Arroyo Tapiado Mud Caves
The mud caves had been on my radar for quite some time, but it’s the kind of place that should only be visited in cool weather and when there is no recent or pending rainfall.
Those conditions were met one early spring weekend and so we headed out to the wondrous Anza Borrego desert. We arrived at sunset and it felt as if we had landed on another planet.
Once the sun was completely down it enhanced the sensation of clear stars combined with absolute silence. The stunning ancient mounds held the promise of untold secrets.
Making our camp here became a truly memorable and unique experience. The boys had a beat-box and flute jam session inside one of the caves during candlelight, while I watched and filmed.
The night was cold and windy but that didn’t stop us from exploring what truly felt like Mars or some other desert planet. Within the silence and solitude we were aware of the presence of mysticism and spirituality.
After all, these caves have been around for millions of years, and spent many of those years under sea!
We started the next day with a delicious cook-off which should be part of every camping trip in my opinion. I’m a firm believer that the best experiences touch on all senses! Once we were nourished we began exploring.
I will let the page speak for the caves mostly as I have already posted about them in detail. I will just say that if you do head out here, be safe, be overly-prepared for any type of scenario that can happen in the desert and be respectful of this land, leaving it for others as you found it.
Jacob’s Cave
This spot made it onto the list because of the journey, not the destination. What seemed like a mere 10 minute hike ended up being a 1 hour hike, with us blindingly attempting to track what we had seen from the highway through brush and no trail.
We did not prepare correctly for this trip and had no water for the hike back. It was just grueling. But lo and behold, we found a cave that is said to date back to the Kumeyaay days and was used for shelter.
We found a much easier way back, so who knows, maybe we’ll journey back another day and have a picnic!