tripledigitken
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Desert View Tower
How many of you have seen this tower east of Jacumba off highway 8 and never stopped? It's been over 20 years since I pulled off to head down that
dead end road. It has changed owners several times through the years since it was first built in the 1920's.
Did you know that in addition to the Tower there are many carved animals and figures in the rocks just to the south? Great stop for you with kids.
There is a $3.50 donation to view the tower and crawl through the rocks. Inside the tower the current owner has lots of memorabilia and items for
sale.
How many carved animals can you make out in the picture below?
View to the NE from the top of the tower.
My parents had a bag just like the one on the right, and hung it on the bumper every time we crossed the desert!
[Edited on 1-3-2010 by tripledigitken]
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toneart
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Ken,
Maybe I am confusing that with the one just on the Mexico side of the border, right in Jacumba. I guess it is a different one because you took recent
photos.
The structure I am thinking of, I last saw about ten years ago. It was owned by an American Journalist who published a local, English language small
paper.
I used to regularly go to the hot springs at the motel there. That was before all the Border Patrol took up residence there. At that time there was
nothing but a low, barbed wire cattle fence along the border. People from both sides passed freely. There was a friendly exchange of friendship and
material goods (I'm not referencing drugs...about that I have no idea) that passed right through that fence and down a well worn path.
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DianaT
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Gees---that is one of those places we keep saying, next time we sill stop----been saying that for about 10 years especially when we lived in Calexico.
Can't believe we have not stopped, but will do so now.
thanks for the photos
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tripledigitken
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I have not been to the one you describe. We had lunch at the Hot Springs in Jacumba right after our visit to the Tower.
This one is in the US and is about 5 miles east of Jacumba proper. I will check out the one you describe next visit out that way.
Ken
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toneart
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| Quote: | Originally posted by tripledigitken
I have not been to the one you describe. We had lunch at the Hot Springs in Jacumba right after our visit to the Tower.
This one is in the US and is about 5 miles east of Jacumba proper. I will check out the one you describe next visit out that way.
Ken |
Cool! Nice photos!
I doubt you can get across the border now, but you can see the house from town, unless the damn fence has been constructed there.
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BajaWarrior
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Old Highway 80 East literally ends in their parking lot. My parents would stop there once a year when my brother and were kids in the 60's/70's. My
wife and I recently drove out there using Old highway 80 from El Cajon which travels through the backcountry of San Diego County.
Nice day outing and beautiful drive. Don't forget your chocolate dipped cone at the Foster Freeze in Pine Valley...
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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TMW
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I first saw it on a family vacation in 1961. Coming up US 80 out of the desert. I was 16 and driving, somewhere up the grade I pulled over and stopped
to look at Salton Sea, when I put the car in gear it lurched back and my mom yelled we were all going to die. It scared the crap out of her. We were
flat landers from Illinois. Didn't stop then. Went there shortly after moving to San Diego in 1978. I couldn't remember anything about it so while
coming back from Baja a couple of years ago I stopped by for a refresher and reminisce of times gone by and chuckled thinking of mom. I enjoyed it.
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Barry A.
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The DESERT TOWER is great---------well worth a stop. Been there many times over the last 60 years---------plan on about 2 hours to see
everything------lots of trails thru the monster rocks, and the history and old photos inside the tower are great, especially if you have an interest
in the Imperial Valley.
I totally recommend it!!!
Barry
PS Tony, we in BLM had nightmares with the illegals coming thru there in the 70's and 80's-------they were heavily trashing the desert with their
litter left behind in many out of the way places, making it really difficult to clean up after their passing. We had to litterally backpack much of
the trash out. Oh how we prayed for a decent "fence/wall" in those days. Can't imagine what it is like now. In the 13 years I was there I can't
recall having any fatalities of illegals that we had to deal with--------just trash! But we sure had to deal a lot with Americans killing themselves
on off-road vehicles. Wild and woolley place, for sure.
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Mexray
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Huell did a program on the tower...
...it was interesting, along with the builder's history, etc...A-Mazing!
Ray
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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josie
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Cool photos Ken - you give me some motivation to do some more exploring on down along the peninsula!
rude people and dog haters suck
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bajafam
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We have stopped before, but the kids were asleep in the car and it was HOT!! So we didn't go in. Maybe this trip we will. Question, on that particular
day when we drove in, there were all sorts of "statues" of sorts throughout the drainage canals. Weird stick people like figures with clothes on. Kind
of "Blair Witch"-ey. Down in the canals, up on top of the drainage entrances. Were they still there?
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tripledigitken
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajafam
We have stopped before, but the kids were asleep in the car and it was HOT!! So we didn't go in. Maybe this trip we will. Question, on that particular
day when we drove in, there were all sorts of "statues" of sorts throughout the drainage canals. Weird stick people like figures with clothes on. Kind
of "Blair Witch"-ey. Down in the canals, up on top of the drainage entrances. Were they still there? |
bajafam,
I missed those if they are still there.
Worthy of a stop, the kids will love the place! The owner/caretaker has a lot of dogs too!
Ken
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