29-Jan-2000 -- The 33ºN 116ºW confluence
seemed like it should be easy to reach, lying at the edge of a flat
ancient sea bed. The confluence also lies near the Southeast border of
the Ocotillo Wells Off-Highway Vehicle Area, opening it up to easy
access from two- and four-wheel vehicles of all types. Yet this point
was conspicuously absent from completed confluence lists of California.
The problem? The last 1/3 mile of the route to the confluence involves
a nearly 1000 foot climb up the steep, unstable fresh geology of Fish
Creek Mountains.
Leaving the road at the narrow-gauge mining railroad at the edge of
the OHV area, we walked south out along sandy flat terrain, occasionally
sprinkled with sea shells, until we reached the ancient sea shore. At
this point the route becomes littered with rocks and boulders, many
covered with remnants of moss and coral. Upon reaching the edge of the
mountains, the terrain became a very steep collection of loose rocks
that is not very fun to climb.
On the first, failed attempt to climb these mountains, Dan Bluestein
suggested using a small trail carved into a ridge to the east of the
confluence to reach the summit of the range, then heading back down a
less steep approach to the confluence itself. Dan’s plan was a good
one, though he could not come along for our final "assault."
After climbing the trail to approximately 1000 feet, the terrain became flat
enough for us to head out cross-country towards the confluence to the
west.
The confluence itself sits on the edge of a short, steep,
north-facing ridge. Poor satellite coverage and multipath interference
from the ridge limited my DGPS accuracy to +-20 feet, mostly in the
north-south direction. The confluence is along the second drop off on
the ridge at the right of picture 6 (where the sky is very yellow). It
is most likely actually a few feet below the rock shown in picture 1,
which is at the bottom of the short vertical drop-off between the first
and second steps in picture 6.
The view from the confluence is spectacular. The Imperial and lower
Coachella Valleys stretch out to the northeast and southeast. These
low, flat ancient sea beds are generally below sea-level, and stand in
sharp contrast to the dark San Jacinto mountain range to the
north-northwest, which rises to nearly 11,000 feet. Along the lower
parts of the Imperial Valley lies the Salton Sea. This sea, formed
accidentally in 1905 while trying to irrigate the lower Imperial Valley,
serves as a ghostly reminder of the ancient sea that once filled the
valley.