Day 36 – May 9

We arose at 7:00 to a beautiful clear calm morning and even at that hour could feel the heat of the desert rising, unabated by the winds of the previous afternoon. Our plan was to take the trail to the canyon oasis and then head out by noon for San Diego to avoid rush hour traffic as we approached the city. Carla had seen an oasis before and decided to stay at the campsite. The rest of us got started out at a reasonable hour to avoid the heat and to keep to schedule but due to very poor signage, i.e. none in the park and a somewhat ambiguous map we spent about half an hour trying to find the trail head which in hindsight was strange as we were in a flat desert and could see the canyon beyond.

At the trail head warning signs advised that we should have a gallon of water each person for the 3 mile round trip. At best we had a litre each, which, it occurred to me, meant that either we could only go one quarter of the distance, we were going to die of thirst on the way or the sign was wrong. We proceeded on, hoping for the latter rather than impending desiccation.

The walk was well marked and although not highly challenging did require paying careful attention to our footing as we moved through some very rocky areas. It has been interesting on all our walks in these arid climates, how little we sweat. The moisture evaporates so quickly from our exposed skin that it is only in areas that are protected from the air, such as under hats and behind backpacks, where clothes get damp.

Heading up the canyon

As we approached the oasis about an hour later we were struck with the sound of running water, a very unexpected sound in the parched landscape we were walking. As we followed the trail along the small stream we came to a little waterfall and then a large dense growth of palm trees that created a comfortable shaded and cool spot to stop. The area was full of bird life and much cooler than the trail, it literally was everything we expected to find in an oasis. The reality fully met our expectations of the cliche. We returned to the campsite to find Carla reading in the shade of a palm tree, very happy after having had a long Skype conversation with her mother.

The Oasis

We headed out somewhat later than expected and were on the road to San Diego by 1:00. Sean and Carla took the lead, with Sean at the wheel and Carla navigating, calling out the many turns in advance to the the two following rigs over our walkie talkies which gave us plenty of time to make the required lane changes.

The traffic intensified as we approached San Diego a couple of hours later and the lane changes and merges became more challenging. We all had several close calls as the local vehicles darted in and about us, seemingly oblivious to our signalled intentions. In more than one instance I had to resort to the cubic displacement rule, which basically goes, I am a lot bigger than you and I am coming over now, move or suffer the consequences. The bent fenders and scrapes on many of the cars was an indication that this rule was not fool proof. However after about 45 minutes of white knuckle driving Carla landed us on target with the accuracy of a space docking.

The next challenges was to get a spot as KOA had a two for one weekend special on and expected to be fully booked for the upcoming weekend. We settled for one promised night with possibility of a second, depending on no shows. After getting set up and catching our breath we followed the directions and recommendations of camp staff and took the bus/trolley system to the Old Town and had supper at Fred’s a Mexican food restaurant. Although somewhat of a chain, with music that was a little too loud for easy conversation the open air restaurant made for good people watching and had very good food at a reasonable price. Six of us ate good sized meals and had drinks, including tips for $150.

We made our way back to the KOA retracing our route with the exception of the last leg where we had to resort to taxis as the last bus route stopped service early in the evening.