Ep. 336: Anza-Borrego Desert | California RV travel camping hiking

[@bob_frazier]

And every few years this desert gives us a super-bloom like no other.

[@GrandAdventure]

We wish that we were there to witness the one this past spring, Bob.

[@bob_frazier]

@@GrandAdventure We passed through Anza-Borrego on March 8th, literally nothing, then saw billions of flowers in Parker AZ on March 14th. Evidently they missed much of the generous rains this year. Or we were late, but I don't think so. Feb of 2019 was the one I'll alway remember as mind blowing.

[@Thomas-sp1pp]

Another spectacular episode Marc, Great job, always enjoy your Grand Adentures, Thank you. Thomas.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you as always, Thomas! See you soon.

[@mickster1780]

beautiful! love the desert landscapes 🌵

[@GrandAdventure]

As do we, Mick. Thank you!

[@garyjordan299]

Mark,absolutely FANTASTIC!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Gary!

[@joannewinters9616]

Wow awesome

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Joanne!

[@grillinandchillinwithdeb]

Loved the sculptures. Thanks for sharing. ❤

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Deb, and thanks as always for watching.

[@lorih379]

Beautiful resort, I love a place with all the luxury and amenities but you still feel like you’re in beautiful nature.

[@GrandAdventure]

We genuinely enjoyed this one, Lori. It's nice to get a little pampering every now and then.

[@nationalparksprincess3216]

That was a fantastic episode 👏 😊 Thank you 👋

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you as always, NPP!

[@zanobiashalks2769]

Lovely Grand Adventure. Thanks!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Zanobia, and thanks for watching!

[@zanobiashalks2769]

@@GrandAdventure You're welcome. My brother heads out this way for a bit in the winter. I may check it out.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@zanobiashalks2769 we certainly recommend doing so.

[@tglass0000]

Loved the sculpture sequence! Many new works since I last visited.

[@GrandAdventure]

It sounds like you're due for a return visit, then. 😉

[@uncagedtravels6391]

Anza Borrego area is fantastic. But you had me at Pie. It’s on my visit list now. Great video. We really enjoyed the slot canyon also. Thanks for sharing.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much, and thanks so much for watching!

[@craftytraveler9238]

Thanks for the video. I have been to Borrego Springs many times in my life, the last time was last year. I stayed in the State Park dry camping. Next time I will boondock.

[@GrandAdventure]

We would've boondocked ourselves, were it not for the weather forecast that ultimately never really came to fruition anyway. No matter, we really enjoyed being pampered for a week. We definitely got use out of those hot tubs. 😁

[@user-pr8df3mb5g]

That resort looks nice. Another enjoyable video. See where you had to go to New Orleans. If you get back and haven't seen it, the D-Day WW2 museum is well worth the time and money.

[@GrandAdventure]

We can believe that, William. If I had the time it was near the top of my list for things to see. I may have to go back there in January, so we'll see.

[@tomsanders1703]

We parked near you at the Springs. We come here every November and try to explain to friends and family why we enjoy it, but it has to be experienced to understand it.

[@GrandAdventure]

It sure is a wonderful place, Tom! Hopefully this video will help to convince your friends.

[@meredithfrost4840]

One of my favorite places! Thanks for this.

[@GrandAdventure]

You're most welcome, Meredith. Thanks so much for watching!

[@geraldsouthard7092]

Loved this episode Marc! Thanks.

[@GrandAdventure]

You're most welcome as always, Gerald.

[@Freightmeister]

Thx Mark. Because of your video we might go visit Boreggo Springs this weekend.

[@GrandAdventure]

Terrific! Let us know how it turns out, Richard.

[@ShawnPatterson402]

Some amazing terrain there. That RV resort is very high on our list when we get to southern California. As always, safe travels....

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Shawn, and same to you and yours.

[@normgibson6565]

I grew up in southern CA and had never heard the place until a couple years ago from an overlander youtube and your video has peaked my interests so will put it on my bucket barrel list thanks

[@GrandAdventure]

You sure should, Norm! It's only a few hours from Quartzsite, so it should be easy to work it into your schedule.

[@ervinslens]

Such a beautiful filming my friend! Amazing work here!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Ervin!

[@trapezekid]

another great video

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you bud! I'm about to start editing the Vegas video for next week's release.

[@davidmunn3852]

awesome shoot!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you David, and thanks for watching!

[@sholinwright2229]

Julian is a neat town. I’ve been going there for work in the area for 30 years. Back in the early 90s, they had a buffalo burger and a soda jerk.

[@GrandAdventure]

Mmmmm...bison burgers rock, especially if they'll prepare it rare.

[@Rafamantra]

We visited Julian and got a Julian Pie Co. pie for my son's birthday last month. The Eagle Mine tour was fantastic. I highly recommend it. Since then I learned about the Aqua Caliente State Park in Julian which I really want to go back for.

[@GrandAdventure]

Yep, we scoped out Agua Caliente on satellite but never quite made it down there, either. It's earmarked for a return visit.

[@gina50gina]

That was an awesome episode Marc. Thanks so much for taking us to see the sculptures and through the canyon trail. I'm still really sad that I can't go to the Q24. Suzane

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Suzane! No worries, there's always 2025. 😉

[@gina50gina]

@@GrandAdventure I plan on being there. 🙏🙂🤞✨

[@daviscrt]

I bet it was great to have a resort to hang out until the big Q starts. Thanks Don

[@GrandAdventure]

It sure was, Don! Great to enjoy before our current ho-hum site in SLC, too.

[@campingalan]

Hello Marc and Patricia!! This was a special one!! Thank you so much for highlighting this area!! Safe travels!!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you to all three of you! Hope to see you down the road sometime soon.

[@chrisr6157]

Thank you for such a neat video!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Chris, and thanks for watching!

[@moretoliving2236]

I have seen many channels show metal sculptures and normally its like a thing made out of a car muffler but these ones here are so incredibly detailed and all so different. What a cool place to visit. I marked both the canyon and the sculptures on my to do list, albeit it might take 10-15 years for me to actually get there.

[@GrandAdventure]

I promise it will be worth the wait, MTL.

[@JoeRosaFarinha]

Thanks for sharing your time @ De Anza Borrego Desert/ State Park. We are looking forward to visiting the area in a couple of months. I was surprised to see the RV park pretty empty, but know that it gets busier deeper into the winter. Happy Trails!

[@GrandAdventure]

Very true. Also, we filmed the park midweek, and it was much closer to capacity on the weekend. Have a great time and a safe trip!

[@Volunteersunrise]

Mark , those desert sculptures were amazing. We look forward to seeing you at Quartzite. Stay safe and great show as always.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you as always, Dennis! We'll see you in a few short weeks.

[@jimlee8785]

Great video, wasn't aware of this area.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much, Jim! Many folks aren't.

[@akgobears]

Can sure tell by the landscape this is southern Calif....Looks alot like the Palm Springs area....Nice resort you stayed at as its one to log in the memory bank if in the area....Would love to check out the little town of Julian....Thanks for sharing and as always travel safe and all stay well....

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you! Yep, the parallels to Palm Springs are numerous. Post-World War II they envisioned the Borrego Springs area to develop much like Palm Springs. Personally, we're happy that never happened.

[@suzannesnuggs4964]

Nice job! We love The Springs and the state park. We look forward to being there towards the end of January. If you get the chance to return during a bloom it’s beautiful. Not sure which way you’re headed from there, but just over the mountain is Temecula which is Southern CA wine country and Idylwild is a great little mountain town with lots of hiking.

[@GrandAdventure]

This was a few weeks ago and we're now in SLC, but both of those SoCal locations are on our someday list.

[@earthjacobs9844]

You are amazing my friend. I have some Red Stagg venison, you should have some.

[@GrandAdventure]

Oooh! Oooh! Me, Mr. Kotter. Me!!

[@bobabooie6389]

Just subscribed 👍🇺🇲

[@GrandAdventure]

We're proud to have you along, thank you!

[@gorrdd]

Thanks Marc. Loved the resort. What a beautiful place... Oasis in the desert with mountains as the backdrop! Fabulous... so inviting. Great place to call homebase, as you discover the area. You did great coverage of the area and the slot canyon is a great day hike. That state park is monster huge. Easy to get lost without a GPS, when venturing out on the desert tundra. Gord

[@GrandAdventure]

Glad you enjoyed it Gord, thanks so much as always! It's expansive out there, for sure.

[@gorrdd]

@@GrandAdventure But that's what's great about it. Boondocking paradise... Gord

[@RobertLWard]

Nice! In my neck of the woods.about 1 hour from me.

[@GrandAdventure]

Put this one on your radar then, Robert.

[@RobertLWard]

@@GrandAdventure I have. Did a video there about 2 years ago which included the town, the slot and the sculptures as well.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@RobertLWard I'll have to go check that out, thanks for the pointer!

[@travelingboz0214]

Being from western Illinois I do really enjoy my late winter get away to the Sonoran Desert. Hope to make there again in February. Sure would like to meetup in Quartzsite but can't make it there in January. It would be fun. Thanks Marc for another Grand Aventure.

[@GrandAdventure]

You are most welcome! Keep our rally gatherings in January in mind for future seasons, for we'd love to have you.

[@bobanddangsjourney]

Great job on this one - our permanent home is just about 20 miles from Julian and we get over the hills to the desert fairly often. You did a fantastic job (as always) exploring this area. It's a big place of course and you can spend a lot of time exploring - but you got the most interesting parts for sure! We have never stayed at the Springs before so thanks for taking us there - we will have to check that out one of these days. Safe travels and see you in Q!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you! It's always nice to receive a local's perspective on what we've presented. See you in a few short weeks.

[@MrGottaGo]

I grew up going here. NICE VID👍Off topic, but occasionally tighten your rooftop AC. Mine was finger tight today.😲

[@GrandAdventure]

😲

[@SevenBears1]

Saving my pennies, aluminum cans and plastic bottles to finance my fuel cost to get to Q24 !!! Thanks GA

[@GrandAdventure]

Gas or diesel? I've got some great suggestions for diesel. In the meantime, go grab your neighbor's cans & bottles.

[@SevenBears1]

@@GrandAdventure Chevrolet 496ci gasaholic.. I was excited to pay $4.35 per gallon yesterday for my trip home.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@SevenBears1 currently under $3/gal here in Utah. Diesel is just over $1 more but we have programs to bring it down to ~$3.61, and our fuel economy more than covers the difference.

[@SevenBears1]

@@GrandAdventure I bought my truck for $15k with 46k miles. The money I saved on the purchase is now going into the tank. I'm still ahead over buying a 60k truck..

[@GrandAdventure]

@@SevenBears1you sure are! I truly wish that our new truck cost $60K. 🙄

[@WILDEBILL308]

I am thinking sampling to many of the pies could make it hard to get through the narrow canyon. Or hiking the canyon makes you able to sample more pies.

[@GrandAdventure]

I'm going to go with the latter.

[@laughingram7287]

Wow! We’ve been to Palm Springs and the Salton Sea and we’ve eaten Julian pie at the same place you were at, but never even heard of the Anza-Borrego Park! Was there a specific drive to see all the art in the desert or did you just drive all over? The RV resort looked really nice. Ram 👍🏼👍🏾

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Ram! The sculptures are primarily in two areas, due south of town, and due north. The landowner does put out a map; however, we found most sculpture locations pinned on Google Maps. Anza-Borrego is actually the largest state park in the entire state of California.

[@georgecarpenter4126]

Julian seems like my kind of place...great weather and plenty of pies ! Just curious though...what did golf do to you ????? Stay safe !

[@GrandAdventure]

LOL! It scarred me for life, George. 😉

[@georgecarpenter4126]

@@GrandAdventure So that's what wrong with me !!

[@Reactstocomments11]

I own land out there. The San Diego side borrego springs. Cloudy Moon road. Thought about selling it. Maybe a week out of the year? Vacation out there.

[@GrandAdventure]

It's a good spot, close to town.

[@kurtschulmeyer1041]

It does have a stark beauty that unfortunately is not appreciated by all. Not good during the summer though.

[@GrandAdventure]

Oh no, Kurt - there's a reason we saved it for November.

[@Thomas-sp1pp]

Hi Marc, Thomas here again, I have a question, perhaps you can tell me and others...how do YOU keep your RV from having frozen pipes when you stay in Utah over the winter???...If you can let me know here or give an email we can communicate on...Thanks again, Thomas.

[@GrandAdventure]

Damn! I had just nearly completed a lengthy reply when Chrome crashed on me. Oh well, here we go again. I'm reluctant to post my email address in a public website due to spam robots harvesting addresses. You may always send me an email via the contact form at grandadventure.tv . If you still have my business card it's on there, or I can give it to you in Quartzsite if you remind me. All of our plumbing is in a heated wet bay in our basement. Our furnace is ducted into the basement to keep that area warm. However, on hookups we primarily heat with electric -- the built-in electric fireplace, and an oil-filled radiator space heater. Because of that there's no hot air blowing from our furnace into the basement area, so we also keep a small desktop oscillating ceramic heater down there. We have temperature sensors installed to alert us if the temperature in our basement goes below 45 degrees, indicating that the space heater isn't working. We also installed a smoke detector in the basement, just in case. Outside of the RV we use a heated hose to keep the water flowing. Our RV park puts heat tape on the spigots themselves.

[@v10moped]

Dont take a Tesla out there. No charging stations for miles.

[@GrandAdventure]

Nothing for miles, not just charging stations.

[@hideawayhomesllc5103]

The RV park looked 75% empty and the fudge shop was for sale. Hmmmmm.

[@rd4660]

Do us a favor, if it looks too quiet for you, stay away, then we'll have the place to ourselves .

[@GrandAdventure]

The RV park was far more occupied on the weekend. We filmed it midweek. The fudge shop is indeed for sale, and has been there for quite some time. This is, however, a very remote area and not exactly a hotbed of economic activity.

[@hideawayhomesllc5103]

Hey RD, this was meant as an observation, not a critique. I am sitting here in beautiful Mazatlan, Mexico, with four RV parks on the north end of town. $500 for a pull-through including electric and a block to the ocean. Yet they are all less than 25% occupied, after 5 years of 500k RVs sold in the USA. Where are all the campers? I will however take your advice and avoid you and your area. I truly enjoy Marc and his videos. It is not worth my time and travels to come across somebody like you.@@rd4660

[@hideawayhomesllc5103]

@@GrandAdventure hey Marc, I think you were typing while I was typing. Read my reply. I enjoy your travels. R and P from Dillon, Colorado.

[@richardsobel3609]

Too much resort!

[@GrandAdventure]

@@richardsobel3609 at the end of our season, that was more than welcome.

[@paulg492]

You're really playing up this rv park. Must be getting a discount.

[@GrandAdventure]

Nope.