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Elizabeth Weintraub
Photos of Palm Canyon Hike at Anza Borrego
For those of you contemplating a Palm Canyon Hike at Anza Borrego, my best advice to you is just DO IT. You will NOT be disappointed. Anza Borrego is the largest state park in California. This blog is about the Super Bloom of 2019 in Anza Borrego State Park, and all of the photos were shot on March 19, 2019.
We approached the Palm Canyon Hike trail at Anza Borrego State Park and saw a sign recommending that we carry at minimum 1 gallon of water per person. That seemed a bit excessive to my uniformed mind of how I would feel after hiking 3 miles over rocks, up steps, boulders, rough terrain and 6 river crossings on rocks. Good deal that my husband brought an entire portable bladder of water in his backpack because I ran out of my one liter of water on the way back.
And I am not a big water drinker.
Almost the entire hike was unreal. You simply cannot believe what your eyes are viewing. Toto, we are not in Sacramento anymore. Wildflowers explode everywhere. This is the Super Bloom that happens once every decade or so when seeds lie dormant in the desert, waiting for several years of hard rain in order to sprout. I thought Fonts Point was fascinating but the trip just kept getting better.
Although the trail starts out simple enough, soft sand and fabulous views, it quickly turns into narrow walking paths and the need to scramble over boulders.
Below are photos of the Palm Canyon Hike at Anza Borrego Desert State Park. You will see a road runner sitting on a pile of rocks. Visual evidence of tectonic plate thrusts. Beautiful yellow evening primrose flowers. A spiny granite lizard sunning himself. Desert sunflowers. A white-lined sphinx moth caterpillar near purple heliotrope. Stunning white ghost flowers. Pink Bigelow’s monkey-flowers. Purple canterbury bell flowers.
A couple of costa hummingbirds. Family of Big-Horn sheep on the ridge. Apricot mallow. Several Palm Canyon hike oases at the end of the loop. Ending with a photo of me in front at the Palm Canyon Hotel restaurant, exhausted and ready for lunch. Well worth the hike. Tremendous wildflower blooms and interesting wildlife.
Photos of Fonts Point at Anza Borrego Desert State Park
Would it surprise you to learn that Fonts Point at Anza Borrego Desert State Park is very much like the Badlands in North Dakota? Some people compare it to the Grand Canyon, but the Badlands were formed mostly by water, wind and freezing temperatures. Fonts Point was created mostly by water. Although it is windy, which is why I had to hold my hair off my face for this photo.
Another interesting fact, the shadow you see down the center is a dry creek bed that fills from winter rains. The hills are golden in the sunlight. We were there about 4 PM. If we had all the time in the world, we could have returned when the sun was a bit lower in the sky on another day to capture more color at sunset, but we had to get back to check into our hotel at the Borrego Springs Resort and Spa.
After our visit to the Salton Sea, we stopped by Fonts Point on our way back to town. Access is by a four-mile sandy road that is best navigated either on foot or via a four-wheel drive SUV. Fortunately, the smaller SUV my husband reserved at the airport was given away to some other traveler by mistake, so SIXT gave us a 7-passenger Buick Enclave. A huge monstrosity that could go anywhere.
Below are a series of photos I shot at Fonts Point at Anza Borrego. Included is a photo of an ocotillo, a cactus-like plant that is not a cactus. These are ubiquitous in Anza Borrego State Desert Park, and I want one for our yard in Hawaii. They survive without much water, maybe every 2 to 3 weeks they can use a drink. And in the spring, they bud out with beautiful red flowers on top.
Another fact you might not know is Anza Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in California! We came to witness the Super Bloom of wildflowers. Seeds lie dormant for years in the Colorado Desert, just waiting for just the right amount of water to give life.
A Visit to the Salton Sea
This photo is facing north on the eastern shores of the Salton Sea. If you look closely along the water’s edge, you will note thousands of tiny barnacle shells washed onto the sand.
It is 227 feet below sea level.
We ended up at the Salton Sea because check-in time at Borrego Springs Resort and Spa was 4 PM, so we decided to explore. Neither of us had been to the Salton Sea before. Knowing the sad story of this unique place, we felt we should check it out. To see what is left of what was once a celebrity-filled vacationland in the ’50s and ’60s.
To get to the Salton Sea State Recreation Park from Borrego Springs, you need to drive around the northern side to the eastern side of the lake. This photo is from Highway 86 on the western side. If you look closely, you can see the rows of palm trees planted near the water’s edge.
There are no motorized boats allowed on the Salton Sea, but you can go fishing if you want to drag a boat to the ramp. The main problem with this lake is the water is evaporating, which increases the salt content to such an extent (25% more than the ocean) that few types of fish can survive. Although Talapia do OK.
A plaque at the State Park Office said that Sonny Bono, before his death, had championed efforts to save the lake.
Such a unique place, home to more than 400 types of birds. It’s not just the salt content that is the problem, though, at the Salton Sea. Runoff from fertilizers and pesticides also contribute to the pollution.
There is not enough rainfall to sustain the lake because it was created by accident. The Colorado River swelled in 1904 and broke through canals, causing the flood that created this lake. Nobody figured out that it wasn’t sustainable.
So they started selling real estate like crazy, of course. Here is the Salton City Realty, still standing. This is not a place I would like to work. I recall the stories in the 1970s when I started working in real estate about the Salton Sea. Like Florida Swamp Land jokes. Way before I became a Sacramento Realtor.
Buyers Do Not Care What You Tell Them as Long As You Do
Buyers don’t care what you tell them as long as you tell them. That’s my opening statement when I hand home sellers a package of disclosures to complete. It’s the things you don’t tell a buyer that can come back to haunt you, not what you do say.
You take a neighborhood where I live and work like Land Park. Because I live in Land Park, I have intimate knowledge about the neighborhood, which agents who live outside of Land Park probably don’t know. If they don’t know, they can’t disclose those facts to a buyer. Although, it could probably be argued that they should know or should at least have asked questions of the seller.
On the front end of my marketing, I sell the delights of living in Land Park — the friendly neighbors, tree-canopied streets, fabulous restaurants and our special attractions such as William Land Park, the Sacramento Zoo, Fairy Tale Town, the Rock Garden, and Vic’s ice cream.
But there is also a downside — as there is with any neighborhood, I don’t care where you live. For example, I know which areas in Land Park routinely flood during a hard rain. I know where the feral cats, skunks, opossums and raccoons roam. Which streets get foot traffic and the origination of that traffic. When noise factors such as trains or freeways can be present. Parking ordinances. Which trees are protected. Selling homes in Land Park means more than what we used to call selling real estate in the old days: selling carpets and drapes. That used to be the definition of residential real estate sales in the 1970s.
The thing all Land Park agents know is after escrow closes, odds are something in that buyer’s new home will probably malfunction. And the minute it does, the buyer is likely to immediately jump to the conclusion that the seller knew about it and purposely withheld that information or concealed that defect. It’s human nature. We’re a suspicious bunch of people.
So, how do you bump up the odds that you won’t get sued after escrow closes? You hire an agent who can explain the inherent problems with some types of seller disclosures and can give you the right documents. You find an agent who knows the nuances of your neighborhood. I tell my sellers to disclose all material facts. If I know a material fact, I disclose it. I go into great detail about what a material fact is and why it’s important. I help sellers to recollect and disclose. We talk about the Transfer Disclosure Statement. Because buyers don’t care what you tell them as long as you do.
The other day a seller objected to a point I made in a disclosure. She wanted me to remove a sentence about the possibility that a neighbor’s dog might bark. No can do. The tenant told me the dog next door barked. I don’t know if the dog barks. The dog wasn’t barking in my presence. I noted that I did not hear the dog barking but the tenant said the dog barks and I will not investigate. This disclosure doesn’t appear in my marketing materials. It appears on the agent visual inspection, on which I obtain the buyer’s signature, along with a pile of other documents after offer acceptance.
I’m always thinking one step ahead of ways to protect my sellers yet conform to the law. That’s my job, and I take my job seriously.
The point is it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. I don’t want my sellers ever ending up in court. Not if I can help it. And I can. Because buyers don’t care what you tell them as long as you do.
Elizabeth is traveling today.
There is Not a Home for Every Buyer
Not only is there not a home for every buyer, but not every potential home buyer will buy a home in Sacramento this year, regardless of how much a buyer may yearn for a home. How do I know this? Because I speak with first-time home buyers who want to buy a home nearly every day. I listen to their wants and needs. From this information, I determine whether these buyers are realistic and motivated. See, a buyer can possess all the motivation and determination in the world, but if a buyer is stuck in fantasy land, the odds of buying a home are dramatically reduced.
I try to be non-judgmental. I know that buyers are not professional real estate agents and don’t possess intimate knowledge of the market. Part of my job is to educate buyers. Especially those who rely on Zillow or other websites that provide inaccurate information. Armed with knowledge, a buyer is then able to make an informed decision.
A few weeks ago, a buyer called to say she was unhappy with her agent because she wasn’t getting results. Since agents are generally in the real estate business to make a sale, it was entirely possible the problem wasn’t the agent. The buyer asked if I would research a particular home in Elk Grove. Her agent had shown her the property. She had not made an offer nor signed an exclusive buyer’s broker with this agent.
I called the listing agent. The agent had 5 offers, several of which were all-cash offers, and those all-cash offers exceeded the list price of $400,000. As with many listings that are very desirable, the home was definitely priced to drive multiple offers. Unfortunately, it makes little sense to compete in these types of situations if a buyer is unwilling to offer over the listed price. This is not a home for every buyer.
Then the buyer asked if she could buy this $400,000 home for $300,000. I explained all of the reasons why this type of approach was not going to work. Because this is not a home for every buyer.
A few hours later, the buyer emailed me to confess that she had gone back to see that home again with her agent. She was so overwhelmed with desire that she wrote an offer on the spot for $300,000. She asked if I would still work with her and show her other homes while she waits for an answer from the seller.
I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the buyer is not buying this home. This is almost too crazy for words.
Further, I am not in the business to swipe other agent’s clients. There’s enough business in Sacramento for everybody. I had explained earlier how real estate agents work and why this buyer should decide which buyer’s agent she wants to hire. She told me she really liked her agent but did not feel her agent could perform.
I suggested she stick with her agent. She performed contrary to her own best interests.
Elizabeth is traveling today.
