Copyright San Diego Union-Tribune
The lengthening evening shadows crept slowly across the curdled landscape of the desert badlands as the setting October sun kissed the peaks of the San Ysidro Mountains to the west. I had set up camp for the night near 17 Palms Oasis, a unique constellation of life in an otherwise barren and lifeless landscape at the eastern edge of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The palms, standing strong in this harsh environment, are unique enough, but the drooping skirts of dead fronds are an important host to birds, rodents, insects, mammals and reptiles. This place has also been hosting human travelers as a shady oasis, from the unrecorded visits of the Native Americans who called this area home 10,000 years ago, to the modern explorers discovering the serenity and beauty of California’s largest state park. As the sun dipped behind the mountains turning the landscape into a monotone gray and the eastern sky a subtle mauve, I opened an old book I had brought with me. “California Desert Trails: Riding through the Mojave Desert in 1916″ is the diary of J. Smeaton Chase, an Englishman who fell in love with the California desert and recorded his travels by horseback, which included a stop here during his summer journey. A hundred-plus years ago this was still a roadless and unmarked area as Chase followed an ill-defined path with a goal of reaching the tiny settlement of Borego Springs as it was known then. He had begun his journey near present-day Palm Springs, meandering south past the newly formed Salton Sea and then turned west for the grueling summer ride through Borrego Badlands where daytime temperatures hovered near 120 degrees. I was fascinated by this chapter of his book since he wrote so beautifully about this special place. As I sat overlooking the palms and the barren badlands from a nearby mudhill, I reflected on his eloquent words. “With my back to a palm I hugged the shade till the sun went down, then climbed to smoke a pipe on the hillside and view the surroundings. Without having been to Egypt or Arabia, I could easily imagine myself looking down on a Wady of the Red Sea region,” he wrote. There is no ground water today at the oasis, but it can’t be far from the surface, since the palms continue to thrive. But whatever water is here is not suitable to drink. Chase described it as “a mere seepage, ill smelling and strongly alkaline.” Even his horse, Kaweah, and burro named Mesquit, would not drink this water. Reading Chase’s words reminded me that little has changed here since his visit, thanks to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park that protects this isolated oasis along with nearly 700,000 surrounding acres of breathtaking desert landscape. As the evening light dimmed, I pondered his beautiful description of the desert sunrise as he began his ride west from Salton Sea. “This time his chin was pillowed on the Cottonwood Mountains, and his first shot at me came in a blaze of red across the dreary waters of the Salton.” As I snuggled in the comfort of a modern sleeping bag on a comfortable camp cot, I thought about how hardy Chase and others like him were to travel for weeks by horseback through this arid landscape in withering summer heat. Under a blanket of stars, with palms silhouetted against the inky sky, like Chase, I was consumed by the limitless beauty, solitude and mystery of this special place. Most visitors to 17 Palms now stop briefly as they pass by while riding in the comfort of air-conditioned vehicles. In addition to the unique oasis, there is another attraction here known as the Desert Mailbox. Tucked between two palms at the north end of the grove is a wooden barrel that now contains business cards and a visitor register. It’s fun to read the reflections of those who comment on the weather, the beauty or the adventure of discovering this unique outpost. This mailbox has been here for more than 60 years that I am aware of but may well have been something used by early travelers who would leave mail at wilderness junctions with hopes that others would carry it on to a post office at some distant point of civilization. As we enter desert season, 17 Palms is one of the special places, rich with both human and natural history that is worthy of a visit. Early mornings and evenings are the most scenic here as the low-angle sunlight enhances the maze-like landscape. Four-wheel drive is required to make the 3.5-mile drive southeast from County Road S-22. Soft sand and rocks will be encountered. Turn off S-22, also known as the Borrego-Salton Seaway, at Laguna Salado Campground, about 16 miles east of Borrego Springs. It’s about 3.5 miles to the oasis in a little side canyon to the right of the main road. Bring a picnic, camera and plenty of water. Get a copy of “California Desert Trails” and let your imagination take you back a century and to the lone traveler who came here by horseback. Chase died in 1923 and is buried in the shadow of Mount San Jacinto near Palm Springs. Who’s in my garden? As winter approaches, you may notice some different visitors in your garden. I just received an email from a reader asking about a bird he saw briefly, “that had a yellow patch on its back?” He was getting a glimpse of a yellow-rumped warbler, which is one of our most common winter visitors, having migrated here from as far north as the Arctic Circle. This is an easy bird to identify, about the size of a small sparrow, with a gray head, and bright patches of yellow on the throat, chest and at the base of the tail. The tail patch is easily spotted as the bird flies away and is also the source of the bird’s “Butter Butt” nickname. You won’t see yellow-rumped warblers at your seed feeders because they prefer insects, but they will eagerly use your bird bath. These colorful little visitors will be here until they begin their journey north in March.
