Going In Search of Blue Sun Cave: Part 1 of 3

There are countless indigenous pictographs/rock art in the Anza-Borrego Desert. One site that has captured my imagination for years is Blue Sun Cave. I recently went in search of it.

Time: 7:15 AM.

Temp: 53 degrees F.

Mortero Wash trailhead/kiosk to the water tower at Dos Cabezas station: 4.3 miles.

It was an easy pedal, slightly uphill most of the way. I decided to not drive because … why would I? Pedal and soak in the desert magic, was what I wanted. I had plenty of water for a day’s outing, along with food. Desert roads and washes on a fat bike, was my transportation mode and mindset.

I was not cold, despite the breeze that sometimes gusted up. Watching the land illuminate was welcomed entertainment. Silence, other than my breathing and the sound of my tires rolling over DG/sand, prevailed. Occasionally, I heard a birdsong.

Like many people, I did not grow up anywhere near a desert. Like many people, once I came to know the desert, it has become a part of me. I feel at home pedaling here. Of course, being prepared adds to that comfort. Knowing that the desert can be harsh and unforgiving, and respecting that knowledge, also adds to the comfort, meaning that risk-measurement and trying to manage for it, is all part of the desert experience.

The water tower came into view in less than an hour. Dos Cabezas Station was up ahead, an abandoned stopping point on The Impossible Railroad of yesterday. I descended from a slight ridge and made my way to the tower.

It appeared to be an obvious place to have a party. When I saw the disco ball, I thought of raves and bonfires and portable speakers and starry night skies. It all made me smile, the thought of “why not?” passing through. I looked again at the disco ball and thought: where there are disco balls, there are stories, some better left untold.

I thought of the Chinese who helped build the railroad, John D. Spreckels and his San Diego and Arizona Railway dream, and the Kumeyaay people and their ancestors. History was on my mind as the air warmed and my imagination wandered.

Parts 2 and 3 are forthcoming.