Borrego Springs - Orionid Meteor Shower

Borrego Days marks the official opening of the tourist season for Borrego Springs.  All the Pomp, Parade, Hoopla, Food and Fun that usually accompany this event have been Covid-Cancelled this year.

Christmas Circle sits empty, but the grass looks great!

However the Orionid Meteor Shower was not cancelled!  And I’m here with friends Doug and Marilyn for that.

We are parked in the NO Zone (no cell service) at Yaqui Pass.  It’s only attraction is the Kenyon Overlook Trail. 

We are setup on the west side of the camping area to have a better view to the east.

I brought my telescope for views of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in the evening sky.  The Orion Nebula,  the Pleiades and Venus after midnight. 

This was indeed one of the better meteor shower displays in years!  Totally worthy of many highlight reel events.   Again my new Lumix performed well at home, but not when it counted!  No night shots turned out, ... again!   I have to learn to change settings in the dark!

With Clark Lake permanently closed to boondocking, we decided to check out an old favorite of Doug’s.  The Vernon Whitaker Horse Camp.

It’s now $25 a night!  It’s been awhile since Doug has been here :)  Sites are spacious, horse corral for each site, showers, flush toilets, instead of doggy bags – wheel barrows and rakes are provided!  And it has cell service …

.

.

The dispersed campsite at Peg Leg Smith was empty!  And a brand new pit-toilet restroom has been added.  Nope not on the street side (where it should be), but smack-dap in the middle of the desired desert side.  OK I see the need for  it, with Clark Lake closed anyone hiking to the Snake will depart from deep in Peg Leg Smith, but not at the desert entrance … Who comes up with this stuff?

While we were there the Goleta Meadows sculpture areas were closed.  One of the messages from Borrego Days Zoom Meeting announced that all the sculptures are now open.  Masks required … The Friday Farmer’s Market is again open to be held at Christmas Circle Friday mornings.

There were Help Wanted signs at most locations.  Borrego Springs is used to shutting down during the summer and revamping every Fall.  Want to be a winter 'workcamper'?  Check out the openings in BS.  Jilbertos was popular, in the time it took to take this snapshot folks came and left with their carryout orders.

Carlee's seems to have figured out dine-in.  Always a popular spot, I'm not ready for dine-in.

I may have stayed longer, but both Doug and I have committed to be in Ventura Saturday.  It's time to hitch up and go.  

I  was home in time to attend the Zoom Meeting on the Borrego Springs Shadeway.  (The link is to a brief YouTube presentation.)

From the County Parks website:

Borrego Springs Shadeway

The Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is in preliminary planning stages to design and install a shadeway connecting Christmas Circle to Borrego Springs Park along Sunset Road. DPR staff will be reaching out to the Borrego Springs community this fall and winter through a series of virtual events and online surveys to engage residents in the design process.

DPR is partnering with the Department of Public Works during the design and construction of the project because DPW is simultaneously working on a sidewalk project along Sunset Road.

DPR hosted our first public meeting on October 22. If you weren't able to attend, you can still participate online by viewing the pre-recorded presentation found within the  survey and sharing your preferences by November 5. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to hearing from you!

Survey

For more information about the project please contact Park Project Manager Stephanie Kopplin at (858) 966-1344 or Stephanie.Kopplin@sdcounty.ca.gov __________________________________________________________________

The comments in the Zoom Meeting were interesting … the locals do not see the need for it and would prefer to have more shade at Christmas Circle, although they do appreciate the new pedestrian crossings.   I agree Christmas Circle could use more shade!  It has FREE 4G, 4G LTE and 5G, but the only place to see the cell phone screen is out of the sun in the restroom.

And for refence I marked up a Google Map showing the pedestrian crossings in red and the Shadeway in violet.

And this is what I returned home to!  ARG!

The city is upgrading all the sewer and water systems less we become another Detroit, OK ... and I have been assigned the neighborhood fire hydrant! Lucky me ... Should I buy a Lottery Ticket?