David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64540
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
EXOTIC DESERT CANYONS (Part 2, Saturday))
Saturday April 10, 2004
Saturday morning we prepared to explore up Parral Canyon from our camp at the ?drive through? corral. Nobody in the group had been beyond the end of
the road, which was just 0.6 mi. from the corral. The road was totally washed out by a flash flood, so the hiking started at 30?30.09?, 115?06.44?
(elev. 2,610?).
The trail was fairly easy to follow as it was on the road, except where the road was in the arroyo or crossing the arroyo. About a half mile on the
trail, the road crossed the arroyo again and on the right bank was evidence of a former ?cilantro? growing project that looked like the one I saw in
Agua Caliente Canyon, 3 years ago, except the drip tubes were all hacked into pieces. Not much farther we saw water in the arroyo and blue palms. The
blue palms became more numerous and provided great photo opportunities as they stood among the giant granite boulders. The ranch road wound between
these boulder and we found rock walls that must have been made over dozens of years!
Rancho El Parral is perched on a ledge right above a running stream, exactly 1 mile, and a 30 minute walk from the trail head. Those who hiked to the
ranch spread out to explore the surrounding area. Jide and Baja Lou continued upstream and discovered the source of the stream, a huge spring where
the water just flowed out. Blue palms were everywhere, as well. GPS at the abandoned ranch house (map datum NAD27) is 30?29.42?, 115?06.97? (elev.
2,901?). In checking the GPS for the distance (straight) to Rancho El Matomi in the next canyon south, I see that it is only 3.16 miles (but over a
mountain ridge). Baja Almanac Map 14 (A-4).
Parral is incredibly beautiful and we were very fortunate that the previously locked gate was not any longer. Returning to our vehicles, Dan-Over and
I missed the trail and were staying in the arroyo. Just as I was taking another step forward, a red diamondback rattlesnake caught my attention about
two feet in front of me! He was on the arroyo?s sand in the shade of a big rock. He was stretched out and made no sound? Dan-Over came close, and it
took some effort to awaken the sleeping reptile (tossing little pebbles). We each took some photos. As with my last red diamondback encounter, (last
April with my daughter), we let him be.
Upon arriving back at our vehicles, we see that someone discovered a full big horn sheep skull, with the entire curving horns attached. Parral was
certainly full of surprises this sunny April day. We made lunch and those waiting at the vehicles had conversations about the desert canyons. We were
waiting for the return of jide and Baja Lou, who both went way up the canyon.
Back at the corral campsite, we took a nap, did some reading in Bruce Barber?s new book http://community-2.webtv.net/boojum1/barber and got things packed up? all the while as a thunderstorm quickly built up and rained a few big drops
on us. Jide and I wanted to check out the group of blue palms and yellow slope he spotted in the next valley north of Parral. The rest of Baja Lou?s
group headed back to San Felipe (El Dorado) for Easter dinner.
We stopped and parked at the visually closest point to the ridge with palms and bright colors. GPS: 30?33.40?, 115?05.93? (elev. 2,124?) and hiked
south about ? mile. A sandy arroyo at the base of the ridge had a tire track in it, so it is possible to drive right to the base of this site from
where this arroyo crosses the Parral road. In the Baja Almanac (Map 14, A-3), see the pointy hill just left of the junction with a road (washed out)
that goes northeast to Valle Chico and down to Matomi*. This 'pointy hill' is the ridge we hiked to.
*The true main Matomi road is not shown, (north of where the road from Parral is shown bending from northeast to southeast). The Matomi road goes from
Carricitos east past the mountain then bends southeast and joins the (former) road from Parral. The fence line road to Canada el Parral (and across to
the sulfur mine area) joins the Matomi road just where it bend southeast from Carricitos.
We climbed up the ridge to the blue palms and were amazed to see the view up Valle Chico from there. GPS at the tallest palm: 30?32.86', 115?06.00'
(elev. 2,412'). No surface springs were flowing, but the dark mineralized stains on the cliff indicate water must flow more than during rare rainfall.
We also spotted a lot of onyx-like deposits on rocks from this ridge and out to almost our parking spot. It looked like melted candle wax on the
volcanic rocks. The slopes all around the palm area were covered with yellow moss. It was just so striking, I can?t wait to see the photos!
Next stop Carrizo Canyon!
Back at my truck, and off we headed? past the El Berrendo junction to Carricitos where a big corral and ranch house is located. I saw a faint track
heading east from the south side of the corral, and passing the ranch house (which is west of the corral). We followed the trail on the nice sandy
arroyo. The road curves south just over 2 miles west of Carricitos. Soon tracks go right and straight? turn right, as the road straight ahead just
ends! The right road ends 2.8 miles from Carricitos at 30?34.89?, 115?09.23? (elev. 2,361?) and we hike on, hoping the trail is short to the palms and
water. We hiked about ? mile and saw one blue palm. We were still worn out from all the hiking we already had done, and elected to explore Carrizo
Canyon another time. We wanted to have daylight to set up camp and Jide agreed that Agua Caliente Canyon would be an excellent choice.
We continued north from Carricitos the 5.6 miles to the abandoned grape-farming project of Plan Nacional Agrario, or also called (Ejido) Agua
Caliente. One old couple still lives in a ranch there, where a turn west (left) is made, GPS: 30?40.33?, 115?08.05?. The road to the canyon goes 2.0
miles southwest to the entrance. Just outside the canyon is the junction with a faint track north, which was the old road. See below (in part 3) for
GPS and description. The ranch shown in the Almanac, named Agua Caliente does not exist at the canyon entrance. We were able to drive 2.7 miles into
the canyon and that was really the limit for any vehicle. Rocks, thick vegetation, and lots of flowing water would make any further progress
impossible. Three years ago, with Lorenzo de Baja ( http://davidksbaja.com/baja_2001 ) we were halted at 2.0 miles in. I just don?t see how driving all the way to the hot springs was ever possible,
even though I was told it was done. Jide spotted a nice sandy beach to set up camp, overlooking the creek at 30?39.08?, 115?11.61? (elev. 1,887?)
about 0.2 mile before the end of the road. With camp set up as it was getting dark, jide had a bottle of French wine, Trader Joe?s salami, and
Irish-Swiss cheese before our dinner of tube steaks and baked potatoes? life is good! Tomorrow we go hot spring tubbing, Baja style!
TO BE CONTINUED?
[Edited on 4-14-2004 by David K]
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64540
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
, vs. / and ? vs. -
Baja Lou, as requested, I am using a comma (,) vs. a slash (/) to seperate latitude from longitude GPS figures. I hope this enables you to upload to
EasyGPS.com now. Does using the degree symbol (?) work okay?
I don't know where the degree symbol on my computer is. On WebTV, it is pushing the 0 key while holding down the ALT key. Can someone tell me how to
get the ? on a PC keyboard?
|
|
|
dirkster
Newbie
Posts: 11
Registered: 9-9-2003
Location: SW WA
Member Is Offline
|
|
degree symbol
just hold down the ALT key and punch in 0716 on the number key pad.
|
|
|
dirkster
Newbie
Posts: 11
Registered: 9-9-2003
Location: SW WA
Member Is Offline
|
|
Ooop's (degree symbol)
make that the 0176 on the keypad.
|
|
|
David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64540
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
|
|
Thanks Dirkster!
By the way, you can edit or delete your posts on this forum... click edit at the top right of your post... change words, letters then edit post at the
bottom. Or go to the bottom left and click delete, then the edit post button on the bottom...
|
|
|
Mexitron
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3397
Registered: 9-21-2003
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Member Is Offline
Mood: Happy!
|
|
Nice exploring David!
|
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
