After exiting Anza-Borrego, I made my way south and east to come up along the eastern side of the Salton Sea. This was a good call, as there was a stagnant high pressure system that was bringing the wind out of the east. The sea is made up of water from the new river, out of mexico and from irrigation drainage. There is no outlet. The odor that eminates from the sea is comparable to the pungent red tide blooms I recall in Florida. I had caught a whiff of this during some of my time in Anza-Borrego, and so had rightfully strategized an eastern route may put me upwind of it. Thankfully, this was the case. I made camp early evening at Caravina, which is just a parking lot at waters edge. The waterfowl here was really great. The white pelicans were doing harbor patrol floatilas, and the various herons were fishing from the shoreline. There were a myriad makeup of other various waterfowl coming and going, but I did not notice any snow geese or storks. If I had visited one of the nature preserves at the southern end, perhaps I would have. A beautiful evening with a pleasant breeze and full (?) moon. The sea is dead still and the lights from the west side and moon glisten upon the surface. As long as I make little noise, I am entertained by the squawking and other going ons of the herons as they fish late into the night.
For those who do not know the history of the sea, it (at least the most current body) was formed when a irrigation channel was breached and flooded this low lying basin (228 feet below sea level) in 1905. The Colorado river was allowed to pour in for some 16 months, before the breach was repaired. Because there is no outlet, and the only dissipation of the water is through evaporation, the salinity level continues to grow. It is presently 25 % saltier than the ocean. There is a huge debate and PR campaign on what can be done to save the sea, at the same time an effort is underway to create a sewage sludge dumping grounds from Los Angeles. It is an incredible agriculture region, pulling water from the colorado. It is odd to see such greenery at the boundery and contained within a desert a region. Amongst the PR "propaganda is the boasting of the great boating due to the high salinity. Better bouyancy means greater speeds with less effort when kayaking. Taking a good look at the water (color of diluted chocolate milk with evidence of birds, algaes and things I do not care to speculate on...) in the morning...not a chance of me setting foot or kayak here. The sea also contains a large fishery, but again...
Anyways, glad I can say "been there, done that", and down the road I go...
For those who do not know the history of the sea, it (at least the most current body) was formed when a irrigation channel was breached and flooded this low lying basin (228 feet below sea level) in 1905. The Colorado river was allowed to pour in for some 16 months, before the breach was repaired. Because there is no outlet, and the only dissipation of the water is through evaporation, the salinity level continues to grow. It is presently 25 % saltier than the ocean. There is a huge debate and PR campaign on what can be done to save the sea, at the same time an effort is underway to create a sewage sludge dumping grounds from Los Angeles. It is an incredible agriculture region, pulling water from the colorado. It is odd to see such greenery at the boundery and contained within a desert a region. Amongst the PR "propaganda is the boasting of the great boating due to the high salinity. Better bouyancy means greater speeds with less effort when kayaking. Taking a good look at the water (color of diluted chocolate milk with evidence of birds, algaes and things I do not care to speculate on...) in the morning...not a chance of me setting foot or kayak here. The sea also contains a large fishery, but again...
Anyways, glad I can say "been there, done that", and down the road I go...
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