Adventurous Spirit Renewed

Anza Borrego Desert State Park

We've moved on...left our lovely little spot at Sam's Family Spa (that was our home since November) and headed south. Drove about 2.5 hours south - we're between the Pacific Ocean and the Salton Sea and 40 miles or so from the Mexico border. And it is BEAUTIFUL here. Just driving into the state park yesterday gave us such a renewed sense of adventure. So many places to hike, so much to see.

Two things this place is known for are the wildflowers, which will start blooming in February and the night time sky. Borrego Springs, the city that is surrounded by the 600,000 acre state park, was named the 2nd International Dark Sky Community. It is one of the top 10 stargazing locations in the nation. They are serious about protecting their nigh time sky here! The crazy rains we have had in southern California have been great fuel for the wildflower season as well. I can't wait to get pictures of these flowers, if only I had an SLR!

We're currently at the state park campground, literally a 2 minute walking distance from mountains. This is amazing! Koen, Eiley & I checked out the area by the visitor center today (they were closed) which I can't wait to see inside, it's built underground. I'll leave you with some final pics. Some of these are from our last few days in Desert Hot Springs, and some are from today at Anza Borrego.

Home Sweet Home

We survived the holiday traveling and are now back in our own home enjoying 70 degree weather and sunny, blue skies. We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone and there were so many good moments shared. Thank you to everyone who housed us for a bit of time, thank you to those who babysat so we could go out, and thank you to to everyone who helped make our visit back home go smoothly (rides, borrowed cars, food, etc.). We are blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!

Josh caught a cold the day before we left so he's trying to get rid of that so we can enjoy some hiking this weekend. Yesterday after we returned home from a long morning of travel we enjoyed a nice long soak in the hot mineral pools and a fun playtime in the kids pool. We're staying at Sam's Family Spa for at least another week. I know in previous posts I was not so thrilled with this area we're currently staying in, but I DO love the hot pools and the duck pond and the sunshine!