Tide Travels: The California desert escape you (probably) haven't heard of

And as the days in Juneau get increasingly colder and shorter, I especially get to yearning for sunnier horizons. And now, I can finally say we're in the home stretch to being there...

Unlike plenty of other places in the USA, California remains warm and generally pleasant even after fall Daylight Savings Time (and it's neighbor, Arizona, doesn't even participate in turning the clocks back). In fact, the park isn't even open during the summer months due to the extreme heat. Instead, the "off-season" is the perfect time to visit, with clear, mild days and crisp nights perfect for a campfire and snuggling into a sleeping bag.

However, for budget-conscious travelers like us, a trip to California's desert doesn't have to mean dropping big bucks in Palm Springs. Plus, after four days of city sightseeing, we were ready for some wide open horizons and solitude.

Mountains to the west of Anza Borrego

So in late November 2008, we drove two hours east of San Diego to Anza Borrego Desert State Park to stay at Agua Caliente County Park.

The Captain

Previously, we'd visited the more well-known Joshua Tree National Park (a three-hour drive to the north) on The Big Trip, but neither of us had been to Anza Borrego or Agua Caliente before. I'd read about the campground through the San Diego County Parks Web site while looking for camping options near San Diego and was impressed that the park not only had developed hot springs, but would allow us to finally enjoy some really warm weather. San Diego may have a comfortably mild climate, but November is definitely not "lay on the beach in a bikini" weather there (even if you can still wear flip flops).

Click here for a great guide to Agua Caliente with more photos.

Plus, the price to camp is only $24 for a tent site (no power). We were sold!

Check out our awesome campsite (site #128):

Agua Caliente County Park ~ November 2008

Later that evening we took a short drive out of the campground and stopped at the Agua Caliente General Store, a rustic beam and adobe-style building. Click here to see a really cool photo of it.

Pulling up in our rental car, we spotted a shirtless, bandana-wearing man chopping wood around the side of the building. He seemed to be in his late fifties or early sixties, but with the athleticism of someone much younger. He caught sight of us and called that he would be right in, followed by a well-placed swing of his axe and a loud crack.

Everything's a little wild in the desert.

Inside the store, we admired books on the flora and fauna of the local desert and California. We left with a bundle of mesquite wood for cooking that night and a tied bundle of local sage to burn at home (still being saved for the blessing of our future, more permanent home-to-be).

Desert sage

After staying at Agua Caliente for several nights we drove up to into the mountains near Julian to the next campground on our road trip, but met an unexpected rainstorm. With the desert only an hour drive away from where we'd come, we tucked tail and made a beeline for the sun again.

As it turned out, it was a holiday weekend and Agua Caliente had already filled up. So we weighed our options and decided to camp at a pull-off on the road. No one bothered us and we spent a peaceful night there in our tent.

Nights in Anza Borrego look like this: