After leaving Yuma and the air show, I spent a couple days visiting a friend in the Palm Springs area, then headed south, along the west side of the Salton Sea, which I believe is the largest lake in California?


The signs are good here, even advising you when you are leaving the pavement - in case you didn't catch on! Click the pic for a larger view.
Salton Sea beach must have been a hot place for spring break in, like, 1962 maybe?

Looks like it has fallen on a bit of hard times lately?


But there are some very well kept homes here too, with lots of flowers.

Also, in the area, I found and tested an automated bottle/can recycling station. You insert the cans one at a time, and the machine counts them and issues you a receipt that you can redeem at the store next door.



Then I headed back west into the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park - which is also one of California's largest State parks, and one of the few that allow random off-road camping in certain areas!The cactus in the area were starting to bloom.


The town of Borrego Springs is not included in the park, but is surrounded by it. At the visitor centre there I was able to convince a busy hummingbird to pose for me.



Leaving to the west is a serious climb, but I spotted some desert Bighorn Sheep along the road. They did not want to pose, however.
Looking back down into the valley.
I was on the way to San Diego to meet a friend who had flown down to travel with me for a few days. We gave toured from San Diego to San Francisco and back, via a number of wineries and back country National Forest roads. But that is for the next post!