Met a group of friend in Anza-Borrego for a weekend car-camp. A few of us hiked to the top of Sunset Mountain. We got lucky on this trip and had a great year for flowers in the aera.
Lot of flowers along Hwy S22. Almost to the Borrego Palm Canyon campground that lies at the base of Indian Head Peak on the right. I'll be meeting a group of friends there.
Jay, Linda, Megan, Norm and John hanging out around the campfire Friday night.
Juliet and Ron also showed up for this trip, Sooz arrived later.
Megan, Norm and Linda. We were taking photos of the moon which is in the background.
Close up shot of the moon, it had a nice orange color to it.
The next morning, Jay, Sooz and me Joe at the start of our hike to Sunset Mountain. The others in the group went off roading.
Sooz getting a shot of some wildflowers. It took us over half an hour to get going on the hike due to all the flowers we were taking pics of.
There were alot of these caterpillars in Pinyon Wash. This one is about 4 inches long.
Some of the cactus were just starting to bloom, they'll look great in a couple of weeks.
The ocotillos were also blooming, we are still looking around and taking pictures at the start of the hike.
A few more cactus blooms.
There were a lot of these, think they are gold poppys.
Close up of the gold poppys.
This is where we started hiking up the main canyon. The plan is to hike up this canyon till it reaches the ridge. Then follow the ridge to the peak.
Jay up ahead in the flower filled canyon. We are heading for the ridge at the top of the canyon.
Ghost Flower, never seen these before.
Sooz checking out the flowers.
This two foot tall barrel cactus was one of the few cactus in the area that was blooming.
Getting closer to the ridge.
This bunch of cactus is only about an inch tall.
Another beaver tail cactus just starting to bloom.
Looking down the canyon we been climbing. It's hard to see, but the south slopes of the mountains in the background are covered with yellow flowers.
The slopes of this canyon were covered with poppys and desert gold.
Close up of the desert gold.
A view down as we near the ridge, we have climbed above the flowers. There were only a few from now on.
The ridge is only a couple hundred feet higher.
Sooz on the rocks.
Jay found a little cave in the rocks.
A view from the ridge looking to the northeast at the Salton Sea. We took a short break here.
A view of Sunset Mountain as we start up the ridge.
A view down the ridge.
This agave was getting ready to bloom.
A shot of us on Sunset Mountain 3,657'. The Salton Sea is in the background.
The summit register.
Sooz writing in the register.
A view to the northwest with San Jacinto Peak in the distance.
Zoomed in on San Jacinto Peak.
The Salton Sea from the peak.
View to the south.
Acton's encelia on the peak.
Desert Chicory.
Looking down on Pinyon Wash as we start the hike down.
We took a different route down.
This route was much steeper than the one we used on the way up.
These orange flowers are Globemallows, there was a few of them.