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.

Take a hike - up and down ladders

Paul watching where he steps

My friend, Larry, asked if I had ever heard of the ladders. I thought that was a strange question, since I’ve been climbing up and down ladders all my life. I should have known better when Larry speaks, the question might require deeper thought.

“You mean, like when Laureen wants a different pair of shoes from the top of our closet? Sure, usually I need an extension ladder. It’s a very tall walk-in.”

“No, I mean the hike through the Painted Canyon Trail near Mecca.”

I shook my head. “Nope, that doesn’t ring a bell, and I’ve been on hikes that you can actually ring a bell at the top of the trail.” Admittedly, a cheap plug for an earlier article I wrote for the Daily Press, concerning Bell Mountain in Apple Valley.

“You need to go,” Larry responded.

No need to ask me twice, unless I wasn’t listening – like I do with our children. If Larry said to go hike this place outside of Mecca, then I would do it.”

“He didn’t mean Saudi Arabia,” Laureen stated. “He’s talking about the town of Mecca by Salton Sea. We’ve been there.”

 “I knew that,” I said, while secretly sticking my passport into my back pocket. 

Turns out, that the Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon Trail is one of the most popular destinations for outdoorsy people in Southern California. 

According to Alltrails.com – ‘Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon Trail is a 4.9 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Mecca, California that features a waterfall and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from October until April.’

The reason the trail should only be hiked until the end of April, is that after that – the sun happens to be about thirty yards off the ground in the low desert.

Yes, in April and possibly May, the hike near Salton Sea – which is minus two hundred and twenty-six feet below sea level – is doable. But, like most desert communities, come June – hiker beware.

Looking west from the rim toward Salton Sea

‘Hiker beware’ means that if you venture out into a furnace, and the only floor you have is radiating sand, then the sunscreen you lathered on only means it will take a bit longer for you to bake.

A serious note - always be aware of your surroundings when outdoors. Bring plenty of water, wear a hat, have sunscreen on exposed skin, and check the current weather in the area you are planning on hiking. Mother Nature can play dangerous games on those less observant of her rules. 

“It’s not that hot.”

“I can’t hear you, my ears just melted off my head.”

Be careful out there – sounded like a PSA, didn’t it.

Okay, do I ever take these precautions to heart? Of course not, my job is to go out and find places to visit and tell others about them.

I’m a professional – that usually means, I do stupid things to get published.

“So, when are you going to hike this trail?” Laureen asked.

“I was thinking mid-August, when the temperature would be equal to that on Venus.”

Then our friend, Paul and I decided the end of March would be a better time to hike the Ladders trail. 

The directions to reach the trailhead are easy. Drive south out of the city of Indio on Highway 111 (also known as Grapefruit Boulevard) for about sixteen miles, enter the small town of Mecca (not to be confused with the one is Saudi Arabia), take a left at 4th Street, turn right onto 66th Avenue and then just continue in an easterly direction until reaching Painted Canyon Road. Painted Canyon Road is a four mile dirt road that heads to the trailhead – well paved, and even though some sites state a four-wheel drive vehicle is best (and when aren’t they?) any mode of transportation, except a skateboard, should be able to make the passage. Though, about a quarter of a mile from the trailhead, there is a bit of deep sand, but the cautious driver should not have any issues – unless there are flashfloods, haboobs, earthquakes, or an asteroid strikes.

“It was easy getting here,” Paul stated, as I parked the truck.

I nodded. “I may just put in the blog how easy it was to get here.”

Donning our gear, mainly a water pack, we were ready to start hiking. Even though it was early on a Monday, the trailhead already had a dozen other vehicles parked. Another serious note, when hiking in the desert, no matter the time of year, always try to get an early start – just because the weather says the high will be seventy degrees doesn’t mean it will be a pleasant stroll through the landscape. If there’s no shade, seventy in full sun can be intense – thus, the reason for plenty of water and a hat.

At the trailhead, there was a map of the hike, I took a photo of it, but Alltrails.com had one that I also had downloaded.

“Let’s do this,” I stated, while starting down the sandy trail toward the narrowing canyon walls.

“We’re hiking, not robbing a bank,” Paul stated. “Let’s do this! OMG, we’re following a well-worn path.”

It’s best to ignore Paul early in the morning. He can be a little grumpy.

The first quarter of a mile is through a river bed with deep soft sand, before reaching a large arrow on the ground made out of river rocks pointing to the left. There, a large rock fall marks the first ladder to be used to clamber up through a narrow slot canyon.

Yes, real metal ladders are used to go from one section of the canyon to the next, along the trail as you gain about five hundred and sixty feet in elevation to the top of the rim.

John climbing on of the many ladders

The canyon trail meanders right to left and then left to right, and are tall and narrow. At some points, I had to turn sideways to make my way through, especially after climbing up a ladder and squeezing through the opening at the top.

Paul navigating one of the trickier sections with a ladder

According to hiking-in-ps.com, ‘The Mecca Hills (where Painted Canyon Trail is) were formed by the convergence of the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate along the San Andreas Fault. The geologic formations of Mecca Hills are among the most unusual of their kind in the world.

I determined that “some of the most unusual in the world” was a great description as we hiked through the multi-colored canyons with towering rock walls reaching upward to the blue sky. It was eerie to walk through this natural labyrinth. One moment the sun would be streaming down through the narrow slits above us and then it would be gone, leaving us in an almost twilight darkness.

The narrow canyons wind their way through the area

The shapes of the walls constantly twisted here and there. Various shades of earth greeted us at every step, as if an artist had spent time creating these colorful designs on the canvas of the walls.

Again, according to hiking-in-ps.com, ‘Layers of eroded rock, some over 600 million years old, have been pushed up and overturned by the activity of the San Andreas Fault system.’

It is awe inspiring to see how the violence of the early earth created such dramatic backgrounds for us to witness.

The Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon Trail, is such a place.

Being a loop trail nearly five miles in length, gives the hiker a lot to view. Beautiful canyon walls, brilliant rock surfaces, tall Ironwood and Smoke trees, and one of the best views of the Salton Sea to the southwest from the top of the rim there could be.

The trail is rated as moderate, but with a steady gait, the hike can be completed in three hours. Of course, it may take longer when stopping to snap a photo of this and that – and there’s plenty of this and that to snap photos of along the way.

Hikers have claimed that Bighorn Sheep frequent the area, along with desert wildlife such as spotted bats, desert tortoises, and prairie falcons. 

We saw ravens.

Even though there seemed to be a lot of people hiking the day we made the trek, there were no lines at the nearly half a dozen ladders, but weekends can be crazily busy with long conga lines forming at the bottoms of the ladders.

If a person is not in a hurry, then what’s a little wait now and then? Relax, join the dance line and enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature.

Paul's arm shows it's not only the heat that can hurt you

Fairmount Park, Riverside, CA

The great American author, John Steinbeck once wrote – ‘You can’t go home again because home has ceased to exist except in the mothballs of memory.’ 

John Steinbeck - a great writer

When I had first read that in his non-fiction book, Travels with Charley: In Search of America, I didn’t completely comprehend what he had been trying to suggest.

Actually, it was more like - What, the heck was this guy thinking? You can’t go home? Home no longer exists? Memories of mothballs? And by the way, what is a mothball?

Decades after reading those words, it made sense. I was born and raised in Riverside, California before relocating to the High Desert. Yes, I would visit Riverside quite often when my parents were alive, but after they were gone – the visits pretty much stopped.

Oh, we would still drive down during the Christmas holidays to take in the Mission Inn’s Festival of Lights. Perhaps drive down Victoria Avenue to take in the beautiful rows of orange trees – and yes, once in a while drive down the street, and pass the house I had spent my childhood in.

The Mission Inn in Riverside during the Christmas Season

Pleasant memories. Those days when all I had to ponder was going to school, hanging out with friends, and doing some chores. It would be later in life that the reality of careers, parenting, mortgages, utilities, food, and all the rest of the grown-up responsibilities would make their presence known.

More like – geez, did I really sign up for all this adulthood drama?

Recently, I had to drive down the hill to Riverside to pick up a few items for a party one of our daughters was having. Of course, it was to be a COVID-19 compliant party – with the limit on guests to only six family members, and each guest would sequester into their own room. We would communicate with each other by means of a string attached to metal cans. 

I arrived a bit early to pick up the items and found there was about an hour to burn. Never let an hour to burn go to waste, is one of my mottos.

Heading west on Route 60 from the junction with Interstate 215, I exited on Market Street and found myself driving through a place that was full of recollections of my youth. 

Fairmount Park is an iconic place in the city of Riverside. Two hundred and fifty acres of relaxation.

In 1911, the city commissioned the nation’s first landscape architectural company to design an urban park. The company, first started by Frederick Law Olmsted, and later taken over by his sons John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. had a great amount of experience developing barren land into things of natural beauty.

Some of their most famous works were Yale University in New Haven, Stanford University in California, and Central Park in New York City, just to name a few. 

This talented group of landscaping architects was as busy as bees in spring. Just thought I’d throw that in – I’ve seen bees buzzing a lot in spring, and they seem pretty busy. Same with the folks from Olmsted and Olmsted.

With this incredible resume, the city of Riverside knew they had the best team on their side.

“Well, let’s grab some shovels and start planting trees!” one of the city planners gushed.

“Yes, some giant Redwoods would be nice, and perhaps a wading pool with duckies,” suggested a city engineer.

“Hmmm, I believe it may take some time to design the park before we start the actual process,” either John or Frederick Jr. replied.

“Oh,” said the city planner. “I’ll put the shovels back in the shed.”

It took nearly thirteen years to complete the project, but the time and effort were worth it. In those years, Olmsted and Olmsted turned vacant land into an inviting and restful respite for the city residents.

There were walking trails through lush green grass areas. With the completion of Lake Evans, there was plenty of space to fish and to use sailboats or rowboats. There were tall trees to lay beneath on hot summer days. A bandstand to listen to music by local bands. Eventually, tennis courts, lawn bowling areas, and a large rose garden complete with a gazebo were completed, making Fairmount Park something to be very proud of, in this city nestled beside the Santa Ana River.

Looks like a nice place to take a restful saunter

The rose garden with a beautiful gazebo

As I drove around the park, beneath trees with branches nearly covering the entire roadway, I recalled riding my bicycle to the park countless times with friends when I was young. It was the place to go. A few miles of peddling, and soon we would find ourselves at this beautiful oasis with so much to do.

No one was supposed to swim in Lake Evans. Signs were posted everywhere. But, and that’s the pivotal word ‘but’ after riding along the streets of Riverside, we were hot and sweaty.

My mother would ask, more than once, “Why is it that you get pink eye so often?”

Pink eye, again?

I had no answer, as most kids wouldn’t, knowing that swimming in a muddy, dirty, but inviting lake might be the reason.

Ancient thoughts of days spent at the lake ran through me as I continued my slow drift through the wonderfully green park. A tree inventory conducted in 1985, determined that many of the trees planted during the building of the park were still living. It made sense, as I walked around a bit and marveled at the size of some of the Montezuma Cypress trees – it looked as though it would take four or five adults linked together to wrap their arms around the trunks.

Another view of the lake at Fairmount Park

It was Olmsted’s idea that these trees would forever be home to many different species of birds. Listening to the chirping above me in the limbs, I knew these architects would be very happy with their choice of Taxodium mucronatum – that’s the botanical name for this tree. 

As I continued around the park, I saw a group of young ladies walking and chit-chatting with each other.

I wanted to get their take on the park. Why were they walking around it? How often did they do it? 

Slowing, I rolled my window down and proceeded with caution – I didn’t want to come across as a park creep and get sprayed with mace.

“Excuse me,” I said in my friendliest tone – maybe that did sound kind of creepy. “I’m a writer, and was wondering if I could ask you, ladies, a couple of questions?”

“What do you write?” asked one of the women.

“This and that, mainly about traveling to places worth visiting.”

“Sure, ask away,” Silvia said.

“Do you walk through the park often and why?”

Mary replied. “The park is near my house and it so beautiful and clean out here. Makes me feel great each morning as we take this mile walk.”

“I love it here,” Barbara stated. “I’ve been coming to this park since I was a child with my parents.

“It’s a piece of history for Riverside. Look around, it’s green, peaceful, and the rose garden is something no one would get tired of looking at.”

“My husband and I love hanging out in here in the summer. So relaxing,” finished Silvia.

In the summer, how couldn't this be relaxing

In full disclosure, the four women were speaking so quickly and my note-taking was so slow, that I’m not sure I got the correct quotes with the correct person. I don’t think they will mind though, the bottom line was they love Fairmount Park.

In fact, in 2011 the American Planning Association designated the park as a ‘Great Public Space.’ That same year, the City Parks Alliance out of Washington D.C., also designated Fairmount Park as a ‘Frontline Park’ – a jewel in the park system.

As I drove out of the park and headed toward my original destination, I thought back to what Steinbeck had written.

Memories of the past may not be allowed to exist in reality alongside the present, but that doesn’t mean new memories cannot be created.

And isn’t that what traveling is all about?