Anza Borrego, Oct. 20, 21, 22

[USMC 0369]

Hey Nick,
If I go I'll be there REAL early Saturday, or if I can get free maybe even Friday night. If you want i can grab a site for you when i get there. Let me know.
Rat

Well, I plan to be there early on Saturday too... I'm going to go back through the thread and scour it to find any kind of meeting times: driver's meeting, trail boss meeting or something like that and plan my departure accordingly. If you do get there Friday night or before me on Saturday then YES please do that. If I get there before you I'll do the same ok?

[blackZZR]

we will monitor channels 34or 36
first run 9 am
meet at 8 30 for drivers meetings
pot luck 6 ish
raffle is 7:30
night run 8 pmish

[RAT]

Well, I plan to be there early on Saturday too... I'm going to go back through the thread and scour it to find any kind of meeting times: driver's meeting, trail boss meeting or something like that and plan my departure accordingly. If you do get there Friday night or before me on Saturday then YES please do that. If I get there before you I'll do the same ok?

I am not camping so don't bother getting me a spot. But thanks jusst the same.
Rat

[USMC 0369]

we will monitor channels 34or 36
first run 9 am
meet at 8 30 for drivers meetings
pot luck 6 ish
raffle is 7:30
night run 8 pmish

oooooh raffle? where/how do I get tickets!!!

[Elusive]

Looks like I am out.
Apparently it's possible for me to build and install a HP 44 for the front of my TJ complete with ARB, gears, CTM's and chromo shafts in 2 weeks, but the incompetent boobs at 911radiator can't ship me a radiator in under 3 weeks.

[Russ Chung]

Saturday morning, October 21

Base camp was the Palm Canyon Group Campground at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The campground is about two miles northwest of the town of Borrego Springs, CA. It has water, restrooms, showers and has a nice view of the desert.



On Saturday, October 21, twenty-eight rigs, including 5 MJR members (blackZZR, Drewminator, Desert Valdez, mrthieba and Russ Chung) showed up for the runs. The plan was for everyone to go to Fonts Point and then split up into two groups. Jim (blackZZR) was Trail Boss (in gray t-shirt with his back to the camera) and he is leading the drivers’ meeting at the Fonts Point trailhead.



The rigs overfilled the Fonts Point parking area:



Nick and Barb (Desert Valdez) at Fonts Point:



I joined the group that was headed to the Borrego Badlands and Ocotillo Wells. The weather was warm and clear (high was about 90) and the trail was dusty.



We went down the Dropoff at Borrego Mountain:



We parked our rigs and walked to the Slot:



And we went to Blowsand Hill. This is Drewminator at Blowsand Hill:





We watched this Hummer H3 make several unsuccessful attempts at Blowsand Hill:



He aired down and made it up the hill:



After Blowsand Hill, we returned to base camp for lunch.

[Russ Chung]

Saturday afternoon, October 21

On Saturday afternoon, I joined a group led by Jim (blackZZR). He led us to Una Palm oasis to view the lone palm tree:



Then to 17 Palms oasis:



Our last stop was the Pumpkin Patch:



There was a nice play area adjacent to the Pumpkin Patch. This is Jim and Missy (blackZZR):





Nick and Barb (Desert Valdez):

[Russ Chung]

Sunday, October 22

On Sunday, October 22, Nick and Barb (Desert Valdez) and I decided to run the Lower Coyote Canyon trail. The canyon starts just north of the town of Borrego Springs, CA, and runs northwest to Anza, CA. The canyon is part of the historic route of Juan Bautista de Anza’s expedition of 1775 from Sonora, Mexico to what is now San Francisco. A stream running through the canyon provided water for the expedition. The trail is now closed after about 10 miles to protect the environment. There is a two mile gap, and then the Upper Coyote Canyon trail runs to Anza, CA. In addition, the entire canyon is closed from June 1 to September 30 to protect the endangered Bighorn Sheep in the canyon.

We had hoped to meet up with the HummerX Club, which planned to run the canyon that day, but we didn’t have any way to contact them. Luckily, we met them at the gas station in Borrego Springs. Altogether, we had eight rigs; one H1, three H2 SUVs, one H2 SUT, one H3, one YJ and one TJ. We left Borrego Springs on DiGiorgio Road, and aired down where the pavement ends.

This is Nick and Barb’s (Desert Valdez) YJ:



The first part of the trail is easy:



The trail crosses Coyote Creek several times. The water is only a few inches deep.

[Russ Chung]

After passing through the willow “tunnel”, the trail ascends a rocky hill. This is Rich’s H2:



Bob and Chris’ H1:



Sean’s H3:



Nick and Barb follow and watch as Sean gets stuck and takes an alternate line:

[Russ Chung]

This is Dan’s H2 further up the trail:



This is Scott’s H2 followed by Rich’s H2:



Ginger’s H2 SUT followed by Bob and Chris’ H1 and Sean’s H3:



Ginger’s H2 SUT followed by Bob and Chris’ H1 and Sean’s H3. Later, Ginger explains that she forgot to lock her rear axle:

[Russ Chung]

After climbing the hill, the trail opens up into the broad, flat Collins Valley:



We stopped at a historical marker that commemorates the de Anza expedition:



This is the view of Lower Willows grove along Coyote Creek from the Santa Catarina monument:



Lunch break at Sheep Canyon campground:



Palm Bowl oasis as seen from Sheep Canyon campground:



After the lunch break, the HummerX club headed for home. Nick, Barb and I continued to the end of the trail:



The end of the Lower Coyote Canyon trail:






On the way home I stopped at Crawford Overlook on Highway S22 to take this picture of the Borrego Valley at sunset. The Salton Sea is in the distance:

[Materdaddy]

Sweet, nice pics! I wish people didn't post videos to photobucket though... linux users can't view them since their proprietary video player uses ONLY flash 8. Adobe's code is closed source, and they haven't released flash 8 for linux, so I'm SOL...

[Russ Chung]

Sweet, nice pics! I wish people didn't post videos to photobucket though... linux users can't view them since their proprietary video player uses ONLY flash 8. Adobe's code is closed source, and they haven't released flash 8 for linux, so I'm SOL...

Mat,
Does Yahoo! video work for you?

Ginger’s H2 SUT followed by Bob and Chris’ H1 and Sean’s H3. Later, Ginger explains that she forgot to lock her rear axle:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vi...727e9c.1063045
(I can't figure out the tags to embed the video into this post, so you'll have to click the link to launch the video)

[Materdaddy]

Mat,
Does Yahoo! video work for you?

Ginger’s H2 SUT followed by Bob and Chris’ H1 and Sean’s H3. Later, Ginger explains that she forgot to lock her rear axle:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vi...727e9c.1063045
(I can't figure out the tags to embed the video into this post, so you'll have to click the link to launch the video)

Hey thanks! There's a flash player 9 BETA out for linux, so I'm able to watch all the photobucket ones now too!!! It was just released last week I think... It seems to be working fine, and I can finally see all the videos people post on photobucket!