Did a variation of the [v2 Anza-Hapaha Loop](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35361451) this past president’s day weekend.
[Fitting a hardtail, a rigid drop-bar mtb, a bunch of gear in the trunk, and 2 humans all in a Prius. ](https://preview.redd.it/sbq6ogppngkc1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c18c65c05701b0506059191a686b58418150bd3b)
Started out in Borrego Springs on day one, and took the Cactus Valley Rd and Mine Wash to reach Stagecoach RV park. We met another bikepacker who was taking a rest day at Stagecoach after climbing up Fish Creek the previous day. He gave us a tip for a great camping spot just up Pinyon Mountain Rd.
[Very green ocotillo along Cactus Valley Rd](https://preview.redd.it/gmhxo4pvngkc1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04d4e180e296d353ed63dc50e7696aca1d65a0a0)
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[View from the campsite just up Pinyon Mtn Rd](https://preview.redd.it/zhe2z36yngkc1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=624e945385e55721744fbfc318be0d60af885e77)
The start to the second day was rough in Pinyon Mountain Rd–a lot of looser, steeper ups and downs, and the final kicker was the Pinyon drop-off/Heart attack hill. It was difficult enough to walk the bikes down, and it’s almost unimaginable that 4x4s drive down it, except they totally do.
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https://preview.redd.it/uu9ulb7ntgkc1.png?width=493&format=png&auto=webp&s=24680cd52cb8976a31d4af0d1c8252efad727617
[Too bad cameras flatten elevation](https://preview.redd.it/6lsx9ishtgkc1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68192149b0e9a2591509a187105721eef7139023)
We camped in Fish Creek for the second night. We had hoped to reach the primitive campsite, but there was a staged area with a fire pit that surprisingly was unclaimed by 4.30pm that day. We were tired enough to set camp there, and after seeing that the primitive campsite is very open/exposed, we were glad to have stayed the night where we did.
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[Anza Borrego’s landscapes that make you feel microscropic](https://preview.redd.it/6dspmprltgkc1.png?width=874&format=png&auto=webp&s=2fa9f4918cdc33dc7fe1985e11cdd03d04c4d0a3)
[Setting up camp. The acoustics in the canyon were very good. Right around the corner before the cliffs started, a couple was playing a guitar and singing, and you could hear them echo very clearly.](https://preview.redd.it/b7hi6k3ktgkc1.png?width=874&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c033921877e3cc5f0d28fcd6cc66672366a7f05)
We skipped Old Kane Springs Rd and Cactus Valley Rd on the last day, and opted for some pavement so that we would still make it back to the car in daylight. The going was a lot slower than we anticipated. I rode a Ritchey Timberwolf with 2.2″ (which measured 2.5″ on my rims), and my partner rode a Kona Sutra with 2″, 2.1″ tyres. I could have aired down more, but these tyres just about made riding in the sand doable.
Hwy 78 shoulders were very narrow with most of the traffic being large toy haulers. Coupled with the brutal headwind, it was not exactly easy pavement mileage. Stopped by Desert Ironwood Resort for some cup noodle lunch, a bottle of powerade, and a pint of ice cream.
[Cool clouds kind of make up for the wind, I suppose](https://preview.redd.it/5qrm48iwtgkc1.png?width=872&format=png&auto=webp&s=e1d5cd3eecb80ab3e0437b586a474a7b38ed7f52)
Overall still a great trip!
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by PATotkaca