Lake Morena County Park

We arrived at the Lake Morena County Park in the early afternoon on the 23^rd of January.  We spent some time here last year and enjoyed the quiet, rustic park.  This year the weather was wonderful when we arrived but as the day went on, clouds began forming and the winds picked up.  

Lake Morena County Park

By 4:30 PM, we were told the area was under a red flag warning and no fires were allowed.  The area was experiencing Santa Anna Winds, coming from the East.  The winds became stronger as the evening wore on.  I woke up several times during the night to the sound of winds whistling by and a shaking the trailer.  It was kind of exciting.

The next day, Friday was cool and cloudy. In the morning, we went for a nice run around the lake.  We hadn’t really intended to run around the lake through the sand and scrub but we took a wrong turn and it ended up that way.  We eventually found the dirt road we had planned to run on and I was happy about that.  Happy because for 5 years I have been operating under the false impression that creepy crawly things, like rattle snakes hibernate in the winter.  Silly me. This year, just to pass time while waiting for my turn checking in at the park, I asked the park ranger about rattlesnakes.  I learned that snakes don’t hibernate.  She suggested safety precautions for me to follow in the desert.  I wish I hadn’t asked her.  Ignorance is bliss.  We did make our way back to the dirt road we had intended to run on in the first place.  Doug warmed his hands along the way;)

Lake Morena County Park is about as close to the Mexican border as you can get without being on it.  It sits on the shores of the lake made by the Morena Damn that holds water for San Diego.  It is a very old damn and the water levels are very low right now due to the drought.  I believe the southern terminus for the Pacific Crest Trail is in Campo, California which is just north of the Mexican Border.  Lake Morena is 6 miles from Campo.  The PCT passes right though the Lake Morena Camp Ground.  Doug, Cessna  and I went for a nice long walk on the trail in the afternoon on Friday the 24th.  The trail is sandy and rocky and much of the vegetation is in the winter cycle.  We found a few flowers and signs of life along the way.   The trail is easy to walk and the scenery was dramatic.