Our spring jaunt to this desert town in the middle of Anza Borrego State Park was intended an an opportunity to view the seasonal wildflowers. However, due to high winds and the caterpillar eruption, most of the flowers on the desert floor had disappeared by the time we arrived. We still had a great vacation and by hiking into Palm Canyon were able to view many, many brilliant blooms.

Our hike was superb although a bit of a struggle at times as the trail is minimally marked in places. Thank goodness we had our trekking poles as they were very welcome as we clambered over the large rocks in areas. Once we reached the palm tree oasis we were delighted to find such a cool and refreshing atmosphere. Take plenty of water as even on cooler spring days, the canyon gets quite warm.

One of the activities that was different and a lot of fun, was participating in the hawk count. Swainson's hawks migrate through the area in the spring and local naturalists host viewing sites in both the morning and evening. We were thrilled to get a close view of these magnificent birds.

Dining in the area was much better than expected. We breakfasted two days at Kendall's Cafe and really enjoyed the tasty meals and excellent service. We found the tamales and enchiladas at Carlitos to be delicious and again, service was friendly and courteous. Our splurge meal, which actually was very reasonably priced, was at the lovely Arches restaurant at the Borregos Spring Resort where we stayed for two nights.

This resort is an amazing deal in the spring. We paid only $117 for a beautiful room with every amenity we wanted. Both the pool and spa are lovely, clean and really appreciated after a day spent hiking in the desert.

Borrego Springs is an area we plan to visit again.