Backside of the Salton Sea

After a civilized morning of drinking coffee, eating dark chocolate almond clusters, and reading the newspaper, my folks and I headed for Borrego Springs by way of the Salton Sea. We typically travel down the westside of the Salton Sea on Highway 86 to access the road to Borrego Springs, stopping at some of the lakeside towns like Desert Shores, Salton Sea Beach, and Salton City.

Salton Sea Visitor Center

This year we decided to travel down the eastside of the lake on Highway 11 at the base of the Chocolate Mountains. The weather was surprisingly mild with a cool breeze. We stopped at the Visitor Center at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area near Mecca, California, and learned more about the natural and human history of the lake.

Picnic area on the Salton Sea

Snow capped mountains in the distance

The lake is a large inland sea, with an elevation of 227 feet below sea level. We had always understood that the lake had formed in the early 1900s when the Colorado River flooded the area after spring rains. The film shown in the Visitor Center indicated that there was more intentional human intervention in its formation.

Healthy Palo Verde (Parkinsonia aculeate) at the Visitor Center

Tamarisk at the Visitor Center

The lake was a popular recreational destination for many years, but has been drying up as water has been diverted for other uses. Currently the lake is fed mostly by agricultural runoff, which causes health and environmental concern. A task force is investigating how to repair the damage. We enjoyed the sweeping views, big sky, and healthy looking plants in the area thanks to the winter rains.

"Sand"

Mummified fish

HTML Tables

The backside of the Salton Sea is an interesting blend of geology and agriculture – geothermal power plants are interspersed among lush and prosperous looking farms. I wanted to see some mud pots so we headed off the main highway on a tip from the Internet. We saw mud volcanos from afar.

Mud flats

Mud volcanoes

We spent some time hunting for obsidian deposits near Obsidian Butte. Obsidian is volcanic glass - quite beautiful, but can be sharp on the edges!

Looking for obsidian

Obsidian deposit

After exploring the area, we cut across the southern end of Salton Sea to meet up with Highway 78 and the road to Borrego Springs. We checked into our rooms at the Palm Canyon Hotel and RV Resort, and then headed to Carmelita’s Mexican Grill for a delicious dinner. We had great conversation about the day, and about family history. Mom recalled taking the train to Brawley alone when she was eight (under the watchful eye of the conductor) to visit Aunt Mary Bina and Uncle Carl in the 1940s. Family ties!

The hotel was participating in a Dark Sky event, so the grounds were dimly lit. Mom and I took a quick walk around the grounds to enjoy the display of stars against the dark New Moon sky.