I used to meet my friend for hiking and birding when she was a part of the Bluebird Inn. Really great stuff to go with someone with lots of local knowledge...
The Palm Canyon hike in Anza Borrego is probably my favorite. There's a 'palm canyon' just north of me. The two of them are thought to be the two places that palm trees survived the last ice age. The AB version is more pleasing, I think.
RE: There and Back