Month: June 2017

Off the Beaten Path, Way Off!
On this extremely hot day in late May, there was a long road ahead with no cars in sight and none on the horizon.  Everywhere you looked you saw sandy brown hills and cactus against a vibrant blue sky.  The hundreds of cactus were a photographers dream about a month ago when they were blooming with colorful wildflowers. From some of the photos I have seen on the internet, it must have been quite something to see.

But this time the air was sizzling at 105 degrees, the flowers were gone, and the long stretch of road was empty.

Why was this road built if there was nothing out here?

Out in the Middle of Nowhere
We were out in the middle of nowhere and I was glad it was daylight. I gave a brief thought of how awful it would be to break down on this lonely road, however, I quickly kicked that thought out of my head.  I also thought how hard this must have been in the stagecoach days, traveling through this harsh environment with wooden wheels and no air conditioning!

As it turns out, this 50 mile long state road (S2) was an actual Stage Route dating back to the 1700’s.

Once in a while you pass by an RV resort and again I was wondering why anyone would camp way out here.  The resort better have a big pool is all I can say.

I found out later that this area does have many camping options including, free primitive spots, private campgrounds, and resorts.  It must be a great get away from colder regions around the state and a place you can come to de-stress far away from the crowds and traffic.

It finally hit me that we were in the interior of California with what seemed like a population of zero.  This is the same state that has 23 million people living in the southern part alone.  It made me appreciate how much more land California has and how much it has to offer.

At least where I live, I can drive two hours in any direction and either be at the beach, in the mountains, or at the desert.  In two hours time I could experience a temperature drop of at least 40 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the time of year.

In this case, I was in the desert, the Anza Borrego area to be exact.  I was driving at least a half an hour on some unknown road that had me lost and wondering where I was!  As mentioned above, most of the time I saw no cars, no people, and no buildings.

Cactus as far as you can see

A Mirage?
Finally I saw a small area in the distance that I was hoping would have a gas station or a store. It had the latter.  A small store to be exact, but the man behind the cash register was familiar with the area and gave us the bad news that we were 20 miles off track from our destination, the Salton Sea.  Not only did we have to back track but we still had an hour to go to the Salton Sea.

No need to get upset, it was time to enjoy the peace and solitude of this sun drenched landscape that was far removed from civilization.  On research later, I found out that this WAS a great place to view the blooming wildflowers although less crowded than some of the more popular sites.  If we have another rainy season, I am definitely coming back with camera in hand.

Fun and Not so Fun Things in the Desert
The desert always intrigues me although I am a beach girl and always will be.  I wonder what people do out in the middle of nowhere. I know dune buggies and any kind of sand sport is popular and the stars at night are amazing but, what about the remoteness and the isolation?

I pulled over to take a few shots of the desert and heard the subtle yet alarming sound of a rattle snake in the distance.  I had heard this sound before.  Maybe it was closer than I thought since it WAS loud enough to hear, plus why did it feel the need to rattle in the first place? I got back in the car.

Some of my least favorite things are in the desert which includes the dreaded rattlesnake plus, tarantulas, and scorpions.  On the fun side, I have spent some great times on dune buggies, three wheelers, quads, motorcycles, and there is nothing like ending the day by a camp fire and star gazing at night.  The darkness of the desert makes the stars shine bright  as if you could reach out and touch them.

The day ends in the desert. Some say desert sunsets are the best.

We finally made it back to the correct road that would lead us to our destination.  I am glad I got lost, mainly because it gave me an even more appreciation of California and how it has so many different climates and landscapes.  It has lakes, rivers, creeks, mountains, deserts, beaches, oceans, islands, estuaries, canyons, waterfalls, redwoods, lagoons, and so much more!

Making it back home to the coast later in the evening, the display on my car thermometer read 65 degrees outside.  Wow, it truly was a 40 degree swing!

There is much to do in the desert and I am sure we will be doing some stories in the future but in the meantime, I’ll stay cool on the coast and wait to visit again in the fall when the temperatures drop or in the spring when the cactus are blooming.

Story and photos: Debbie Colwell

Driving on Highway 86 through Salton City, it looked like any other town, complete with homes, gas stations, restaurants, stores, and even a nice sized casino.

Beyond the city sits the real interest and curiosity, the mystery of the Salton Sea.

In the distance you can see the lake with its brilliant blue tint.  Devoid of any wind on this hot May afternoon it was smooth as silk, not a ripple on the surface.

Noticeably missing was something that you’ll  find on most desert lakes this time of year…boats, personal watercraft, water-skiers, and people!

There was not one boat out on the lake!  Granted, it was 105 degrees outside but, that was more the reason to be out on the water!

Looking at this vast lake, you could see the shore from side to side but, length-wise,  it was hard to make out where it ended.  It was huge!   From the middle of one side to drive to the exact same spot on the other side would take at least an hour.    We know, because that is exactly what we did.

As we made our way to the shore to investigate the Salton Sea, it occurred to me that this is the type of place you need to explore with a vivid imagination. You have to be able to reach down and envision what this place must have been like in the 1950’s and 1960’s when it was thriving.    It is not a staycation or day trip that is for everybody.

Let your Imagination Soar
Standing on the sand at the once popular Bombay Beach, I closed my eyes and imagined the sounds and sights of the era that made this one of the most popular resorts in its time.  It is said to have had more visitors per year than Yosemite.

With eyes still closed, my thoughts conjured up  the sounds of speed boats soaring by followed by joyful water-skiers propped up on two skis.   On a warm day just like today, I could see them gliding high on the water with wide smiles on their faces.   As my reverie continued,  I heard in the distance, children’s  laughter filling the beach while 60’s tunes played on radios.   As a breeze gently tickled the nostrils, you could almost imagine the  sweet smell of Coppertone sun tan lotion.

Now with eyes opened, it is back to 2017 and it is dead quiet.  No speed boats, no laughter, no music, not a sound.   The smell of sun tan lotion is now replaced with a faint yet noticeable scent of salt and dead fish.

The empty beach and shells of buildings from so long ago

The former entrance to Bombay Beach

As I walked along the empty beach, the sand wasn’t really sand although it probably was back then.  It was skeletons of fish parts.

So what happened to the Salton Sea?

The History of a Dying Lake
It is documented that Salton Sea was formed in 1909 following extreme rains that flooded the Colorado River and blew out a weak irrigation channel.    A lower area now known as the Salton Sea was sitting below sea level at 235 feet and soon filled with water continually for at least two years until the breach was finally fixed.   A new fresh water lake was now formed and it was not small!   It spans 34 miles long and 14 miles wide, by comparison Lake Tahoe is 21 miles long by 11 miles wide.

In the 1950’s the city of Palm Springs was a popular destination and developers saw the nearby Salton Sea as an opportunity to bring people to this beautiful waterfront oasis.   Soon,  it had resorts, hotels, spas, boat ramps, marinas, yacht clubs, and celebrities.   It became a popular spot of the Hollywood elite with notables like Frank Sinatra flocking to the area for fun under the sun and on the water!

A post card from that era

Fish were soon introduced to the lake, bringing in sport fisherman and by the late 1950’s it was drawing over 1.5 million visitors annually.  It was a flourishing vacation spot with boat regattas, festivals, night clubs, and plenty of celebrity sightings.

Through the 1960’s it thrived, however, later in that decade it started gaining salt content from soil run-off from the nearby agricultural farms.

By the late 1970’s, with not much rainfall and no drainage outlet, the lake was becoming polluted with the pesticides from that run-off and the salt from the agricultural soil.  The salt content started killing off the fresh water fish, so salt water fish were introduced and flourished for awhile.   But the salinity proved too much and only the hardiest of the salt water fish survived.   The water soon took on the smell of rotting fish and algae.   Unfortunately, the visitors and celebrities stopped coming.

Add to the whole mess, a few tropical storms in the 1970’s caused devastating flooding and destroyed some of the businesses beyond repair.

Over the course of many years, the area died a slow death and today along the shore, only the skeletons of the past can be found.

Salton Sea 2017
They call this area an apocalyptic town, at least down by the lake.   The abandoned shells of buildings, hotels, spas, parking lots, and public bathrooms can be seen where a beach or marina once thrived.

A glamorous entrance to a spa at one time

A night club?  Restaurant?

Looked like a beach concession stand at Bombay Beach

You do get the feeling of being the last few people on earth as you walk around the deserted shore front with not another soul around.

Every once in a while another looky-loo comes by to snap some photos but other than that it is dead.   I sometimes like to talk to locals to get their feel and their take on the area but there was no one walking around, not a soul walking their dog on the beach, or no one riding a bike.

Granted, the air temperature was over 100 degrees and residents that are still living there were probably sitting by their air conditioners nice and cool.  Not like us foolish tourists walking around in the heat, day-dreaming about a time long gone.

At Bombay Beach the neighborhoods were deserted and the homes were empty and deteriorated.  Yet once in a while you could see a place where people WERE living.  A car out front or a satellite dish on the roof was our only signs that there was life.

No sign of life in this Bombay Beach neighborhood

Everything was abandoned down by the shore.

Far on the other side of the lake we discovered the remains of what was once a marina.  A huge parking lot with nearly dead palm trees looked out to an expansive beach that was probably once filled with tons of people.

Down the way,  a broken down exterior of public bathrooms were filled with wall to wall graffiti.    The  only actual resident I saw,  popped his head over one of the walls and said hello as if I was an old friend stopping  by for a visit.     It startled me.  I said hi back and then was on my way.    There wasn’t supposed to be anyone else on earth in my apocalyptic daydream, remember?

A parking lot out to what was once a gorgeous beach

Marina entrance where movies stars kept their boats.

The entrance to the marina which was at one time packed with boats

On one beach I walked to the shore to see what the water looked like up close. The stench of rotting fish hadn’t become too strong yet,  but it was ever present and I only saw a few dead fish along the way.

It wasn’t the type of beach I would like to sit on all day and the water didn’t look too inviting either on close inspection. Pieces of algae and other plant like stuff sat right at the edge and it just looked…yucky.   Sorry, I couldn’t come up with a better description, yucky seems to fit.

Upon further research I heard they have opened up a boat launch and are encouraging boaters back out on the water.   There are still some fish in the lake although I don’t think anything is cleared to be consumed by humans.  Kayakers are coming out a little more, and a Waterfowl Preserve is close by which would appeal to bird watchers.    It is just the swimming part that I would be unsure about.

In the 1970’s, I was lucky enough to water-ski on the lake and I remember the water being warm and clean.  I was once one of those smiling water-skiers out for a fun day on the lake.

The Future
As the sea continues to recede, there are plans in place to build ponds, create wetlands, and to preserve the oasis for migrating birds.  The dry areas could present a health hazard as the winds take the toxic dust airborne into an area that already has the highest asthma rate in the state.

I will keep an eye out for that progress.  I hope they can do something to help its sad deterioration.   What a shame to see the demise of this once great playground in the desert.

If this type of thing might appeal to you, we highly suggest a day trip to the Salton Sea, it was actually quite interesting

As it gets really hot in the summer, be sure and bring some water, a camera, a friend, and most importantly… your imagination.

Story and photos: Debbie Colwell
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Chula Vista Marina
I thought I had seen every marina there was in Southern California so I was surprised when I happened on to not one,  but two near Chula Vista, California.

On my way to the Tijuana Estuary, I saw one of them from the freeway and made a point to stop by on my way home.   A few miles further, I saw a sign for the other along the freeway and I just had to pull off right then and there.

I am glad I stopped.   The Chula Vista Marina was surprisingly impressive and the other will be coming up in another story.

In researching the Chula Vista Marina later, I saw two different accounts of how many boat slips are actually in the harbor, let’s just say there are between 370-500 slips.   It seemed a lot smaller at first glance and if I had a boat, it was the type of intimate and quiet marina that I would like to live.   As you drove around you could see little nook and crannies where more slips were located so it now seemed a lot larger.

The marina isn’t a touristy type place to go as there are no boat rentals, excursions, tours, novelty shops, or anything like that.   I did, however, see a little bitty gift shop along the way and a Cape Cod looking set of buildings on the south/east side of the marina.  Upon further inspection, those buildings turned out to a place you can rent for gatherings, parties, wedding receptions, etc.   No shops or restaurants there.

What is nice about this harbor is that there were plenty of parks and grassy areas all around.   I saw a lot of people just meandering by, some with dogs, and some just enjoying the warm California sunshine. However, it never seemed crowded.    Plus there was plenty of parking…and free!

The marina spills out into a very large part of the vast San Diego Harbor.  Looking west you can see the coast and the Coronado Cays  then to the north far in the distance lies the  impressive Coronado Bridge.    Just beyond the bridge is a glimpse of downtown  San Diego with its  equally impressive skyline.

It was very windy and there were only a few boats out on the water.   This southern most part of the San Diego bay doesn’t have as much activity as the northern parts so you could be out there pretty much by yourself.   Maybe it was just that it was a wind chopped day and a little nippy on the bones.

We drove around the harbor past the Chula Vista RV Resort which I had heard has the reputation of being one of the best RV parks in Southern California.   Even, though I had heard about it, I didn’t know where it was; now I do.    From what I could tell, it earns its top notch distinction as it was packed with RV’s .

In front of the RV resort sits another park that was filled with people enjoying it in one way or another.  There were cement seating areas that had tables with chess boards attached of which I suddenly wished were at my local harbor.

Nearby there was a cement fishing pier but I was perplexed on why it was so empty, it looked like a perfect place to fish!    Maybe it was also too windy or the fish weren’t biting, probably a little of both.   I thought it might be fun to come back another day and try our luck anyway.

The park had a kiddie area and plenty of places to picnic.  There was a narrow sandy beach stretching across the bayside that I wanted to roam around on while looking for shells but you had to climb over rocks to get there.  My climbing days are far gone so I opted not to stick my feet in the sand.   I did see people on the beach so I am sure there is an entrance somewhere along the park on the opposite end.

Right by the pier there was also a sandy area and I thought it would be perfect to launch a SUP or kayak since it was inside the marina with way calmer water.   For motor and pleasure boats, there is a sizable launch ramp on the other side of the harbor.

There are two restaurants in the marina although I only saw one.   The “Galley at the Marina” has bay front dining, a bar, and live entertainment.    I can definitely see myself hanging out there having a cocktail at sunset.    The South Bay Fish and Grill restaurant, I never did see and only knew about it by researching the marina later.

The whole harbor area with its boats and parks was very impressive; it was super clean and maintained well.    Even though it doesn’t cater to tourists per se and is an hour from where I Live, I still could easily spend a day there.    I would  enjoy what I am sure would be a yummy lunch at either restaurant, fish on the pier for awhile,  stroll barefoot in the sand,  then finish the day off with a gorgeous sunset while playing a relaxing game of chess.

It is exactly what a perfect staycation should be, exploring the world around where you live.

In this case… an hour isn’t so far.

 

Story and photos: Debbie Colwell