Category Archive

As a kid we called these guys “horny toads”.  They look like something that should be roaming with the Dinosaurs!  This Flat-tail Horned Lizard was in Coyote Canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

This was captured with a Canon 5D III, 70-200 f/2.8 lens with a 2x converter at ISO 200, f/5.6 and 2,000 of a second shutter speed.

I spotted him on my way to a mountain bike ride.  Fortunately it rain across the trail or I don’t think I would have ever spotted it.  Look at how well it blends into the desert.

A blooming Fishhook Cactus, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Another storm pasted through this area late last week, but didn’t bring too much in the way of precipitation.  Temperatures forecasted to reach into the 90’s this week won’t do the limited and late wildflower bloom any favors.

The best area in the Park that I have seen has been along the Elephant Tree Trail.  Here you can find some nice cactus blooms especially Beaver-tail and Barrel.  There are a wide variety of other wildflowers – not the thick fields that get photographers excited, but a nice variety that should interest the flower peepers including poppies, phacelia, lavender and Desert Chicory to name just a few.  There are many small blooms that I didn’t take the time to identify.

In Borrego Palm Canyon you can find more lavender, lots of Chuparosa and a little Brittlebush along with other wildflowers.

Yesterday in Coyote Canyon I spotted small patches of Sand Verbena, but it is very limited.  The famous fields along Henderson Canyon Road are empty.

On a positive note, I’m seeing lots of cactus with buds – I think there will be widespread cactus blooming later this month.

A mountain biker crossing the Goat Canyon Trestle in the Carrizo Gorge.   At 200 feet tall and 750 feet long, this beautiful trestle it the longest, tallest curved wooden trestle ever built in the United States.

I have been wanting to visit this amazing structure located in a remote portion of Anza-Borrego for some time.  A year ago, fellow photographer and writer Bert Gildart hatched a plan to mountain bike old railroad to this trestle.  We were able to complete our plan this past week and it was a blast!

I’m getting ready for another workshop this weekend, but will provide more details and images of this trip next week.

A stormy recent morning at our campground in Borrego Springs.  We have had a nice variety of weather this year – from cold, stormy weather like you see here that brought fresh snow down the mountains, to temps approaching 90!