Rainy Desert Sojourn

I've been on the road the past two days, covering about 580 miles between Sun City and Tehachapi.  Desert all the way...wet most of the way!  A series of storms is bringing welcome rain to the Southwest.  Somewhat unusual picture ops ensue...a traveler encounters rain and gray skies only occasionally in the desert.  But, the arid lands of the Southwestern US do get 3 to 12 inches of precipitation annually...so it does rain once in a while.  This is a view of the Colorado River near Blythe CA.  It could as well be almost anywhere in the US, possibly the Great Plains?  But here the river flows through an area dampened by no more than four inches of rain per year, while at least half the days see the mercury reach 90 degrees or higher...much higher.

Jagged mountains rise through the mist in Imperial County CA.  Looks a bit like Mordor.

A blooming brittlebrush soaks up the drizzle and lends a little lushness to the barren scene.

The Algodones Dunes on a gray day.

This sandstone hillside in Anza-Borrego Desert SP has been eroded into a myriad of small caves by wind, water, sand, and freezing and thawing.

Fishhook barrel thriving in the rocks.

Near the edge of a cliff at Yaqui Pass in Anza-Borrego.

The vast Colorado desert from Yaqui Pass.

An alluvial floodplain in the fading light of a winter sunset.  It doesn't rain often here, but when it does the effects can be dramatic.

And, an oasis!  The fine grounds of the Casa del Zorro in Borrego Springs.  Very comfy spot to chill after a day of exploration.  Great food too.

The Casa has tile mosaics scattered among the buildings.  Zorro means fox in Spanish...and indeed Don Diego styled himself "Zorro the Fox" in the old TV series.

Yesterday (Jan 4) rain fell during most of my drive through western Arizona and far eastern California.  Today a second storm moved across Southern Cali.  In the morning there were only a few sprinkles at Borrego, but the mountains to the west wore an ominous shroud of clouds.  Borrego got a couple tenths of an inch later in the day.  On the other side of the mountains, San Diego was drenched by two inches...almost an inch fell in one hour alone!  The earth is happily soaking up the moisture.  With more storms on the way, the spring wildflower season promises to be a good one.

East of Borrego Springs, the Borrego badlands feature a maze of sharply eroded canyons and gullies.

Palm Springs was also drenched today, with nearly an inch of rain.  As the storm moved in, nearby windmills combined with the gray skies to present an industrial look.

The sun did make a couple cameos today...just enough to muster forth a rainbow near Lucerne Valley.

Nearing Tehachapi in Kern county, the clouds again massed at the mountains.

The windmills in the Tehachapis were partly shrouded in the mist.  As I write this, I'm in the town of Tehachapi, between Barstow and Bakersfield at 4000 feet elevation.  It's pouring at 8 PM...a mixture of rain and wet snow.  The next storm is tailgating the present one and will arrive at midday tomorrow.  Though it may be inconvenient for travelers, the rain is good...the land loves it!