Christmas Circle - Borrego Springs

I love driving in roundabouts. Really do enjoy the concept of going around in circles, devil-may-care, waiting for an opening in the traffic to fearlessly exit. 

Loved them in Ireland. Loved them in Peru. Loved them in Turks and Caicos. And I love the one in Borrego Springs. Granted, they just have one, but if you don’t exit for twenty minutes, you can pretend the small Southern California desert community has dozens.

“You know, this is our third time around this roundabout,” Laureen asked, as I drove one more time around the beautiful Christmas Circle in downtown Borrego Springs.

“I didn’t get a chance to wave at that guy eating the hoagie on the park bench,” I replied, while waving from the driver’s window.

The grassy, treed circle at the entrance to downtown was named in honor of Salvador Ignacio Linares, who was born in Coyote Canyon, south of Borrego Springs. Salvador was the son of Ignacio Linares and Maria Gertrudis Rivas Linares. Ignacio was a Spanish soldier, and as some customs allowed then, Maria and their other children traveled with the army.

Little Salvador came along on December 25th, 1775.

Monument to Salvador Ignacio Linares

Why the park is named Christmas Circle and not Salvador Park, or Linares Park, or Salvador Ignacio Linares Park – I can only guess. But it is named in the little boy’s honor, and it is a serene setting to take a moment and relax beside covered picnic tables. In fact, many of the community’s outdoor events occur at this location.

According to Francoise Rhodes, Executive Director for the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce and Visitors’ Bureau, the town hosts a number of events during the year.

“Normally there are several events throughout the season, our main one being the Borrego Days Desert Festival in October. This is sponsored by the Chamber and is the kickoff event of the season. We also have the Borrego Springs Film Festival which gets larger each year. Several art events in Christmas Circle, air events at the airport, car clubs, motorcycle clubs, golf tournaments and more. Borrego Springs is also a go to place for commercial shoots, movie shoots, music videos and such.”

That is a lot of activity for a small desert community about sixty-four miles southwest from the city of Indio in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

I’ve been traveling to Borrego Springs since I was a mere lad. My parents were enamored with camping at the Borrego Palm Canyon campground, with its natural beauty tucked in at the foothills of the towering San Ysidro Mountains. The late afternoon shadows would streak across the landscape providing a wonderfully colorful experience. As day was lost to night, all aspects of what was seen a few moments ago had magically shifted.

Sitting before the campfire, listening to my parent’s chit-chat was a comforting feeling. 

‘Aye, good memories, Laddie’ – except for one, and it involves the sheep.

Campsite at dusk, Palm Canyon State Park

Borrego, is Spanish for sheep, and the area is known for herds of Big Horn Sheep, clamoring effortlessly over the rugged terrain of the mountains. Rumor was that there are so many, that the sheep held regular social gatherings at Christmas Circle in town.

But alas, I have never seen a Big Horn Sheep in Borrego Springs. Not once!

Not seen by this guy in Borrego Springs - ever

I’ve seen them in Big Bear, along the rocky cliffs of Lake Mohave, and once in a Von’s in Apple Valley, but never in Borrego Springs.

“Hey, that’s the guy who’s always looking for us,” Mr. Big Horn #1 pointed out, as he sat on a park bench in Christmas Circle smoking a Fuente Fuente Opus X.

“Yeah, my cousin from Big Bear told me about him,” replied Mr. Big Horn #2, while sipping a snifter of Gautier Cognac 1762. 

“Everyone, act like a tree, he won’t notice us.”

Not once have I seen my beloved Big Horns in the Borrego Springs area.

Borrego Springs is also known as an International Dark Sky Community. In layman’s terms, that means the night sky is so clear, that from earth you can see aliens mowing their lawns on planets in the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy.

Night sky over the metal desert serpent

“Borrego Springs was the first Designated International Dark Sky Community in the United States and second in the world,” stated Rhodes.

I asked her if there were restrictions on street lights or anything else that may restrict people looking up in the sky to see aliens doing yard work.

“Street lights are allowed, but they are low lit and must shine downward and focus on something, not just general lighting. There are twenty-five street lights in Borrego Springs.”

Twenty-five? Laureen had me put up four hundred thousand solar lights just on our pergola in the rear yard.

No alien sightings at the Beyer household.

But there are a lot of folks who travel to Borrego Springs throughout the year to see spectacular meteor showers, full moons, and other extraterrestrial events happening in the cosmos. 

The town has a permanent population, if anything is truly permanent, of around 3,500 residents, according to the 2010 United States Census. Though the numbers of tourists and part-timers can dramatically increase at any given time of the year. Over a hundred thousand visitors venture into this town each year, and the numbers keep growing.

And why shouldn’t the numbers increase? That’s a good question, actually.

Borrego is not just ideal for alien aficionados though. Laureen and I were driving through Borrego Springs a few years back, when she pointed toward something north of the main drag coming into the town.

“Is that a dinosaur?”

“I’m sure it’s not a Bighorn Sheep,” I replied, disappointment in my voice. 

No, it wasn’t a Bighorn Sheep, but a huge metal artwork of a serpent. It was so large, it started on one side of the road and ended hundreds of feet to the east on the other side. It seemed as though this creature was raising its large angry head to the sky, while the rest of the body slithered up and down in the soft desert sand.

John R Beyer - taming the metal serpent in Borrego Springs

It was beautiful.

On a recent trip, I noticed that across the desert there were dozens and dozens of additional metal sculptures of dinosaurs, horses, sloths, mammoths, dragons, and so many other breathtaking sculptures. 

The rusty metal creatures stand tall in the wilds of the Colorado Desert, as though they are challenging anyone to complain about their presence there. 

Don't get in between these two 

Visitors can drive on hard packed dirt paths to get a closer look at all the diverse animals situated in the area.

The Galleta Meadows Sculptures were the dream of Dennis Avery, who enlisted the assistance of artist, Ricardo Breceda to create the metal creatures looming across the desert near Borrego Springs.

Giant ground sloth - helped spread plant seeds through its droppings

According to Rhodes, “The Galleta Meadows Sky Art Metal Sculptures was commissioned by paper magnate Dennis Avery and donated to the community. Borrego Springs is where these metal sculptures all started. Dennis loved seeing the sculptures all over the desert. Since his passing, a foundation takes care of them and there will be no additional sculptures added.”

Really? My take is that if you can go to a great little community, like Borrego Springs, look up into the night sky and see aliens on a distant planet taking out their trash, then there’s a chance another rusting creature may mysteriously arise in the hinterlands of the desert.

Perhaps, this time a Bighorn Sheep.

Borrego Springs gave us a feeling of being in a tight-knit community; one which also welcomes visitors. There are plenty of restaurants for those with distinguishing palates. There are stores for art work, jewelry, clothing, hiking supplies, camping supplies, and any other supplies the traveler may require.

A welcoming town with everything the guest could use

There are hotels for every budget as well as camping sites at various state campgrounds, like the one my parents enjoyed in Palm Canyon, and there are five-star RV resorts with their own restaurants and golf courses.

In other words, the small town of Borrego Springs is a great and wonderful experience for anyone visiting, no matter the season.

As Rhodes put it, “Borrego Springs is proud to say there are no traffic signals. We do not have any big box stores or chain restaurants. It’s all about community and to some perhaps it might seem like having less. But to Borregans we feel we have so much more.”

And trust me, they do.

Photo Hiking Palm Canyon

Borrego Springs

The day was crisp as we exited the RV, donned in our finest hiking apparel, which for today's hike, consisted of shorts, a short sleeve cotton shirt, hiking boots, hat, and the ever present Camel water pack. Whenever we photo hike (nature hike knowing one is going to indulge in photography), we carry plenty of water, high energy snacks (trail mix, jerky, etc.), emergency weather blanket (the silvery type which folds up to the size of a deck of cards), small first aid kit (again the size of deck of cards), and whatever else we feel might prepare us for any emergency might befall us depending the time of year and the nature of the terrain.

            In Borrego Springs, the morning may start as crisp and cool, but by nine a.m. near the end of March, the temperature will surely be nearing 90+ degrees Fahrenheit. Plenty of water, a comfortable wide brimmed hat and sunglasses are a must if you want to truly enjoy the path you will be taking in the desert.

            The trail started from the main campground in the State Park for about one half mile to the trail head near the group camping west of the entrance and proceeded for another 1.5 miles across a sandy rocky path well designated by the park service. The hike itself is not hard but given the rising temperature and numerous boulders a person had to traverse at various times we would register the trail as moderately easy especially when a person with physical disabilities may not be able to make it up through the narrowing canyon to the Palm Grove at the end of the trail.

            Sand turned into pebbles which turned into rock strewn ground which turned into large rocks and boulders marking the hiking path with little if any shade. By ten in the morning the temperature was nearing the low eighties and having the Camel water pack was a necessity.

            A moment divergence as we mention the number of ‘idiots’ out for the hike this particular morning. Not saying hiking this trail was idiotic but just the opposite since there is nothing like enjoying nature as we did along the Palm Canyon Grove path but it is the way people approached the journey that intrigued and confused the J & L partners.

            More than once we saw people, grown adults, walking by us with no containers of water, no hats, no sunglasses, but many had their tunes pounding through their earbuds. One obvious neophyte wearing flip-flops (which will only cause this wanna-be hiker to end up with bruised soles and aching toes). Many of these so-called hikers beginning the trail as we returned and the day began to reach its fullness of heat. One woman was dressed as if she were going to the ‘Mall’ for a shopping outing instead of a three mile hike in the middle of the desert including tight black spandex pants, baggy shirt, sweater cutely wrapped around her waist, and pumps. Quite the fashion plate but again no water, hat (probably would undo her "do"), or sunglasses. Laureen and I ended up making up a game between the two of us wagering how many people we passed on the trail who would not make it to the grove – our best guesstimate was 60%. One particular group we realized had no clue what they were doing asked us as we were on the return trip (five people huffing and puffing with no water, hats, sunglasses) how far was the palm grove from where they were standing. They had walked approximately a quarter of a mile over flat even sand and had not entered any of the switch backs covered with rocks and stones. They probably turned back as soon as we were out of sight.

            Back to the trail and the wonderful photographs we took of the rock formations, vistas of the valley floor, views of the canyon and all it had to offer two inquisitive visitors to the state park. The constant buzzing of thousands of bees swirled in the air above us as we made our way across the countryside between tall green bushes nearing the palm grove. To our excitement a small but sizable water fall greeted the traveler at the mile and a quarter mark which then introduced us to a viable stream of clean water flowing from the grove which was in the near proximity.

            Entering the palm grove at the end of the trail brought a delight of cool shaded air, first time out of the sun in over an hour, and a well deserved rest sitting upon a fallen giant of a palm tree. Listening to the running water from the springs which form the life saving creeks and waterfalls was comforting and added to the serenity of the grove.

            After a ten minute rest we headed back the way we came and made good time down the path and knew it had been a good day in the hinterlands of Borrego Springs and the Palm Canyon hike.

            We would definitely return in the future and highly recommend this nature trail for all those interested in getting up close with the natural world.