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| Box Canyon Road and Salton Sea, CA | | -
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| | Box Canyon Road and Salton Sea, CA | | | |
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Box Canyon Road and Salton Sea, CA
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[ show ]
| partners | | After our last day's hike of the Mastodon Peak Loop, we left Joshua Tree National Park for the Salton Sea; something we've both wanted to sea, I mean see, for ourselves. We went across the I-10 on to Box Canyon Road (former US 60, US 70 and the second California State Route 195) through the Mecca Hills. Box Canyon Road follows a naturally cut wash through the terrain of the Mecca Hills. The path of Box Canyon Road has been a known route of travel from Coachella Valley to the Colorado River and eastern Sonoran Desert for centuries. https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/10/b ... 0-and.html
It wasn't long before we would start to be amazed at the geology on both sides of us. 
The sides are formed by upturned strata - twisted, buckled and eroded, they stretch for about eight miles along the canyon, which is part of a metamorphic zone associated with the nearby San Andreas Fault. I did take some movies and pictures as we wound our way southwest. I have since done some research and there are a couple cool hikes in this area. About 15 minutes later the road opens up to expansive views of the Valley as we continue on what is now 66th Avenue. Kelly and I were still impressed with our surroundings which included many groves of palm trees, lemon trees, and grape vines. I'm sure there were lots of other crops.
Google guided us to our first stop which was the Salton Sea State Park. We checked out the VC and walked around on the beach trying to absorb what we were looking at; I had no idea it was the largest lake in CA among many other details I learned at the VC. Now it was time to head for Bombay Beach and eat at the Ski Inn. On the drive we saw one of a few trains that we would see while here. The Ski Inn was a fun place, good food but a long wait.
The main attractions of Bombay Beach were calling our name. Neither of us had really done any research other than the pictures we had seen so we really didn't know quite what to expect. We ended up driving on two beaches via the top of a berm that was built to prevent flooding in town. I found the stuff, I mean art work, interesting but I guess I was expecting more. They say to think "Bohemian" from back in the 60s-70s; not my cup of tea. We walked around but really didn't say much. It was interesting.
We decided to drive around the edge of town and we enjoyed that more than the beach. Some very interesting creativity and I would say, if it hadn't been getting late, we might have driven around some more. Fortunately we did get to see the Flying Fish. We saw two young boys fall off their bikes on to the fresh pavement as they seemed to be in the middle of repaving a lot of the interior of the town; mom was with them.
On our drive back we liked checking out the agriculture including what may have been a palm tree baby nursery as the big palms had little palms growing from them. And, of course, we still were awed by the geology of Box Canyon Road. I think if I were near there again, it would be fun to check out Painted and Ladder Canyon hikes.
Two videos for you (I haven't reviewed Part 2 yet):
Part 1 wildflowers along road south of Cottonwood Springs, Box Canyon Road and driving through the area to the Park and Ski Inn: [ youtube video ]
Part 2 Bombay Beach and Box Canyon Road: [ youtube video ] |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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