On the following day, we drove out to the Anza-Borrego desert to see my friend Tom.

We stopped at a viewpoint on Montezuma Valley Road, and looked eastwards. The town of Borrego Springs was laid out below us.

Steve alerted me to the quiet of the desert, so I strained to listen. There were no bird calls or insect noises to break the spell. No breeze. No humming of machinery. Only the sound of blood pulsating through my ears. A deafening silence.....

Then we headed on down to Borrego Springs.

After we had lunch, Tom drove us out to Fonts Point, east of Borrego Springs. The terrain was amazing! Here's a view to the south-east.

View here is to the east. Salton Sea, a large inland saline lake, is in the distance.

View to the south-west. See the dry stream beds.

I call this the "grand canyon". View is to the west, and Borrego Springs can be seen in the distance.

I had known Tom on the eBay stamps chat board since 2001, back in the hair-raising days of the "Florida Forger"!

This ocotillo may look dead, but it is just biding its time till the next rain, when it will come into bloom.

Thankfully, Tom had taken us to Fonts Point in his 4-wheel drive, as our rental car would surely have become bogged in the sand!

Later, Tom showed us his block of land in Shelter Valley, to the south-west of Borrego Springs. He and I climbed the hill to enjoy sweeping views of the valley.

Meanwhile, Steve stayed below to watch the cars. It looks like something out of an ad for Dodge, but don't be fooled.....