Kofa National Wildlife Refuge sits between Quartzsite and Yuma, Arizona. From certain parts of the refuge, you can hear the explosion of ordinance from the neighboring military proving ground. This time, however, we intent to explore the heart of this 665,400 acres of Yuma desert and the refuge's namesake.
We pull into a deeply graveled parking lot and park next to a fellow truck camper. Only a vehicle with 4-wheel-drive could possibly navigate this lake of gravel. We watch several sedans and small trucks get dragged out while chatting with our fellow truck campers about campgrounds, storage, and cabover sleeping.
With plans to camp at Imperial Sand Dunes canceled, we find ourselves, late in the afternoon, wondering where we will spend the night. Fortunately, the ranger at Imperial Sand Dunes has some advice: check out Tumco Ghost Town in the Cargo Muchacho Mountains.
I had thought we would spend the night in Imperial Sand Dunes Recreational Area. What I hadn't anticipated was the park's extreme winds and camping permit prices.
And we are back on the road! This time, for are are traveling for some human-made scenery: the open air art gallery or East Jesus, in Slab City.
Arroyo Salado Primitive Campground, as the name implies, is a primitive campground. There are vaulted toilets, but any other convenience is up to you to bring. There is one thing that Arroyo Salado does have over other, more developed campgrounds in Anza-Borrego: an amazing view.
After big horn sheep, our second greatest interest is in hiking a slot canyon. Along with being on our way, Palm Slot Canyon is accessed by a rough road that requires 4-wheel-drive, which scratched our overlanding itch. Though, our eagerness to tackle such a challenge may have gotten us in trouble.
Sometimes, someone may set their keys on the drivers seat while they put on a jacket. Sometimes, another someone may lock the car, ready to begin a hike.
Like all road trippers, we have a long, long list of places that we "meant to visit" but never quite made it in the past. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park was one of those places for us for several years. I have a feeling that the anticipation will not leave us underwhelmed.
We arrive at this the Culp Valley Primitive Campground late at night. The sun set hours ago and the only light comes from a few dispersed campers already in position and a faint glow from the city's light pollution across the mountains. As with many primitive camping sites, there isn't a lot of signage to indicate where to go. After a bit of fumbling about, though, we managed to back into a little nook and settle in for the night.