Day 4: Brawley to Blythe

An impediment to human travel for centuries, our morning began by crossing the vast Algodones Sand Dunes (known to most simply as Glamis). 45 miles long and 6 miles wide, this “erg” - the technical term for a large collection of windswept sand covering a desert floor, is out of this world. Thought to be the remnants of a massive inland sea that covered the Imperial Valley until as late as the 1400’s, this spectacular sandbox is actually moving about 1 foot per year thanks to the prevailing westerlies. Star Wars fans might recognize it as the filming location of Tatooine from Return of the Jedi.

The sand gives way to jagged peaks, which in turn open up to a fertile valley surrounded by mountainous wilderness areas on all sides. Salvation from the harsh Sonoran Desert comes from the modest tail-end of the now diffused Colorado River, forming the natural barrier between California and Arizona. The town of Blythe, where we spent our last night in California, is so hot that the local baseball team, in an intimidation power-play, called the team… The Heat. You can expect temperatures well over 90 degrees for about half the year around here.