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Creatures of the Desert, part 1, May 2019
Borrego Springs Beasts: A Photographic Log
21 May 2019, 16 miles
We continued to get highly unusual torrents of rain in May. I lost track of the rainfall records being set around Santa Rosa this month, but I knew I was tired of precipitation. Time to head for the desert.Various factors constrained dates available for a getaway, but I finally squeezed in a brief expedition to the town of Borrego Springs in the desert between the Salton Sea and Anza-Borrego State Park in southern California, not far from Joshua Tree. I've visited Borrego Springs and the big state park with my ace support crew, and we've done some hiking in the mountains (notably Hellhole Canyon and Maidenhair Falls), but I've never bicycled there.
For this trip I wanted to take the Ogre off road to the Fonts Point scenic overlook above the badlands, and I wanted to visit the fantastic metal sculptures of animals real, extinct, and imaginary spread across open desert outside town. These deserve a word or two of explanation.
According to Wikipedia, "the wealthy heir to the Avery label fortune" commissioned sculptor Ricardo Breceda to create the impressive creatures. Originally, he constructed them based on fossils of extinct desert animals. Others came from more recent history and nature in the Anza-Borrego desert. Finally, some of the largest and most impressive were inspired by "whim and fantasy." Whatever the genesis, they are all scattered north and south of Borrego Springs on private land that's completely open and accessible to the public simply by wandering through the desert. Maps are available to guide visitors. When my captions are in quotes, the description comes from info on the map.
More than a hundred of these metal sculptures have been grouped into two or three dozen distinct sets. About two-thirds of them inhabit tracts north of town, with the remainder roaming south of town. Perfect for bicycling (but some sandy tracks). Despite the intense wind (the Ogre blew over several times), I spent a couple of hours exploring the creatures north of town one day, and a couple of hours on safari among the creatures south of town the next day. They're all amazing examples of monumental art, and I was flabbergasted that I seemed to be the only person wandering around the metal beasts.
With so many desert creatures and so many snapshots, I split the photos into five parts, starting here.
For more information:
Galleta Meadows Estate (the company that commissioned, owns, and displays the sculptures)
Ricardo Breceda (the artist)
Welcome to Borrego Springs, my base for this expedition.
It's also the wild land frozen in time where we discover inexplicable creatures, beasts, and monsters.
Part of the colorful mural in downtown Borrego Springs.
The mural stretches quite a bit farther to the left, depicting the transformation of the desert over the last few centuries.
First sighting of wild animals in the desert: "African Elephant"
The big guy leans closer to get a better look at Old Grumble-Face.
This fellow seems friendly enough and willingly poses with me.
Not all the creatures, as we'll see, prove so benign.
"Baby Elephant"
"Giant Tortoises"
Hey, this guy tried to take a bite out of the Ogre!
Another elephant.
"Camelops," an extinct genus of North American camels.
Extinct, except in the desert around Borrego Springs.
An impressive specimen of giant desert scorpion with venomous stinger at the ready.
The Ogre doesn't seem to fear the scorpion.
Nearby, an equally enormous grasshopper.
Uh-oh. Looks like this could be trouble for the grasshopper.
And the Ogre might be in a dangerous position.
Old Grumble-Face decides to take a chance and get close enough for a chummy photo.
Yikes! Bad idea! That stinger is coming right at me!
Comments? Questions? Suggestions? I'd like to hear from you.
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