In the anticline.

“…The wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, 
the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. 
Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. 
The ages have been at work on it, 
and man can only mar it.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

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One of the most interesting formations was the anticline, a result of tectonic shifting, pressure, and buckling over the last five million years. Pretty heady to sit next to.

For a more detailed account, and to see the photos, read more…

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The drive through the Fish Creek Wash introduced us to this feature, and many other stimulating rock compositions, ocotillo cacti, and fascinating canyons.

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We dismounted a mile or two into Sandstone Canyon, as there was a more challenging obstacle that did not look ideal to pass with no recovery vehicle/gear on hand (and we had almost brought the Hi-Lift, too!)

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Upon returning to Highway 78, we decided to cut across the Ocotillo Wells Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreational area. Paired with out map of the OHV park, this would have been a fantastic experience, but Anza had different plans in store for us.

Approximately one mile in to the trail, a rogue sandstorm came in and reduced our visibility to about ten meters, at times. I’ve lived, worked, and gotten stuck in many Arabian Desert sandstorms while overseas, and this rivaled (if not surpassed) even the most intense encounters I’ve ever had.

For the next hour we were progressing at a slow and steady creep, utilizing the bearing of our vehicle and our 1:50,000 OHV map to effectively drive through Ocotillo Wells.. much like pilots navigating a storm via Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). The navigation system in the Land Rover has a very functional feature allowing us to plot every (.125) of a mile for up to (15) miles, and using this twice to backtrack, we were able to navigate with little-to-no visibility. I’ve included a picture below.

Perhaps the most comical part was passing another vehicle that was just as bewildered as we were, and giving a hesitant wave back and forth to each other before the disappeared into the sandy abyss once again.

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This expedition was my first foray into the Anza-Borrego, and it will most certainly not be my last. The overall experience was very fulfilling, even for a daytrip, and I intend to return to the AB for more extended exploration.

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For some photos, please see below:

In the Wash:

Signage south of Highway 78 in Ocotillo Wells:

Sandstone Canyon:

This trail intersection marker was only about 10-15 meters in front of our vehicle, this is the level of visibility we encountered for almost an hour:

A collective sigh of relief when we cleared a hill, and saw not only no sand, but one of the designating trail markers (seen by the pole, center-image):

Driving through: