguaro and other cacti. Apparently, the density of Saguaro is a lot lower than when the park was founded but they are still abundant.
We picked the short Valley View Overlook Trail to see the panoramic view of Saguro National Park West. It was an easy hike with only ~50ft elevation gain.

20-23 Mar 2023: Tucson/Saguaro National Park

by JamesMarch 20, 2023April 16, 2024Arizona / Day Trips / National Parks / RV Parks / Sightseeing / Travel Trailer / Trips

With unpredictable weather north of Phoenix, we decided to head south to Tucson. Our bucket-list of visiting all the national parks did not have a check mark next to Saguaro National Park. Plus the weather and driving conditions were noticeably better heading south.
We book three nights at the Tucson/Lazydays KOA primarily for its location. Saguaro National Park is split into east & west sections about 30mi apart, separated by Tucson. The KOA was about midway so we planned to visit the west park Tuesday then hike the east park Wednesday.
The easy, scenic drive from northern Phoenix to southern Tucson was a ~2.5hrs. We passed Picacho Peak State Park, surrounded by wildflowers, and added it to our list of places to visit next time. It’s midway between Phoenix and Tucson and it’s distinctive peak has some challenging trails. Plus it’s in a ‘dark-sky’ area so would be great for astrophotography.
March is a great time to visit Tucson and Saguaro NP but it was overcast with scattered showers two of the days we were there. The Tucson/Lazydays KOA is huge with a variety of RV sites ranging from covered pull-thrus ($110+/ni) to small back-in sites. There’s actually a BBQ restaurant-bar on-site so after we pulled-in and setup. We stopped there for BBQ & beer.

We had time to catch an Arizona sunset so an hour before, we headed to Gates Pass Scenic Outlook towards west Saguaro National Park. This is supposed to be the best place around town to catch the sunset. Being popular, it was recommended we get there early so we could find a parking space in the overlook’s small lot. With the overcast skies, we were not predicting a spectacular sunset. But the clouds were clear at the horizon so I hoped the sun might break through before disappearing behind the mountains. Not spectacular, but the sun did shine through for a short time just above the horizon.

17-20 Mar 2023: San Diego Padres Spring Training

by JamesMarch 17, 2023April 16, 2024Arizona / Baseball / Day Trips / Sightseeing / Travel / Trips

Heading to Peoria in March has become an annual Spring getaway. Except for the Covid year off, we’ve made it tos see Padres Spring Training the last several years. This year, we decided to combine our usual long baseball weekend in March, with a RV trip. Since we are in Arizona, why not spend some time exploring in our RV after Peoria. As mentioned, our plans shifted due to the continued bad weather in northern Arizona and southern Utah. The three days of baseball were fun and we got a chance to see this year’s roster up close and personal. Although Fernando Tatis isn’t back into the line-up till April 20. He is playing & practicing during Spring Training.

20-23 Feb 2023: Wildflowers & Wildweather

by JamesFebruary 20, 2023April 16, 2024Anza-Borrego State Park / Day Trips / Hikes / Sightseeing / State Parks / Trips

Finding a campsite for 3 days at Anza-Borrego State Park, even during the week, is challenging during peak season (Oct-May). Desert spaces are extremely popular during the winter, especially around Joshua Tree and Anza-Borrego. Fortunately, we found a spot at the Palm Canyon Hotel and RV Resort for 3 nights. It was a very different experience than last year when we dry-camped inside the park. This place has full hookups and is just west of downtown Borrego Springs. But for our first trip of 2023, we were happy just to be back on the road. We were hoping to see wildflowers everywhere but the ‘better-than-usual’ bloom was near its end.
Update: starting the day we headed home, there has been a week of continual rain and cold weather. So there will be a bunch of new blooms and if it turns into a Spring Superbloom, we’ll day-trip from Oceanside.

Borrego Palm Canyon (Our only hike)

We hiked the Borrego Palm Canyon trail our first morning in Borrego Springs. This has become one of our favorite hikes in the area – a 3-4mi easy hike with a potential Bighorn Sheep encounter (often at ~1130am near the trailhead). It’s a great hike to start the year. The Bighorn Sheep did appear but I unfortunately made the poor choice of taking the alternate trail back to the parking lot. The Bighorn Sheep were on the main trail so we only got a ‘tail-end glimpse’. I should have listened to Carol’s suggestion to hike the main trail back. The alternate trail meanders along the west side of the canyon and is the less-traveled trail. These particular sheep do not seem to mind being around people and are not skiddish. They might be the same group we saw last year, in nearly the same spot, same time of day (noonish).

Wildflowers

Anza-Borrego Wild Flowers Status Weblinks:

Anza-Borrego Foundation Wildflower Map: https://theabf.org/explore-anza-borrego/wildflowers/
Borrego Blooms dot org: https://www.abdnha.org/pages/03flora/reports/current.htm
DesertUSA – https://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/ca_abdsp.html

Anza-Borrego State Park Visitor Center posts wildflower locations (online as well)

There were wildflowers scattered around Borrego Springs/Anza-Borrego State Park when we visited. This was our first trip to specifically view them. But the weather was not our friend with high winds forecast for Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday. Now we are familiar with high winds around Desert Hot Springs and Indio because we have family there and visit often. But the winds that blew through this trip were extreme, unlike any we’ve ever encountered. So strong, they snapped the poles providing power to Borrego Springs. The miles of toppled power lines caused a regional power-outage all the way to La Quinta.
We had a nervous night trying to sleep in our wind-blown 20ft travel trailer. The wind break of trees and small slope behind our site helped but it was still an experience we won’t soon forget. The power went out Tues around midnight and didn’t come back till after midnight Wednesday. Because the power outage disabled the two gas stations in Borrego Spring. Wednesday became a search for gasoline since we needed to refuel before our Thurs departure. Not knowing when power might be restored, we ended up driving to Red Earth Casino, about 40mi, to fuel up.
The other consequence of the storm was the snow level had dropped to ~2000ft so chains were required on our planned route home. So we ended up driving the long way back through Palm Springs to avoid the continuing stormy weather and ice. Thursday morning the winds had slackened but it was raining hard, even hailing. We made it home without incident and Howie handle the craziness without issue.
This is the first time we’ve encountered these kind of conditions so it was good it happened on a short trip near home. Our preparedness for such a situation is okay – Howie has batteries and a solar panel. But we need to keep some fresh water in our tanks & be able to dry-camp even when we are staying at a full hookup campground.

17-20 Feb 2023: Desert Hot Springs

by JamesFebruary 17, 2023November 30, 2023Day Trips / Indio/Palm Springs / RV Parks / Sightseeing / Trips

Our first trip of 2023 was supposed to be to Agua Caliente County Park Jan 2 2023 but we had to cancelled to help family. Which ended up being less disappointing because it rained the entire week and that area is prone to flash floods.

So we postponed our first RV trip to February, combining a family visit to Desert Hot Springs & a few days at Anza-Borrego State Park, to hopefully see wildflowers. With all the rain in southern California this season, the potential for a ‘better-than-usual’ (but not quite ‘superbloom’) wildflower bloom is anticipated.
We stayed at the Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA, which is close to our family in Desert Hot Springs. KOAs campgrounds are very family oriented with lots of activities for kids and adults. The Palm Springs/Joshua Tree KOA is especially family-friendly with mini golf, pickelball, bike/pedal car rentals, and a ‘kiddie train’ that loops through the park. We did not spend much time at the park since we were here to spend time with family. But we did enjoy the 3 different temperature (104°, 100°, 98°) hot springs hot tubs one evening which was wonderful. We plan to make this KOA a regular stop when we pass this way with Howie.

Our main family outing was to the Riverside County Fair in Indio which happened to coincide with our visit. We are not much for carnival rides but walking around the fairgrounds and people-watching is always fun. Plus there were probably a hundred diverse food booths serving up the usual ‘unusual’ unhealthy but delicious fair-food.

Next stop, a 90min drive to Palm Canyon RV Resort, Borrego Springs CA. One big plus of this RV resort is they allow check-in at 12:30. Which is perfect with an 11am departure at the KOA.

07 Oct 2022: Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

by JamesOctober 7, 2022April 16, 2024Day Trips / Hikes / Kanab / State Parks / Utah

About 20 miles from Kanab is the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. According to the State Park website, these 10,000-15,000 year old sand dunes are created by three things: sand, high winds, and a notch between the Moquith and Moccasin mountains, that causes the dune formation. The eroding Navajo sandstone gives the sand dunes their ‘coral pink’ hue.

The park is popular with ATV/OHV vehicles and has campsites for visitors who want to stay overnight. Many people, like us, come to sled or sand-board down the dunes. There’s a $10 state park day-use fee and sand-board/sled rentals are $25 for all-day. With the sled, the Ranger will give you a small block of wax and instructions on how to apply it to the underside of the board. They also explain the best technique to successfully ride the sled down the dunes. Properly applying the wax to the bottom of the board greatly affects the speed downhill.
For $5, you can get a permit to fly your drone in the park – one of the few State Parks I’ve visited that allows this. I brought my drone so after sledding, I flew it over the park (video below).

Coral Sand Dunes State Park (drone footage; slow to play)

Most visitors come to sand-board or sled down the dunes. There are several smaller dunes but everyone seemed to pick the largest dune to ride. We started lower then moved higher as we got the hang of it and got braver. You can have some great, fast runs if you start high on the right slope angle. But climbing back up in the soft sand is an exhausting workout. The higher you start, the longer the climb back up. After a few runs, we were done.

Carol’s Best Run (slow to download & play)

In the afternoon, the wind can start blowing so be prepared for everything, including you, to be covered with the fine, red sand. Bring sunscreen, water and snacks with you cause once you hike out to the dunes. You will not want to trudge back to the picnic area or parking lot unless absolutely necessary.
We had a great time and highly recommend spending a couple hours here especially if you have kids.
One tip – a couple was having a terrible time sledding successfully down the dune. They tried all the tips & suggested techniques but their sled would turn sideways and catch-an-edge after several feet. Since we were done, we offered them our board and, like us, it worked fine for them. Applying wax to the underside of theirs wasn’t working because it was so heavily scratched/gouged. So when you rent, be sure to check out the underside of your sled and ask for a smoother one if it looks rough. Ours had gouges but not nearly as many as theirs. These sleds look like they’ve been around a long time and the undersides surely shows their age.
They log the board number when you rent so you’ll want to return the same board. When the couple were done with ours, we got it back to return. I do not know the park’s policy if you swap boards with somebody & return a different number.

06 Oct 2022: Grand Canyon North Rim

by JamesOctober 6, 2022April 16, 2024Arizona / Day Trips / Hikes / Kanab / National Parks / Sightseeing

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is 8000ft. It’s much cooler, heavily forested, and more rustic than the south rim. Most of the facilities, like the lodge, close by mid-October or at first snowfall. The North Rim is lesser-visited than its Southern counterpart. So less crowded, except at the lodge, which is the main destination for visitors. We were treated to wonderful fall colors and deer during the 80mi drive from Kanab.

We had a great morning exploring the trails & viewpoints along the north rim. Then we enjoyed a panoramic canyon view during lunch at the lodge restaurant. We wanted to see more and taking advice from our campground neighbor familiar with the North Rim. We drove the Cape Royal Road to access the many viewpoints along the canyon.

There was very little traffic on this long winding back-road that takes you east through dense forest then south along the canyon. The viewpoints by the lodge were wonderful but these other viewpoints are even better. For example, at Angels Window, you can walk out to the viewpoint for an unobstructed 260° panoramic view of the canyon from east to west.
After missing a spectacular sunset at Bryce Canyon, I had to stay & photograph sunset. Intermittent rain squalls were creating dramatic light so I knew it would be special. Photographing a Grand Canyon sunset at Cape Royal/Angels Window viewpoint is ideal. There were so many angles catching the changing light along the canyon from this location. The atmospheric conditions with intermittent cloud bursts over that canyon created haze and rainbows. As hoped, the sun broke through with amazing light, striking the canyon valley, pinnacles, and back-lighting the trees along the rim.

The only drawback of staying till dark was the slow nervous 2hr drive back to Kanab, trying not to hit deer or other wildlife. Arizona does not recognize Daylight Savings Time so by the clock, it took 3hrs to get back. We stopped at the Jacob Lake Inn for a break & wonderful, home-style dinner before driving a more relaxed hour back to Kanab.

05 Oct 2022: Sand Caves

by JamesOctober 5, 2022April 16, 2024Day Trips / Hikes / Kanab / Sightseeing / Utah

When searching for things to do in Kanab, the Sand Caves just north of town are a popular stop. This feature is close to the road as you drive into town from the north. It’s a short easy hike that becomes moderate because it requires scrambling up angular sandstone slabs ~100ft.

It is an easy-access location that’s not part of a state or national park so very busy. The amazing detail of the sandstone walls are partially obscured by the etched graffiti defacing this man-made wonder. But this is a great short hike that doesn’t take long and is worthwhile. It rained lightly while we were there which made the scramble down tricky. The loose sand-covered slab becomes even slicker when wet.

05-08 Oct 2022: Kanab Utah

by JamesOctober 5, 2022April 16, 2024Arizona / Day Trips / Hikes / Kanab / National Parks / Sightseeing / State Parks / Travel / Utah

After all the hikes and scenic drives at Zion & Bryce Canyon, by the time we arrived at Kanab, we were tired. So we shortened our 4 night stay at Kanab RV Corral to 3 nights. It’s a RV campground with full hookups on the south end of town. Close to everything, practical, affordable but not scenic.

Kanab is a great base-camp to explore southern Utah and northern Arizona. We were hoping to hike the Wave but did not win a permit in the online lottery. The Wave Lottery has changed from ‘in-person next-day permit’ lottery at the Kanab Visitor Center to an online ‘two-days-from-now permit’ lottery at recreation.gov. The details including ‘geofencing’ (ie you have to be in the area when participating) can be found at visitsouthernutah.com and here at BLM.gov.

Sand Caves

Since we shortened our visit by a day and arrived early afternoon Wednesday. We spent the afternoon hiking to the Sand Caves just north of town.

Grand Canyon North Rim

Besides the Wave, another excursion we planned was visiting the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s about 80mi south of Kanab and a great drive for fall colors in October.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

Since we didn’t get the Wave permit, we visited the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park our last day. We rented a sled and had a great time sledding down the huge coral sand dune. The ride down was incredibly fun but the trudge back up was exhausting. This was a great change to our usual routine of finding a trail but still quite a workout.