It was a Saturday evening during a heat wave here in Southern California. I'd been meaning to take a drive to the Calico Mountains in order to check out the colors at sunset. A check of the weather in the area indicated that the forecasted "low" would 90 degrees by early evening.
So, after filling my 2 gallon water jug, brewing coffee for my thermos, and checking that all necessary batteries (drone, camera, amateur radio and GMRS handhelds) were charged, I headed out.
Heading north on the 15 Freeway from the Inland Empire on a Saturday at 5 PM, there was light traffic- despite this being Labor Day weekend. I guess that most people were already hunkered over the Vegas gaming tables.
After exiting the 15 Freeway at Calico Rd. I turned left, and after roughly two miles, I turned right on to the Doran Scenic Drive.
So, did I mention that it was still 103 degrees at 7:37 PM?
But, it really didn't FEEL like 103 degrees. I wasn't uncomfortable at all, as I stood outside my Subaru flying the drone.
There were other people here too, driving their sand vehicles. I even heard gunshots(for those who don't know, this area is popular with recreational shooters.)
As the sun went down, I was struck by the beauty of these mountains. The rich brownish and reddish hues on the hills all present a natural watercolor "painting." No matter how many times I come here, I am awestruck.
Drone image by the author. All rights reserved. This image was taken shortly after I arrived. 7:17 PM.
Drone video, filmed by the author.
Another aerial "tour", filmed by the author during the evening visit.
I continued a little further into the hills.
...and I shot the image below, of the Calico "ghost town" using the drone, before beginning the trip home:
The other morning I took a drive up to an area near Lytle Creek, that is known as "Sheep Canyon."
Admittedly, my explorations of the Lytle Creek area, which is practically in my back yard, have been limited. For some reason, this area is rarely on my radar.
But, on this day, I decided to check out an area closer to home.
Finding the trailhead is very easy- you just take Sierra Ave. in Fontana to Lytle Creek Road. I continued a few miles on Lytle Creek Road. A short distance past the Applewhite Campground, I turned right on to trail 2N56.
The photo above was taken at the beginning of the trail. The trail climbs up into the mountains, and consists of a well-maintained gravelly-dirt road. I had no trouble negotiating this trail in my stock Subaru Forester. There were a couple of places where the gravel was loose, and the Forester's all-wheel-drive came in handy. I'm not sure that I would drive this trail in a 2WD vehicle, especially one with low ground clearance.
I drove about two miles before reaching the summit. There is plenty of room to park and enjoy the view. The trail continues down into another canyon, but, being alone, I didn't want to risk it.
Below, are two views from the summit:
Notice how green everything is, even during the summer! I can't wait to see what it looks like after heavy rains!
I used my DJI Air 3 for an aerial "tour" of the area.
At the beginning of this month (June, 2024), here in Southern California, we seemed to be going through that "transitional phase" between winter and summer. Many people call this time "spring." So, I wanted to spend a full day in the desert, before the summer heat limits my forays and exploration to the early mornings, or late afternoons.
So, here on this morning at the beginning of June, I set out to spend some time at the area in the Calico Mountains near Odessa Canyon. I say "near", because to proceed all the way into the canyon would involve negotiating a trail that would eat my Subaru Forester alive.
It was around 10 AM when I exited the 15 Freeway at Calico Rd. Another 5 minutes took me to Mule Canyon Road. About a mile up Mule Canyon Road, I turned left on to trail CM7600, which runs along the the base of the Calico Mountains.
The author's Subaru Forester on the trail.
A rather bumpy trail, with patches of deep sand, CM 7600 seems to connect with a confusing array of other trails, a few of which lead straight into the hills.
About a quarter of a mile along CM7600, I decided to take one of these trails as far as I could comfortably go.
Above: One of the trails leading into the hills. I probably could have gone a little further, but it didn't look like there would be a spot for me to turn around, if necessary. So, I decided to let my drone do some exploring for me.
A little aerial "tour" of the hills near my first stop.
I then drove a little further, and turned on to the "Doran Scenic Drive."
Roger and Loris Mitchell, in their book ), Southern California SUV Trails Volume I, The Western Mojave Desert (one of an excellent series of books written by this couple), state that no one should enter Odessa Canyon if they are still making payments on their vehicle.
Entrance into Odessa Canyon is made via the Doran Scenic Drive. The Mitchells state that this is one of the most difficult trails in the state, and that the circuit through the canyon cannot be driven with most four-wheel drive vehicles. I assume that this means any vehicle that is not extensively modified.
Obviously, I wouldn't be testing the Mitchells' assertion with my Subaru.
Believe it, or not, the Doran Scenic Drive was once a paved road for tourists, during the 1930's.
I drove roughly a half a mile, and I decided to stop while the tail was "just" sandy and rocky.
Above: This is where I stopped. As can be seen, the trail continues on, but I wanted to quit while I was ahead.
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The video above, taken with the drone, shows how rough the trail eventually becomes. I'm glad I didn't push my luck!
Above: While I was walking around I discovered these natural tunnels. I was tempted to drive my Forester through them, but I don't think AAA will pick up a vehicle that is wedged into a tiny tunnel. So, I walked through behind my drone.
Above: This video shows the Doran Scenic Drive's level of difficulty - which wasn't much - for my stock 2020 Subaru Forester- for the first mile or so, anyway.
During my visit, I encountered only one other vehicle - which was apparently be used to follow a drone being flown by one of the vehicle's occupants.
Despite my being fairly close to Calico Road, and to the tourists on the other side of the hills at the Calico ghost town, the only sound was the breeze whispering among the rocks.
At one time, I would drive out to the El Paso Mountains once per month, either for the day, or in combination with camping at Red Rock Canyon State Park. I came to know the area quite intimately, and I could not get enough of it. The history and the varied geography of the El Paso Mountains entranced me, and I spent much of my free time during the early 2000's here.
But, as the years wore on, I began to feel the need to explore other parts of the Mojave Desert. So, over the past 6-7 years my visits to the El Paso Mountains have been few and far between.
However, earlier this month, my wife and I decided to spend the night at Red Rock Canyon's Ricardo Campground, so that we'd have some time to spend in the El Paso Mountains the next morning.
Our night in Red Rock Canyon was spent in the "Forester Hotel." We've given up on tent-camping, finding that inflating our Luno air mattress, and "making the bed" takes much less time than putting up a tent. Plus, the air mattress is much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground!
After a dinner of hot dogs roasted over the fire, we turned in. With the temperature in the 40's, we kept the sunroof closed, but we were still able to see plenty of stars through the glass.
We were up at 8 AM the next morning. The temperature was 56 degrees, and the winds were gusting up to about 20 mph. Still, we sat at the picnic for a little while, enjoying hot coffee from the thermos, and munching on power bars.
Afterward, we deflated the air mattress, re-organized the cargo areas in both vehicles, and headed out of the campsite.
I mentioned "both vehicles." Both of our vehicles are relatively small- mine a Subaru Forester, and hers, a Suburu Crosstrek- so we use the Crosstrek as the storage vehicle, and the Forester as the sleeping quarters.
After paying a short visit to the Visitor Center at the campground, where they were continuously running an old Huell Howser "California's Gold" episode about the park, we headed north on Hwy. 14 to the trail head- which is designated EP-15 by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Incidentally, this is the trail that takes one to Burro Schmidt Tunnel, although we did not go to the tunnel on this day.
After pulling off the freeway, we traveled about 500 feet along EP-15 (which is just basically a sporadically-graded dirt road at this point) before pulling into semi-circular RV camping spot.
Here, I decided to launch the drone in order to secure some photos and footage of Black Mountain which was approximately 5 miles distant.
The stuff of legend in the El Paso Mountains, Black Mountain is rumored to have been the site of trading between Indian tribes ages ago, and there are supposed to be ruins at the top of the mountain. Further, some 19th century prospectors were alleged to have seen strange lights at the top of Black Mountain.
Whether these legends contain even a grain of truth or not, I've always wanted to see the top of Black Mountain. However, the only way to do that is to hike, as there is no vehicular access to the mountain.
So, all I had to do then, was launch the drone, and fly it over the top of Black Mountain, right?
Wrong.
There are rules governing the fight of drones. One of those rules is that drones are prohibited from flying over designated Wilderness Areas. Black Mountain lies within the Black Mountain Wilderness area, whose boundary was a little over 300 feet from where we were parked. No problem; just fly the drone high enough to get an "overhead" view of the mountain. Wrong again. The regulations prohibit drone flight above 400 feet Above Ground Level ("AGL" in aviation parlance.)
So, I was limited to flying 300 feet horizontally and 400 feet vertically from the launch point.
Here is the video that I shot from this location:
Above: The mountains shown at the beginning of this video are the distant Sierra Nevada's.
Black Mountain appears at 1:10 in the video.
Above: Due to the limitations on drone-flying in this area, I had to rely on the DJI Air-3's telephoto lens in order to capture this footage of Black Mountain. One day, I hope to hike to the top.
Unfortunately, the winds were making things very difficult. Ironically, the drone handled the winds with no problem, but it was difficult for me to stand outside for too long.
So, we decided to shorten our trip by skipping our trip through the interior of the El Paso Mountains.
Instead, we decided to head over to Iron Canyon.
Once the site of numerous gold-diggings, Iron Canyon largely deserted, with the sounds of the pick-axes having long been replaced with the sound of the wind whipping over the jagged rocks.
Iron Canyon is at the southern end of the El Paso Mountains, and is accessible via trail EP-11 off Garlock Road.
We were parked near the mouth of Iron Canyon when I shot this drone footage.
After all of the rain we've been having here in Southern California, I was expecting a big payoff in terms of wildflowers at the park.
We checked in at the Cottonwood Visitor Center, and I chatted with a Ranger for a few minutes. Despite the Ranger's almost apologetic statement that there was no "super bloom" this year, we were not really disappointed.
True, the flowers were not carpeting the ground to the extent that they have in previous years. Nonetheless, there were enough of them to provide some spectacular viewing, especially when viewed against the backdrop of the Cottonwood Mountains.
The majority of the wildflowers can be found along Cottonwood Springs Road, which is at the southern end of the park, off I-10.
Photo by Scott Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Photo by Scott Schwartz. All rights reserved.
I said that "most" of the flowers were of the Desert Dandelion variety. An exception was this Chia.
Photo by Scott Schwartz. All rights reserved.
As you can see, the flowers gave a pretty good account of themselves, despite this not being a "super bloom." The Cottonwood Mountains can be seen in the distance.
According to its Visitor Information Guide, Anza Borrego State Park is the largest State Park in California.
The park covers over 1,000 square miles!
Since our time was limited on this Sunday afternoon, picking one area to explore was the most logical course of action.
But which area?
Of course, there's the Wildflower Hotline (760-767-4684), but we felt that the best bet would be to just ask someone at the Park's Visitor Center.
When we arrived at the Visitor Center on Palm Canyon Drive, we found a park staff-member sitting at a table outside the building (a storefront in a shopping center, actually). Of special interest to us are Ocotillo plants, which we thought we would be blooming.
The staff member suggested that we try Coyote Canyon, which is accessed via a dirt road which begins north of town. Several times, the woman asked us if we had four-wheel drive. I told her that we have an all-wheel drive small SUV. She stated that that should be ok.
Once we were back in the car, I told my wife that we would go as far as we could, before turning back due to treacherous terrain.
Our Subaru Forester is capable of light off-road use - which I take advantage of, frequently. But, I have to be very careful.
As it turned out, I needn't have worried, as the trail was basically a hard-packed dirt road, with many visitors traversing it in their cars.
Desert Dandelion, surrounded by Sand Verbena.
How do I know what kinds of wildflowers these are? The answer is simple! I purchased a copy of "Wildflowers of Anza-Borrego State Park" at the Visitor Center!
Desert Lily.
Brown-Eyed Evening Primrose- White Variety.
I think.
I'm not sure what variety of wildflowers these are.
As can be seen in this image, the Ocotillo are just starting to bloom.
Coyote Canyon in the fading light.
The sand shown along the trail in this image is the deepest that we encountered in Coyote Canyon. It was easily driven in our vehicle, which is shown in the photo.
However, trail conditions do change, so it's always wise to check conditions beforehand, be prepared to turn back, and to know the capabilities and limitations of your vehicle. And its driver.
The drive to Anza-Borrego took two and a half hours from our home in Fontana. Although the area was not exactly blanketed in wildflowers, we didn't explore other areas of the park, and the season is just beginning.
The drive itself was beautiful-as we passed many vineyards and rolling hills along the way. Much of the drive along Rte. 79 heading into the park involves steep downhill grades, with curves and sheer-drop-offs along the sides of the road.
All-in-all it was a wonderful day, and we are looking forward to coming back later in the season.
