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Spring Rattles In - Spring is one of the most beautiful times of the year in the desert, but it should also be a time for caution. Rattlesnakes lie dormant during the cold fall and winter months and awaken from hibernation in the warm months of March and April.
Rattlesnakes have no control system for their body temperature and cannot handle excessive heat, so during the summer they remain underground during the day, hidden in burrows, under rocks or in the shade of shrubs. In the spring and autumn however, when daytime temperatures are milder than summer months, rattlesnakes are seen sunbathing on rocks or hunting for food during daylight hours. More...
The Carrizo Badlands Mud Caves - One of the most fascinating points of interest in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves system. Arroyo Tapiado, translated from Spanish, means "walled wash." The Mud Caves are found along the walls of this wash canyon. One of the most extensive mud cave systems in the world, they contain approximately 22 known caves and 9 slot canyons.
The length of the caves varies, with some extending over 1000 feet and featuring ceilings as high as 80 feet. Caves have been reported up to 35 feet wide, while others are so narrow that you have to squeeze through openings. Multi-level caves with skylights have been found, where erosion has created an opening, or sinkhole, in the ceiling of the cave. Some of the caves are fairly easy to navigate while others may require you to crawl in sections.
How to Keep Ice Cold in the Desert - Tips on how to keep your cooler cold, your ice from melting too fast and your food fresh when traveling in the desert.
One of the challenges of camping in the desert is keeping your ice cold and thus keeping your food and beverages cold and edible. How can you preserve your ice so it doesn't melt so quickly? How can you keep your food from getting soggy from the melted ice? How can you keep a cooler cold for 5 to 10 days if ice is not available for purchase nearby? These are some of the most common questions asked by campers.
Photo Tips:
Where Do Your Lines Lead? Use lines or objects to lead the eye into the image or to create the illusion of movement. The lines can be actual, like lines on a road, or railroad tracks, or they can be groupings of objects that create the illusion of a line. Or they can be rows of grapevines leading to a farm house in the distance, as in the accompanying image.
Lines are everywhere, roads, rivers, railings, avenues of trees, highway markings, telegraph poles and railroad tracks wending their way through the countryside.
Quest for Fire at the Opal Hill Mine: A 4x4 Adventure - Tucked deep into the Mule Mountains not far from Palo Verde, California lies the Opal Hill Mine. Opal Hill is well known for its beautiful and rare fire agate, opal eggs and quartz crystals. When one thinks of a mine, images of deep shafts or dark tunnels usually come to mind. The Opal Hill Mine can be better described as a claim established on a hillside which overlooks a valley. The mine consists of rock outcroppings and holes where agate has been extracted.
Today, Opal Hill is actively producing fire agate, and rock hounders still frequent the mine for its gem-quality stones. The mine is privately owned but open to the public for a small collecting fee which is well worth it. With some hard work and effort, almost everyone leaves Opal Hill satisfied with the fiery agate they take with them. Read about the Opal Hill Mine...
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