Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center
This place has been my favorite so far (favorite from whole trip as I'm currently typing this) because I did not know what to expect when I heard 'research center' and it just felt like home. First off, as soon as we got there and were settling in, we go into this large, open room with these floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the beautiful mountains in the desert and we see a coyote just taking a stroll right in front of us. After that we saw hummingbirds and bunnies, it was so awesome. I really just fell in love with that place and not to mention how peaceful and safe it felt with the whole coronavirus pandemic going on.
3/13
It was weird that it being my favorite place, I also had my worst day from the whole trip there. However, I think it's because of how comfortable I felt there, it allowed me to let out my pent up emotions and anxiety. I have always believed that things happen for a reason, especially the bad things. Looking back, as shitty as that Friday was I realized how much closer I got to certain people on our trip because they were there to comfort me and help me get out of that hole I had put myself in. It really made me feel so good about the people I was with on the trip and how lucky I was to have these amazing friends in my life now. Also to note, I stayed behind that day from the group hike and was chilling at the research center by myself and I made a nice little set up by the windows in the lounge area by the bedrooms. As I was grudgingly trying to study for my Microbio test, I was blessed to see another coyote!! He was straight chillin with me as he roamed around the hill hunting for food. I knew he had seen me and I he knew that I knew he was there, but he stayed for a while anyways and it was the coolest thing ever. JUST CALL ME THE ANIMAL WHISPERER I saw a lot of little bunnies running around and butterflies, again, the most peaceful place ever.
3/14
Today, we went on a long ass hike. It was brutal to say the least, but the destination at the end of the first 3 miles of the hike was well worth it. The professors did say that it was gonna be a strenuous hike, but of course I did not believe them; big mistake (as if the name Hellhole Canyon didn't make it obvious). We saw a ton of teddy-bear cacti, agave, and brittlebush. The coolest thing we found was a desert rosy boa!! She was a beauty and was so calm with us. We ended up relocating her to a better place in the same area because there were a lot of kids running around and we were worried about her safety. When you finally reach the top of the hike, you're greeted with a tranquil little waterfall and we ate our lunch there; it made the strenuous hike up well worth it. I also want to note that as cute as the teddy bear cacti were in pictures, in person they are actually kind of scary. There's so many of them and they have these holes sometimes and ewwwww I just felt like they were a tiny army of scary cacti, not a fan. Also, some of us raced down the mountain because we were promised ice cream (they closed at 4pm, it was 1sh when we finished lunch & it prob had taken us two hours to get up there)...we are children. The ice-cream was well worth it though!
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