From Palm Springs, California we headed south to Jacumba, California, which is at the USA-Mexico border. The area is stunning because of the large eroded boulders strewn about the mountains.
Jacumba
Jacumba was an unmanned border crossing between Mexico and the USA, but it was closed in 1995 and a border fence now runs through the area. “Operation Gatekeeper” was implemented during the Presidency of Bill Clinton to halt illegal immigration. The Border Patrol are prevalent here. The flow of illegal immigrants and smugglers significantly lessened, after the Border Fence was built, only to move further east into the Arizona desert.
The crackdown of illegal immigrants and smugglers by “Operation Gatekeeper” came at a price significantly affecting the Mexican town of Jacume and American businesses along the border. There are numerous abandoned buildings, with the looming feeling of a ghost town.
We talked to a few of the less than 500 hardscrabble local residents. There is a pride in the history of the area, lack of economic growth, remoteness and it’s rugged beauty.
At almost 3000 feet elevation, Jacumba isn’t a snowbird destination. They head to Palm Springs, Quarzite, Phoenix or Tucson where the weather is warmer. Even though the campground was empty, all the amenities were still open. There was an indoor and outdoor pool, hot tub, sauna, tennis courts and gym.
There were numerous hiking trails that went for miles into the Anza-Borrego State Park and BLM land.
Jake enjoyed exploring a different trail everyday. It wasn’t the mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, rattlesnakes or scorpions we had trouble with; it was the damn jumping cholla which is a nasty cactus. A plastic comb was the best way to remove them from Jake’s feet.
The dog park was huge! Some RV park humor.
For years I have wanted to mountain bike the Carrizo Gorge Goat Canyon Trestle. It was a best kept secret among hikers and mountain bikers in San Diego County. It’s an abandoned railway that runs from San Diego to El Centro. In 2016 plans started to rebuild the railway, so no one is allowed to hike or bike the tracks. There are numerous tunnels to go though, requiring headlights. The initial tunnel had been gated, blocking the route. The local sheriff department regularly patrols the tracks issuing tickets for trespassing. Maybe one day, like in Kelowna, British Columbia, the state would take over the trestles and tunnels, charge for a daily use, and make the tracks pedestrian friendly.
We came across this peace sign while hiking.
