From the Colorado to the Pacific

Blythe, California to Carlsbad, California
February 14, 2010

A part of the Algodones Dune Field

This is the last part of California I have yet to explore, and I would transect this southernmost part of California from east to west, from the Colorado River to the Pacific Ocean. I knew I would have a full day of driving and sightseeing, and I got on the road just as the sun was rising. And before the sun set that day ...

• I sat on top of a sand dune. State Route 78 goes over the middle of the Algodones dune field with a parking area at the top. The parking area is not for the driving tourist but rather the dune driving recreational enthusiasts. Lots of dirt motorbikes and ATV's on these dunes.
• I stood underneath what was once (maybe) the world's tallest flagpole in Calipatria.
• I drove south through the middle of the Imperial Valley. The Imperial Valley is as flat as the San Joaquin Valley but it is mostly below sea level.
• I had an early lunch in Calexico within eye-shot of the international border with Mexico. I headed westwards on State Route 98 and hugged the border for twenty miles or so. Once I left the agricultural fields and headed into the desert, reminders of my proximity to the border started to sprout. There were the Border Patrol vehicles, but more interesting were the unmanned mobile surveillance devices with remote control cameras. Like a scene out of Star Wars, these devices were looking out onto the desert towards the border. Several times I was probably scrutinized by the remote control operator who was somewhere many miles away in an air-conditioned office. 
• My curiosity was peaked by signs pointing towards the De Anza Overlook and warning that four-wheel drive vehicles with high clearance are recommended. It felt good to get off the highway and put the truck into Hi 4-WD. The overlook of the Yuha Basin showed a desolate wilderness which has not changed much in the 235 years since De Anza and his party crossed it on their way to the coast of California.
• I stopped at a few spots in the southern part of Anza-Borrego State Park including the Carrizo Badlands Overlook and Box Canyon near Blair Valley which still has the roadbed of the old trail and stagecoach road that went through this area.
• I visited San Pasqual Battlefield State Park. California does not have much military history compared to other parts of the country (well, at least when it comes to battles), but San Pasqual is one of the more important reminders of California's past. The visitor center overlooks the San Pasqual Valley and the 1846 battlefield which is privately-owned and planted with crops. With the exhibits in the visitor center, I was able to trace with my finger in the air along the route that General Kearny and his troops took coming down the mountains to find General Pico and his Californios camped in the valley.

With the sun setting below the Pacific Ocean, I finally made it to Carlsbad. After checking into the motel, I headed out to complete one last thing for the day - planting my feet in some ocean sand.

The Yuha Basin
View to the northeast from the overlook

Calipatria Flagpole
The base of the pole is 184 feet below sea level
The top of the pole is at sea level