Carrizo Gorge is one of the more rugged areas of the Anza Borrego Desert State Park
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The route up the East Fork is for the most part easily descernible.
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Mary next to a barrel cactus couple.
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Rugged backcountry of the East Fork area of Carrizo Gorge
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Need to look up the name of this unique desert plant.
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Lone Agave "Century Plant" reaches for the sky.
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Approaching the Carrizo Palms. While there are numerous palm groves throughout Anza Borrego, I am going to guess this is one of the most remote due to the terrain.
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Our approach to the Carrizo Palms.
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We interrrupted this couple of toads having a romantic moment in the creek.
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After a 3 + mile hike up the East Fork the shade of the palms was much appreciated.
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It is amazing that these palms can grow out here in this terrain. The small creek that waters this palm grove was also full of tadpoles and water bugs.
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The blue desert sky gives a nice contrast to this palm.
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Oasis in the desert
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Steve and Haeja relax in the shade of the Carrizo Palm grove
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This Teddy Bear Cholla still had a few buds.
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Heading back to the LandCruiser. While this hike was only 6+ miles roundtrip, the deep sand really slowed progress.
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Giant rock plateau. The diversity of the rocks out here was amazing.
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The deep sand led way to some boulders and small dry waterfall sections.
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Cool rock with almost a perfect vertical split.
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No, Bob is not selling backpacks out in the desert. These were most likely left by Mexican immigrants traveling through the Anza Borrego Desert.
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I mapped out the trail with Google Earth beforehand.
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