Californians: Super Blooms

Last spring, I read all the articles and clicked all the links to the desert wildflower super blooms. I explored them through the computer screen or my tiny little phone and came up with excuses for not seeing them in person. This year when they started popping up, those same articles and links were screaming that this was the best ever super bloom because it rained so much this winter. I couldn't stand it. I looked at Mack and said, we're going.

I found a hotel that didn't cost a million dollars and wasn't totally booked up in Ramona, a little town about an hour away from Anza-Borrego State Park. We left in the late evening to avoid traffic and ended up at a divey joint called Cheers for a surprisingly awesome dinner. The locals were two-stepping and playing pool, but me in my hoodie and Mack with his scruff fit right in.

When we woke up we took a beautiful drive into the state park and to Borrego Springs, where the visitor center is located. It was so busy the road to the center was closed, so we started our first hike through the desert there.

The nice fella at the visitor center suggested we do the Borrego Springs hike right by the visitor center. He warned us that the 3 mile loop would end up being about 5 since it was half a mile to the trailhead and another mile to our car on the way back. We chugged the water we had, refilled it, and set off. I slathered some SPF 70 on my face. Mack was in his usual inappropriate footwear. It had all the makings for a near-death/life-changing experience.

We got to the campsite and found a sink, so we chugged and refilled again. At the trailhead we did the same thing. It was hot, sunny, and absolutely stunning.

The trail wound by a sheer cliff wall, over a dry river bed, by lots of rocks the size of campers, across a shallow river, through a forest of green shrubs, and ended at a cool oasis with a small waterfall and palm trees. We took our shoes off and waded in the pool, splashed water on our heads and faces, and even drank from the waterfall. It was invigorating.

And the flowers. Well, let's just talk about these flowers. Purple, pink, orange, yellow, white. Some of them were tiny as a baby's tooth and others were as big as a fist. They were popping up out of nooks and crannies and carpeting the gravelly desert floor. It was so incredibly beautiful I was just fine if I did drop dead from heat stroke.

The hike out was just as extraordinary as the hike in. We even got to see some wildlife, including a snake, big fat lizards, and big horn sheep! Thanks again, California.