Wind Caves

 The wind caves have been on my bucket list for a while and this year I finally was able to check them off my list. Originally I mistaken the Wind Caves for the Mud Caves until I conducted research. I didn't know there was more than one type of cave in the desert. I learn something new every day.

​We decided to start the year in nature, so we packed our bags and drove to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The idea was to camp overnight, welcome the new year and visit the wind caves the next day.  We have our overnight bag ready to go along with other necessities. With the Jeep packed, we headed to our local Yoshinoya for dinner. When we finished eating we decided not to stop at the grocery store to buy our lunch for the next day because it was already late and driving in the dark was not ideal. This was a big mistake.

When we arrived at the campsite we set the tent and just started to relax. Since we didn't stop at the grocery we couldn't start a fire, no firewood. We were fine until we realized we didn't bring drinking water. We only had one bottle to share between us. It's not like we didn't have any water at all. We did bring our water jug but that was for cleaning, so in case of an emergency, we could drink it. We also carry water purifiers too. Still comes to show you to check, check and double-check.

​While sitting in the dark waiting to welcome the New Year, my man set up his trail camera while I attempted some night photography. This past year I took a break from photography so I am a bit rusty. I was, however, able to take some decent shot of the night sky.

​We welcome the New Year and immediately went to sleep. It was much too cold to be outside. The temperature was around 40 degrees. In the early hours of the morning, we heard the yapping of coyotes not too far away. They woke me up twice during the night but nothing happened.
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When we woke up it was already late in the morning. We packed up and instead of heading to the wind caves we had to drive to Borrego Springs the nearby desert town to get food and water. By noon we were on our way to the wind caves.

​To get to the Wind Caves Trailhead, take Hwy 78 towards Ocotillo Wells. Turn into Split Mountain Road. While on Splint Mountain Road you will find Fish Creek Wash which is a dirt road that leads to Fish Creek Primitive Campground. Continue driving past the campground on Fish Creek Wash until you find the trailhead it's a little over 3 miles. The Trailhead will be marked.

Fish Creek Campground

Fish Creek Wash

 My original plan was to record the drive to the wind caves however my GoPro camera with stabilizer did not charge so I had to use my DSLR. The drive on Fish Creek Wash was beautiful and easy. We arrive at the trailhead and parked. I knew there would be a small elevation gain but to me, any elevation gain is hard work. Huffing and puffing, because I am not in great shape, I made it to the top just to find nothing. I was expecting flat ground after the initial climb but there was more climbing. In truth, the climb was not hard. I saw grandmothers on the trail so I know I was just being a big baby.

Wind Cave trail head sign

My man climbing the initial few steps of the trail

Yep, that's me

There are two sets of wind caves. We explored the first set for a while. We could hear children laughing and playing in the holes of the caves. We took a few photos and admired the view. At one point my man and I separated, he was laying on top of one of the caves while I took photos. I enjoyed every minute I was there. Surprisingly it was not windy at the caves however it was windy while walking on the trail.

First set of Wind Caves

Lizard's tail

Can you find the young boy sitting on the Wind Caves?

Surrounding area

Heading to the second set of Wind Caves

Second set of Wind Caves

When we reached the jeep a young couple who was walking close behind us asked if we could give them a ride back to the Fish Creek Campground. While the majority of the visitors to the wind caves had driven to the trailhead, they had walked and at this point were too tired to walk back to the campground. The Jeep was packed with our gear but we made room for them in the back.

Their names were Zack and Blue, one was from The Bay while the other was from Humboldt county. It seems this was a last-minute camping trip for them and they wanted to explore more of the desert. They were very friendly and thankful for the ride. We dropped them off at their campground and headed home.
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Overall we were very happy that we started the year in nature. I hope that we continue exploring through out the whole year.