Drivin' thru the desert

We left Encinitas a little after 9 am today. It was sad to leave since we enjoyed being there so much. But life goes on...

We took the scenic route to Phoenix, driving through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. It was really a very interesting drive. First we had to cross a low (4000') range of mountains. In the mountains was an old mining town called Julian. We had heard of a great bakery in the area and we stopped at the Julian Cafe and Bakery. Lyn had apple pie a la mode and Lou had an apple muffin with butter. Wow, they were really good. Highly recommend this place for anyone traveling through. They have a real cowboy theme, right down to the water glasses looking like cowboy boots.

After coming down from the mountains, we entered the park. It was not as colorful as we had hoped. The octotillo were in bloom with a red flower at the end of the stalks. We also found a few cholla that had a small yellow flower, but that was about it. We had an enjoyable ride through the park.

Later we drove through the Imperial Sand Dunes. That was pretty neat, too. Finally we got to I-10 and the rest of the day was freeway driving to our hotel in Phoenix. Dinner at Applebee's tonight. Tomorrow we head for Albuquerque by way of Flagstaff.