Borrego Springs, California: A terrible storm is slamming our home town with torrential rain and 45 mph winds. Snow is falling by the foot in the Cascade mountains. In Borrego Springs, we enjoyed sunny skies, no wind, no clouds and temperatures nearing 80 degrees. Do I feel guilty? No I do not.
This morning, I laced up my Nike Lunar Trainers, took a right at the RV park entrance and ran nearly two miles down the road (and nearly two miles back!). It is a flat road, with little traffic, through agricultural land. Imagine my surprise when I noticed metal sculptures out in the middle of a field!
Artist Ricardo Breceda has recreated a scene of workers in a vineyard - harvesting grapes and stringing wire between fence posts. Not something you see every day on your jog. After returning from my run, showering (and moving campsites!), DT and I grabbed our cameras and headed out to inspect this art up-close and personal.
If you have never been to Borrego Springs (or are a new reader to this website) you may not know that the surrounding deserts are filled with fabulous metal sculptures by Ricardo Breceda. Nearly every sculpture represents a long-extinct prehistoric animal. Very interesting concept. This is the first time we had seen Brecada's "human" concept - and we just loved the design! (Click here to learn more about this project.)
Each farm worker has a distinct face, build, clothing and expression.
After poking around and photographing the "vineyard" scene, DT happened to look up to notice even more extinct animals at the far end of the field! We hopped back in the Honda and went to explore.
It was a prehistoric camel - out in the middle of the desert!
And some sort of dinosaur creature with a baby on her back! Again, is this something you encounter every day? Crazy, eh? I just love it - art in the middle of nowhere!
The detail is simply fascinating. Every "hair" on these creatures is a piece of curled metal.
I was nearly eaten alive by this Wild Thing!
But this relative of Packy was much friendlier.If you ever have the chance to visit Borrego Springs - please take time to visit the two sculpture areas on the north and south sides of town.
The ocotillo cactus are crazy-beautiful and in full bloom all over the desert - especially around Ocotillo Wells - so we headed over to Ocotillo Wells (about ten miles from Borrego Springs).
This is what the desert surrounding Borrego Springs looks like when the Ocotillo (fouquieria splendens) is in bloom!
Wow!
Here is a close-up of an Ocotillo bloom.
This flower has yet to blossom.
The unopened blooms look like lipsticks!
We were so lucky to see this majestic plant in such prolific bloom!Many other flowers are blooming in the desert now.
Of course, lupines line the roadsides.
Bristly Gilia - growing virtually out of the rocks in the desert.
Brittle Bush grows all over the southwest. It was not blooming when we were in Death Valley only a few weeks ago, but is in full bloom now.
Close-up of a blooming Brittle Bush flower.
Desert Chicory.
The Cholla Cactus are also starting to bloom. Watch out for this little terrorist. The needles seem to jump right off the plant and into your foot!
This is a good example of a bloom, with several buds, on a cholla cactus.
This cholla flower has a helper - a beetle. Look at all the pollen the bug has gathered on his/her legs!
DT snapped this photo of a red bug on a cholla bloom.
Getting ready to bloom!Well, that is enough Wild Things for today. Until my next update, I remain, your desert correspondent.
RV Park: The Springs at Borrego. Full-service, luxury resort with a regulation 9-hole golf course. Naturally-fed hot spring hot tubs, pool, exercise room, party room, activities, fabulous pet-run, lake-side fire pits with community gatherings. Just a great place to spend a few days... or weeks... in the sleepy village of Borrego Springs. We highly recommend this park.