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anutami's avatar
anutami
Explorer III
Aug 05, 2014

TR: Anza Borrego Desert State Park Mud Caves in Summer



After getting hot tip to visit the mud caves in the summer we finally headed out to check them out. I also was itching to test out the my new truck camper and see how Wolfy II would handle the 4x4 trails of Anza borrego Desert. This trip was a bit premature due to the dealer installing the wrong size Air Conditioner on my camper. They put a 13.5 BTU unit, but I ordered a 9k BTU unit. The 9k BTU unit will run off my honda 2000 watt generator no problem, but the 13.5K BTU A/C is iffy. It runs at my house in Ramona, but was not sure how it would handle desert conditions. Thinking we would be pulling in the evening it wouldn't be too extreme, we went for it.

tested out the total wash board road, everything held together


recent rains have a few bypasses around the washes


This is usually so crowded and busy we always just drive on by and have never really explored the caves...Daren thanks for the heads up


we arrived at the perfect time. It was still pretty warm temps were in the high 90's low 100's


.this was going to be our campsite for the night...again nobody around


we noticed a small openning near by


entering the cave felt like the temperature immediatly dropped 30-40 degrees! What an amazing place


it just kept going


and going




.a few skylights, temp got in the high 90 degrees again, what a crazy mixture of temperatures...this is awesome :)




a bit spooky...I hope this was a dog


It is crazy when you turn off your flashlight you can't even see your hand in front of your face....How does this guy do it?


I guess the moths just fly right in the webs




a few bats hanging out




We headed out of the caves and it was probably around 9pm. I was hopeful the A/C would work. When I fired it up I was pumped to see it was working but after about 1 minute it shut down!! We tried to endure it the best we could but it was just too hot for us. I decided to drive out to blair valley and gain some elevation. I was probably in the high 80's in blair valley and humid because of the weather, and I was bummed to find out the A/C would not work there either.


We woke up to the storm rolling in and raining on and off. Ranger Steve stopped by our campsite in blair to let us know that there was a flash flood watch going on.

It was pretty humid out and I couldn't get my kids pumped on a hike (I don't think they went to bed until 12:30 so they were so pretty tired). I didn't want to head home so we checked out butterfield ranch and the kids wanted to swim. We checked in. I think we were the only ones there.




playground is and oldie but a goodie


there is also a nice hot tub


the old stage coaches are cool to check out.




and the resident donkey


All in all in was a great trip. We really love our new camper. I would have liked to spend more time around the mud caves area, but with flash flood warnings and rain we did not head back. I am looking forward to getting my A/C issue fixed with the dealer and hopefully they will get the new one swapped out we will be heading back out the caves. It is so nice to have the place to yourself.

edited by anutami on 8/4/2014
Truck Campers
  • lookatdirt's avatar
    lookatdirt
    Explorer
    Aug 13, 2014
    Looking at those pictures is a good reminder on the crazy power of water!

    I remember when I was a kid, camping in the desert with my Dad, he said "Don't worry so much about the rain here in the desert, worry about the rain in those mountains, because that's the water that will fill up these washes!"
  • lookatdirt's avatar
    lookatdirt
    Explorer
    Aug 13, 2014
    Thanks for the information! You know, I swore I would never buy a truck without 4wd, but the camper and truck were purchased as a package, and I couldn't pass it up. With one kid in college still, a new truck is not in the cards for a year or three.

    I do however, have my trusty Tacoma 4wd, and can use it to scout ahead. I am looking forward to exploring ABSP this winter. Living where we live, it's in our backyard!

    Thanks again for the tips, I really appreciate it.
  • anutami's avatar
    anutami
    Explorer III
    Aug 13, 2014
    lookatdirt wrote:
    Hey, you probably know- What are good places to Boondock in Anza Borrego that are accessible in a two wheel drive rig? How about that dry lake bed off S-22?

    Is it free? Any other good tips about camping in the park during the winter months? I'd like to stay out of Palm Canyon and Tamarack. Too crowded and expensive for frequent trips.

    I've only camped in Ocotillo Wells but I'm out of the off-road scene these days.


    The great thing about anza borrego desert is there is an open camping policy and you can camp anywhere within 1 car length from the road/jeep trail so the camping spots are endless. Just make sure you bring a metal container for your fire and please try and pack your ashes out with you. The dry lake off S22 is "clark dry lake" and is actually not in ABDSP. this is a popular boondocking spot (free) and I have camped there many times. You are limited with a 2wd vehicle but can get in many washes, but you may have clearance issues. If you live in Ramona (close to ABDSP), I would recommend looking for a 4wd truck to have access to pretty much all 500 miles of jeep trails (depending on your rig size). There are many sites off S2, short turn offs to camp, blair valley. Egg mountain is one of my favorite spots for a 2wd vehicle and off south fork carizo creek. During the winter you will be able to access the mud caves with 2wd.

    Nolan
  • anutami's avatar
    anutami
    Explorer III
    Aug 13, 2014
    lookatdirt wrote:
    A friend was staying near Split Mountain that weekend and said they got quite the flooding downpour! Got to be careful in those washes, and it sounds like you know what you're doing.

    Last weekend we took the TC down to Palm Canyon campground in Borrego on a whim to admire the "Super Moon". Got there around sunset and left early Sunday. We were the only campers in the entire campground. It was great!

    I'm up in Ramona, too.


    Yeah have to be very careful out there in the summer months.

    Here is a guy who got caught in fish creek a couple years ago! He was at the wind caves with his son and had to be rescued by helicopter. Luckily they were okay but his truck was obviously totaled. It washed his truck away almost 2 miles!





    Original Post

    I bet you got some great photos of the moon. Nice choice on palm canyon with no one around :)
  • Mello_Mike's avatar
    Mello_Mike
    Explorer
    Aug 12, 2014
    anutami wrote:
    Mello Mike wrote:
    Great report, Nolan. Was this the first time back to Anza Borrego since "the incident?"

    What are you going to do about the A/C? That's a major bummer that the dealership installed the wrong one.


    Mike,

    Thanks, Yes this was the first trip out. Felt good to be back in the saddle. Super bummed on the a/c. Didn't think about checking the BTU's on the A/c when I took delivery. The dealer is saying I have to drive up there and swap it out in Portland!!!I told them I won't be up there for awhile and they are checking if the components can just be swaped out. I am wanting them to ship me the correct a/c, I will swap it out myself and then send the 13.5 back in the box the 9k one comes in. I even offered to pay the shipping back but they are reluctant to do this. Any suggestions?


    Yeah, be persistent with them. Don't give in. They got it wrong, now they have to deal with it.
  • lookatdirt's avatar
    lookatdirt
    Explorer
    Aug 12, 2014
    Hey, you probably know- What are good places to Boondock in Anza Borrego that are accessible in a two wheel drive rig? How about that dry lake bed off S-22?

    Is it free? Any other good tips about camping in the park during the winter months? I'd like to stay out of Palm Canyon and Tamarack. Too crowded and expensive for frequent trips.

    I've only camped in Ocotillo Wells but I'm out of the off-road scene these days.
  • lookatdirt's avatar
    lookatdirt
    Explorer
    Aug 12, 2014
    A friend was staying near Split Mountain that weekend and said they got quite the flooding downpour! Got to be careful in those washes, and it sounds like you know what you're doing.

    Last weekend we took the TC down to Palm Canyon campground in Borrego on a whim to admire the "Super Moon". Got there around sunset and left early Sunday. We were the only campers in the entire campground. It was great!

    I'm up in Ramona, too.
  • anutami's avatar
    anutami
    Explorer III
    Aug 07, 2014
    NVR2L82AV8 wrote:
    Glad to see you back on the road with the new WC camper. Are you happy with the stability and tie downs on this one? I take it you're not planning to chase down any wind storms to verify are you? :) Enjoyed the TR!!


    Thanks, couldn't be happier with the set up. I really like the Torklift system and should have made the switch long ago. I still get more sway than my previous non-basement eagle cap, but it is managable.
  • anutami's avatar
    anutami
    Explorer III
    Aug 07, 2014
    RWDIII wrote:
    I enjoy anza Borrego.I still have the 1959 Guidebook that my Granddad got for me in 1961 as he took me camping there.Are those the Caves past the Split mountain down Fish Creek?


    No, the wind caves are located up fish creek at the end of split mtn rd. The mud caves are in a different area of the park located near the town of canebrake off S2. The vallecito creek turnoff is right off S2 and you head east to arroyo tapiado. If you have never been out there this is a must visit.

    Nolan
  • anutami's avatar
    anutami
    Explorer III
    Aug 07, 2014
    Mello Mike wrote:
    Great report, Nolan. Was this the first time back to Anza Borrego since "the incident?"

    What are you going to do about the A/C? That's a major bummer that the dealership installed the wrong one.


    Mike,

    Thanks, Yes this was the first trip out. Felt good to be back in the saddle. Super bummed on the a/c. Didn't think about checking the BTU's on the A/c when I took delivery. The dealer is saying I have to drive up there and swap it out in Portland!!!I told them I won't be up there for awhile and they are checking if the components can just be swaped out. I am wanting them to ship me the correct a/c, I will swap it out myself and then send the 13.5 back in the box the 9k one comes in. I even offered to pay the shipping back but they are reluctant to do this. Any suggestions?

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