Sunday, August 28, 2011

Indian Hill 08-2011 - ABDSP

Indian Hill is an amazing place, not just because of the cool rock art in the Blue Sun rock shelter but also because of the natural rock formations and history of the area. It really is an amazing beautiful place to explore. Here are some pictures from several visits during August 2011.

View of Indian Hill from the Railway Camp
View of the Indian Hill area from the old railway camp

Yoni Rock Art
Several Yoni carvings in one row

Somebody had a big imagination
Very large Yoni rock carving. For size comparison, look at the feet in the upper left of the photo. Someone had a big imagination

Old Railway Camp Relics still out there
Old Railway debris dated April 22nd 1919
Looks like an old cistern

Some kind of hanging equipment, Bob says it was for doing pullups

Carrizo Gorge Railway section
Carrizo Gorge Railway

Huhhh?..a pile of coconuts out in the desert??
Deer Scat pile. Did you know that biologists have determined that the average number of pellets per group is 75?

No..silly..that is just a pile of bighorn scat..
Deer Scat pile. Did you know that biologists have determined that the average number of pellets per group is 75?

Cool rock formations from the wind and water
Lots of cool wind/water made holes in the boulders

The Blue Sun Cave in all it's glory
Blue Sun Cave at Indian Hill
Blue Sun Cave at Indian Hill

Some of the faded areas of the cave brought to life via Dstretch
Dstretched image of rock art at Indian Hill
Dstretched image of rock art at Indian Hill

Another rock shelter nearby with some rock art still in tact
Dstretched image of rock art at Indian Hill

Old artifacts in the area, please do not take home!
Artifacts..please don't remove!

The massive amounts of scat in the area gave me pause to continue exploring
There was a lot of scat in the area, specifically in the small rock shelters

Wow..lots of free time I guess...
Wow...lots of free time...


Sunrise in Mortero Wash - ABDSP

Bob, coffee and the sunrise at Mortero Wash campsite

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Cool Canyon / Rainbow Canyon - ABDSP

Two of the lesser known and least visited canyons in Anza Borrego Desert State Park are Cool Canyon and Rainbow Canyon. This last weekend I visited both. These canyons are semi slot canyons and reminded me a lot of canyons in Death Valley in that they narrow up and have lots of marbled, swirled types of rock. You can use Cool Canyon as a starting point to climb Granite Mountain, I made a last minute decision to try and get to the top but I stopped at Peak 4624, I just wasn't prepared to go another 1,000' that day.

Rainbow Canyon is another great little canyon that is only a mile or so long and great for a quick hike or family exploration opportunity. If you are camping in Blair Valley and have someone who can drop you off at the canyon mouth you can hike in and over to Blair Valley for about a 5 mile easy going but fun hike.

You can see all of the pictures from Cool Cool Canyon here and Rainbow Canyon here

Here is the entrance to Cool Canyon
Entrance to Cool Canyon

Morteros nearby indicate past Indian occupation in the area
Morteros in Cool Canyon
Morteros in Cool Canyon

Some quality scat entering the canyon
Probably bobcat scat, there was a lot of this type of scat in the canyon.

This appears to be a Hawk Massacre
Hawk massacre

One of many dry falls in the canyon
One of many dry falls in Cool Canyon

Another larger dry fall
Another dry fall further up in Cool Canyon

Some Honeycomb up in the rocks, this was a great find
Large Honeycomb up in the rocks. This was a great find.

My lunch on Peak 4624, you can see Whale Peak straight ahead in the distance
My lunch on peak 4624, Whale Peak is straight ahead in the far distance

Looking back at Peak 4624 as I descended
Looking back up towards peak 4642

After Cool Canyon I headed over to Rainbow Canyon for a quick couple of hours

Here is the entrance to Rainbow Canyon
Starting up Rainbow Canyon

You will almost immediately see the first dry fall, there are many and they are all fun to climb and easy to get over unless you decide to wear Stilettos on your desert hike...
The first dry fall in Rainbow Canyon

Lots of marbled rock in this canyon
The marbling is very cool on the rocks in Rainbow Canyon

Approaching another dry fall
Dry fall in Rainbow Canyon

Looking up thru a section of the canyon
About half way thru Rainbow Canyon

Kitty Kat scat
Kitty Kat Scat, there was a lot of cat scat in the canyon, probably Bobcat

Looking east towards Blair Valley at the saddle area
Looking east at the top of the saddle in Rainbow Canyon. Blair Valley is just on the other side

Here is a narrow section of the canyon
One of the narrow slot sections of Rainbow Canyon

This is looking down probably the largest dry fall, it is actually a "double" dry fall
Looking down one of the larger dry falls in Rainbow Canyon

Download a panorama of Earthquake Valley from Peak 4624 here
View of Earthquake Valley from Peak 4624 near Granite Mtn and Cool Canyon


Both of the canyons are great for a quick 2 mile hike and are family and kid friendly

Monday, August 15, 2011

Wildlife of the week

These photos are all from Cuyamaca Rancho State Park near the Dead Horse Trail

Red Tail Hawk
Red Tail Hawk near the Dead Horse Trail in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

Immature Turkey Vulture showing off the classic vulture "V" wing shape


Immature Turkey Vulture soaring over an open field while hunting for food. The immature vultures have the grey/black color on the head while adults have a red colored head
Immature Turkey Vulture

Some kind of scary looking fly
Some kind of wicked looking fly

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Wildlife of the week

Anza Borrego Desert State Park area, spotted this Bobcat watching me while I was eating some lunch during a hike out in a remote canyon
Ever get that feeling you are being watched? I was out in the middle of nowhere eating my lunch and I look over and see this bobcat fixated on me. He watched me for at least 20 minutes before I moved on. I did not see him move an inch, just stared at me.

Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park near the Sweetwater River
Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail