Agua Caliente County Park, California
January 21-23, 2010
A severe rain storm had caused us to stay put for a while but when we had a break in the rain, we made a dash for Agua Caliente County Park. Agua Caliente is located inland toward the southern desert area of California and though its not very far from San Diego, it feels like a world away from the coast. The park is made up of 910 acres of desert hills and fauna and has geothermally heated springs with indoor and outdoor pools to enjoy.
My Oh My, Did Someone Say Pie?
We discovered a small town called Julian, famous for their home made pies and we couldn't resist picking one up at
The Julian Pie Company!
Our Accommodations - Agua Caliente County Park
Agua Caliente means "hot water" and rightfully so, since Auga Caliente County Park is centered around a natural hot spring. The ideal location for waiting out a rain storm! The closest town is at least a 30 minute drive away so it was a very peaceful and isolated place with lots of good hiking in the surrounding area. After 6 days of rain, we finally had a sunny day. Hence, the following pictures were all taken after the rain cleared.
Geothermal Hotsprings
There are 3 hot spring pools including indoor and outdoor. We enjoyed the indoor pool almost everyday while we waited out the rain storm and often, we were the only ones in it. It was so relaxing!
Photo's from the Surrounding Area
After 6 days of being locked up in the trailer during the rain storm, we immediately sprang for a hike in the surrounding hills the minute we received a sunny day.
Identifying Local Cacti
We are slowly becoming better at identifying desert plants along our hikes.
Here is a sample of some common plants found in the desert.