Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch as seen from the Anza-Borrego Desert on October 7, 2018

The launch viewed behind some ocotillo along Highway 78 east of Old Kane Springs Road in Borrego Springs, California. According to the maps, this area is just barely outside of the boundaries of Anza- Borrego Desert State Park. This was another epic launch to watch. And the clouds made it even more interesting. I shot this with a Canon 6D and Tokina 17-35mm lens at 1 sec f/4 ISO 3200. The rocket that starred in tonight’s spectacular launch was the second of SpaceX’s next-generation Falcon 9, dubbed the Block 5, to refly. The veteran flyer had first delivered 10 Iridium NEXT communications satellites into orbit on July 25.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch as seen from the Anza-Borrego Desert on October 7, 2018

The launch viewed behind some ocotillo along Highway 78 east of Old Kane Springs Road in Borrego Springs, California. According to the maps, this area is just barely outside of the boundaries of Anza- Borrego Desert State Park. This was another epic launch to watch. And the clouds made it even more interesting. I shot this with a Canon 6D and Tokina 17-35mm lens at 1 sec f/4 ISO 3200. The rocket that starred in tonight’s spectacular launch was the second of SpaceX’s next-generation Falcon 9, dubbed the Block 5, to refly. The veteran flyer had first delivered 10 Iridium NEXT communications satellites into orbit on July 25.

Twilight New Moon

No Edward or Jacob here - just the nearly new (2%) moon setting over a mountain west of Borrego Springs at twilight tonight. I shot this on the shoulder of the Borrego Salton Seaway near Rockhouse Trail with a Canon 6D and Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary lens at 1/50 sec f/6.3 ISO 1600 on my way home from camping. #moon #crescentmoon #california #desert #mountains #twilight #moonset

Deserted In the Desert - New Favorite Campsite In Anza-Borrego. Panorama.

Panorama of my camper and truck at my new favorite Anza-Borrego Desert campsite during twilight. While there were no clouds in the sky and an otherwise boring sunset, I like the nice colors that Mother Nature provided here. This panorama was produced by combining several vertical frames shots with a Canon 6D and Tokina 17-35mm lens at 1/8 sec f/6.3 ISO 400 21mm. Instead of always camping at one of my usual spots, I decided to explore and find a new location. While I've been visiting Anza-Borrego for many years, the park is so big that there is always something new to be discovered. Since this location is in the high desert at about 2500 feet, temperatures were quite tolerable. During the day the temperature maxed out at 95° F, but the humidity was extremely low. This made it quite tolerable to be outdoors in the shade under my awning. Also, my swamp cooler worked very well under these condition. After midnight, the temperature dropped below 70° F.

Deserted In the Desert - New Favorite Campsite In Anza-Borrego

Panorama of my camper and truck at my new favorite Anza-Borrego Desert campsite during twilight. While there were no clouds in the sky and an otherwise boring sunset, I like the nice colors that Mother Nature provided here. Shot with a Canon 6D and Tokina 17-35mm lens at 1/8 sec f/6.3 ISO 400 21mm. Instead of always camping at one of my usual spots, I decided to explore and find a new location. While I've been visiting Anza-Borrego for many years, the park is so big that there is always something new to be discovered. Since this location is in the high desert at about 2500 feet, temperatures were quite tolerable. During the day the temperature maxed out at 95° F, but the humidity was extremely low. This made it quite tolerable to be outdoors in the shade under my awning. Also, my swamp cooler worked very well under these condition. After midnight, the temperature dropped below 70° F.

Milky Way With Moonlit Foreground In the Anza-Borrego Desert 1

Faint Milky Way (due to the moon rising behind the camera and lighting up the sky) above some agave, ocotillo, and other desert plants in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Mountains in the background. Shot with a Canon 6D and Mitakon 35mm f/2 lens at 13 sec f/2.8 ISO 4000. This was my first real test of my new homemade thermoelectric camera cooling box. There's a noticeable decrease in noise - despite the night being warm and shooting at ISO 4000. I found some air leaks in the cooling box and have since plugged them. Going to do a second round of testing tonight. I wish I had moved the composition slightly to the right - so as to not cut off the ocotillo - and down a little bit as well, but it was quite dark out when I first started shooting this scene (this is a frame from a timelapse sequence).

Milky Way With Moonlit Foreground In the Anza-Borrego Desert 2

Faint Milky Way (due to the moon rising behind the camera and lighting up the sky) above some agave, ocotillo, and other desert plants in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Mountains in the background. Shot with a Canon 6D and Mitakon 35mm f/2 lens at 13 sec f/2.8 ISO 4000. This was my first real test of my new homemade thermoelectric camera cooling box. There's a noticeable decrease in noise - despite the night being warm and shooting at ISO 4000. I found some air leaks in the cooling box and have since plugged them. Going to do a second round of testing tonight. I wish I had moved the composition slightly to the right - so as to not cut off the ocotillo - and down a little bit as well, but it was quite dark out when I first started shooting this scene (this is a frame from a timelapse sequence).

Milky Way Over Dos Cabezas Siding in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Panorama

The air temperature was around 95°F, so I had to do a fair amount of noise reduction in post-production. To improve the quality of my future hot weather long exposures, I'm currently building a thermoelectric camera cooling system. Basically it works like a miniature air conditioner for my camera. More details on this project in the near future. This panoramic image was made from 49 frames shot with a Canon 6D and Mitakon 35mm f/2 lens at 15 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200. Because this lens is only 35mm, I had to shoot multiple levels of panning back and forth. This is my first multi-level panorama. Usually I shoot panoramas with my Sigma 15mm lens, but I wanted to try something different - plus get less distortion than I get when I shoot with the 15mm. The water tower seen here is part of the SD&AE and dates back to the age of steam locomotives. The San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway Company is a short-line American railroad originally founded in 1906 as the San Diego & Arizona Railway (SD&A) by sugar heir, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels. Dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" by many engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges involved, the line was established in part to provide San Diego with a direct rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern Pacific Railroad lines in El Centro, California. The SD&A's 146.4-mile (235.61 km) route originates in San Diego, California and terminates in El Centro, California. The Baja California Railroad has taken out a long-term lease of this line and plans to restore freight service in the near future. Rumor has it that the Baja California RR will be taking measures to keep explorers and hikers away from the Goat Canyon Trestle, the abandoned passenger cars near De Anza Springs, and other parts of this line in the very near future. While the portion you see here is in a public park, other portions of the line will be secured with gates on the tunnels, security patrols, etc.

The sky was all purple, there were no people runnin' everywhere

Panorama of the epic and ominous clouds seen from the Anza-Borrego Desert on the evening of July 11, 2018. I headed out to the desert in hopes of capturing some lightening. Unfortunately there was no lightning after sunset, but I got treated to some amazing clouds and sunset regardless. I shot this between Sweeny Pass and Canyon Sin Nombre in the southern portion of the park. Several vertical frames shot with a Canon 6D and Tokina 17-35mm lens at 10 sec f/6.3 ISO 400 17mm.

Star Trails In The Anza-Borrego Desert Under An 85% Moon

I explored an area of the Anza-Borrego Desert that I hadn't explored before and decided to shoot some star trails here. Can't wait to shoot the Milky Way around the time of the next new moon. I shot 282 frames each at 6 sec f/4 ISO 1000 22mm using a Canon 6D and Tokina 17-35mm lens and then stacked them using StarStaX.

Rocks, Milky Way, and Badlands In the Anza-Borrego Desert

The Milky Way and some nice rocks, ocotillo, and badlands in an area inside Split Mountain in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Shot with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens at 20 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200. Foreground illuminated by a Nichia 219BT LED.

On A Colorful Desert Highway...

Anza-Borrego Desert sunset over Highway 78 near the Banner Grade on the evening of June 15, 2018. This is a single frame the the timelapse video I posted the other day.

Sunset over Highway 78 just below the Banner Grade in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

A panorama of the colorful sunset seen on the evening of June 15, 2018 in southern California. To produce this panorama I shot 22 vertical frames with a Canon 6D and Tokina 17-35mm lens at 1.3 sec f/5 ISO 400. I then stitched the images together in Photoshop.

Camping Under the Milky Way In The Anza-Borrego Desert

My camper and truck in the desert at night last week. This is a single exposure shot with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens.

The Caves Have Eyes

The Milky Way above a sandstone rock that looks like a skull at the Anza-Borrego Desert Wind Caves. I illuminated the exterior of the sandstone caves using a white LED and the "eyes" are lit via an orange-red glowstick. Shot with a Canon 6D and Tokina 17-35mm lens at 28mm 20 sec f/4 ISO 3200. The weather conditions were prefect for shooting this night - almost no wind, clear skies, and very low humidity. "On the eastern edge of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park lies Split Mountain, the Carrizo Badlands, and a feature known as the Wind Caves. Here, the exposed sandstone of the marine beds from the five-million-year-old Imperial Formation have been slowly eroded by wind into fantastic shapes that evoke whimsical images of boats with portholes, spaceships, and even the fictional town of Bedrock, hometown of the prehistoric Flintstone family."[1] 1. San Diego Reader / The Canyoneers. Canyoneers are San Diego Natural History Museum volunteers trained to lead interpretive nature walks that teach appreciation for the great outdoors.

The Milky Way Rocks!

The Milky Way between some sandstone rocks among the Wind Caves in the Anza-Borrego Desert. I shot this image with my Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens at 15 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200. I illuminated the sandstone caves using a cheap LumeCube knockoff: NEEWER 160 LED CN-160 Dimmable Ultra High Power LED Light. I positioned the light on a hill in the distance behind my camera. The weather conditions were prefect for shooting this night - almost no wind, clear skies, and very low humidity. "On the eastern edge of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park lies Split Mountain, the Carrizo Badlands, and a feature known as the Wind Caves. Here, the exposed sandstone of the marine beds from the five-million-year-old Imperial Formation have been slowly eroded by wind into fantastic shapes that evoke whimsical images of boats with portholes, spaceships, and even the fictional town of Bedrock, hometown of the prehistoric Flintstone family."[1] 1. San Diego Reader / The Canyoneers. Canyoneers are San Diego Natural History Museum volunteers trained to lead interpretive nature walks that teach appreciation for the great outdoors.

They Climbed Aboard Their Starship And Headed For The Skies

Panorama of the Milky Way above some of the Wind Caves in the Anza-Borrego Desert. To produce this image, I shot 13 vertical frames with my Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens at 20 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200 and then stitched the images together in Lightroom. I illuminated the sandstone caves using a cheap LumeCube knockoff: NEEWER 160 LED CN-160 Dimmable Ultra High Power LED Light. I positioned the light on a hill a few hundred feet away. The weather conditions were prefect for shooting last night - almost no wind, clear skies, and very low humidity. "On the eastern edge of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park lies Split Mountain, the Carrizo Badlands, and a feature known as the Wind Caves. Here, the exposed sandstone of the marine beds from the five-million-year-old Imperial Formation have been slowly eroded by wind into fantastic shapes that evoke whimsical images of boats with portholes, spaceships, and even the fictional town of Bedrock, hometown of the prehistoric Flintstone family."[1] 1. San Diego Reader / The Canyoneers. Canyoneers are San Diego Natural History Museum volunteers trained to lead interpretive nature walks that teach appreciation for the great outdoors.

Camping Under A Colorful Sunset In The Anza-Borrego Desert

My camper and a nice sunset in the northeastern part of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Shot on April 21, 2018. And yes, I have color-changing LED lights inside my camper.

Camping Under the Milky Way At The Twilight's First Gleaming

I shot this about an hour before sunrise - as the sun was already starting to lighten the sky - on March 27, 2018 at Dos Cabezas Siding in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Shot with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG at f/2.8 15 sec ISO 3200.

Galactic Billiards In the Anza-Borrego Desert

Well, here's something one doesn't see in the desert every day: A pool table in the middle of the desert. This table is complete with balls, triangle, cues, and chalk. I decided to have some fun with this prop/trash/abstract art left behind. I gently illuminated the billiard table with an LED and then shot 15 vertical frames with my Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. I then stitched the frames together in Lightroom. I had to do a bit of work in Photoshop to minimize the extremely blown out light pollution from El Centro as well as make a few other adjustments. This is the finished product.

Rainbow colored clouds caused by a Navy submarine launch of The Trident II (D5) SLBM (missile)

Seen from Dos Cabezas Siding in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Originally thought to be noctilucent clouds.

Anza-Borrego Desert Rainbow

A rainbow and intense clouds above the badlands. The desert only received a few drops of rain from this storm. Shot on the morning of March 17, 2018 in the Split Mountain area of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Canon 6D.

Mystical Rainbow Sky In the Anza-Borrego Desert

Some mystical storm clouds above Mount Laguna and Julian west of the desert. The desert only received a few drops of rain from this storm. Shot on the morning of March 17, 2018 in the Split Mountain area of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Canon 6D and Sigma 150-600mm lens at about 360mm.

Star Trails Above Split Mountain In the Anza-Borrego Desert

I shot this from inside Split Mountain while camping with some photographer friends. To produce this image, I shot 91 frames each at 45 sec f/2.8 ISO 2000 with my Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. Shooting longer exposures at a lower ISO allowed me to bring out the colors in the stars a bit better. Frames stacked into star trails via StarStaX. Some clouds caused a bit of discoloration in the lower left half of the sky here.

Hi-Res Photo of the Pictographs Inside the Blue Sun Cave In the Anza-Borrego Desert

In the southern portion of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are some very colorful and fairly well-preserved Native American pictographs. The remote location and shade from the sun have managed to keep these paintings looking good after many years. These cave paintings are believed to be over 2000 years old.

Hi-Res Photo of the Pictographs Inside the Blue Sun Cave In the Anza-Borrego Desert

In the southern portion of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are some very colorful and fairly well-preserved Native American pictographs. The remote location and shade from the sun have managed to keep these paintings looking good after many years. These cave paintings are believed to be over 2000 years old.

Hi-Res Photo of the Pictographs Inside the Blue Sun Cave In the Anza-Borrego Desert

In the southern portion of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are some very colorful and fairly well-preserved Native American pictographs. The remote location and shade from the sun have managed to keep these paintings looking good after many years. These cave paintings are believed to be over 2000 years old.

Hi-Res Photo of the Pictographs Inside the Blue Sun Cave In the Anza-Borrego Desert

In the southern portion of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are some very colorful and fairly well-preserved Native American pictographs. The remote location and shade from the sun have managed to keep these paintings looking good after many years. These cave paintings are believed to be over 2000 years old.

Hi-Res Photo of the Pictographs Inside the Blue Sun Cave In the Anza-Borrego Desert

In the southern portion of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are some very colorful and fairly well-preserved Native American pictographs. The remote location and shade from the sun have managed to keep these paintings looking good after many years. These cave paintings are believed to be over 2000 years old.

Star Trails in Valley of the Moon in Jacumba, California

The moon was pretty full this night and did a nice job illuminating the landscape here. To produce this image I shot 411 frames each at 5 sec f/4.0 ISO 3200 with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG lens. I then stacked the frames in StarStaX. I then spent about 90 minutes removing airplane trails. I recently ventured out to Valley of the Moon for the first time. Getting here requires a vehicle with 4WD and high clearance. It also requires slow and careful driving. One must park and hike down a slightly overgrown wash for the last quarter mile. There's lots of interesting things to see here. I still want to go back and explore the mine and Smuggler's Cave. From what I've read, this cabin was still standing until about 20 years ago when some local tweakers burned it down. Now all that's left is the tin roof (rusted), kitchen sink, metal cabinetry, and some stone and cement water storage structures. While it was overall VERY windy in much of San Diego County, the wind at this location wasn't too bad, fortunately.