It was a wonderful hike in Anza Borrego State Park, gawking at all the flowers: 9 1/2 miles, heaps of wildflowers, interesting scenery--and didn't see a single other person all day.
I'd been intrigued by the hike for a long while; it's a longer loop hike through bouldery country, and figured today was a great day to do it. There's been so much rain this year and it's spilled over the eastern mountains to the desert, so plenty of wildflowers should be seen. Plus it'll be a warm sunny day, so the wildflowers will all be open if we start walking midday, rather than get up early. Another bonus: the hike is out the four-lane I-8, which means we won't be dealing with the two-lane traffic through Ramona/Santa Ysabel/Julian.
So we slowly scooted out of San Diego around 9, stopped for sandwiches at Jacumba Subway (e-z!) and got to Bow Willow Campground where the trail starts around 10:30... discovering even another bonus. It's $10 for day use parking at the campground, which I'm guessing deters a lot of visitors, and we had the place to ourselves. And compared with last weeks hike in Painted Gorge with ATVs and dirt bikes, it was soooo much better. We're now giving that hike a one-star, and this one a five-star... it's right up there with the Domelands in terms of "favorite desert hikes".
As far as the flowers, well, I was suprised by the amount of pink mimulus and red chuparosa in bloom. There were a few plants I didn't recognize as well... but hey, rather than blather on, though, here are lots of pictures. Hope you all enjoy.
