1991 | Arroyo Tapiado, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
This canyon winds through a fascinating pseudokarst region; these hills are laced with subsurface streambeds forming complex mud-caves — some open-arched, like ruined cathedrals, some closed and vertical with single skylights, like shrines.
Visitors are advised to walk only on the ridges when exploring the mudhills from the top; there are caves below, and sinkholes which may have not yet broken through. I clearly remember a day on top with my desert regulars, when one of them said quietly, “David, your’e going up and down.” Quickly and very carefully, we tiptoed to the highest and firmest ground to regroup and plan a good route out.
Later, I climbed up with my view camera to find a lookout. Seeing this picture 30 years later, I can’t believe that’s where I parked my car. The protection of the shade seemed advantageous, but the sun filled it quickly, and I had been seriously ignorant of gravity.