Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California
This is the third in our three-part series of hikes in California's Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Today we follow naturist Jim Tighe on the Goat Canyon-Trestle Bridge hike, following an abandoned railroad. Jim was not the only naked guy to hike this trail, as evidenced by the rock graffiti "Caution naked ppl." Jim started his hike from the DeAnza Springs Resort next to the park, which was a clothing-optional resort, so there have been lots of nude hikers. Unfortunately, in 2023 the resort changed ownership and the new owners banned nudity.
Jim on the old railroad bed. The railroad originally connected San Diego to Yuma, Arizona.
An abandoned train sits on a siding. It's said to be haunted.
Jim enters the abandoned train.
Then Jim encounters this ghost of a naked cowboy! Just kidding. It's Travis, another Anza-Borrego hiker. (Travis did a separate hike; he didn't meet Jim.)
Back to Jim's hike, there are several tunnels along the route. This railroad was nicknamed "The Impossible Railroad" due to the challenges of constructing its many tunnels and trestles. This tunnel is short enough to see the "light at the end of the tunnel."
Jim emerging from a tunnel. One tunnel is half a mile long, so taking a flashlight is advised. At least one tunnel has collapsed, and the trail winds around the hillside to bypass it.
Jim stops for a snack in some welcome shade. Hiking here is not advised in the summer; there is little shade on the trail and summers get extremely hot.
Crossing one of the trestles.
The goal of the hike is the Goat Canyon Trestle, said to be the largest wooden curved trestle in the world. It is 600 feet long and 200 feet high.
We end with this photo of the Milky Way over the Sky Art Desert Sculpture Garden in Borrego Springs, a town completely surrounded by Anza-Borrego State Park (click on the photo for a larger view). The sculptures of dinosaurs were made by Ricardo Breceda. The land that time forgot?
5 comments:
#5 so cute TRAVIS!
Well, the trail is still parkland and nudity allowed, right?
But, fer cryin' out.... Why did someone have to mar the land with tagging?
Not for everyone, that's for sure.
That is the Carrizio Gorge railway to Goat Canyon Tresle. (just north of the Mexico border in California). The 3 carriages shown were ex CP Rail cars on the Montréal-Rigaud commuter rail line in Canada (transfered to CTCUM and then AMT). I very likely rode on at least 1 of those 3 carriages in the late 70s and 1980s. The were originally steam heated and converted to electric heat in their last years. No AC. They were replaced in early 1990s. Built in 1950s. A few years ago, they were still in pristine condition, but then graffiti got the better of them and 2 of the carriages were set on fire.
There are a couple of videos of one of the last trains to run this sub with some attempts to rescussitate it. Since then, some of the tunnels collapsed.
Nice foxy beard
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