I made the 200+ mile drive to Borrego Springs, California to see the famous metal sculptures of Ricardo Breceda. To arrive at sunrise, I had to leave home at 3:00 am. Sunrise provides great lighting for photographing these wonderful works of art. It also allowed me to avoid the rush hour traffic. There are 129 examples of Ricardo’s imagination at this location including a 350-foot Sea Serpent with the head of a Chinese dragon and the tail of a Rattle Snake! The Sea Serpent took 3 months to design and another 3 months to install. It has more than 1,000 scales and was the 129th metal sculpture to be installed in Galleta Meadows. The late Dennis Avery, land owner of Galleta Meadows Estates in Borrego Springs envisioned “free standing art” on his property. The first installations 3 giant tusked gomphotheres (ancient members of the elephant family) were installed in the spring of 2008 and the Borrego Springs project was completed in 2010. Mr. Avery was able to play Disneyland for a couple of years to the joy of the community and travelers from around the world that come to see Ricardo’s creations.
I was able to purchase a Sunbelt Waterproof Pocket Guide: Sky Art Metal Sculptures of Borrego Valley, CA second edition on Amazon.com a few months before my trip. It’s a very useful tool with the locations of all of the art and sample pictures of what you can see at each location. Don’t worry it won’t spoil anything and there is so much more to see in person. Note: a number of the sculptures are on dirt roads a significant distance from the main road. I was able to navigate the dirt roads in my Smart car. However, it was clear that flash flooding impacted some of the dirt pathways. Drive slowly and watch out for exposed rocks!
Remember you are in the desert, walking to all of them might be too much depending on the temperatures. Make sure you have plenty of water regardless.
I was fortunate, temperatures during my visit were in the upper 70’s and low 80’s. I started my photo session a little before 7:00 am and didn’t finish until 12:30 pm. There are sites at the south end of the valley that are the furthest from the main road. Trust me you won’t want to miss them, so allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy.
I started at the North end of Borrego Springs Road. Yes, I had to see the Sea Serpent first. You will want to take a tripod and a camera with a self-timer to get all of your party in the picture. Unless you have a 25 foot or longer selfie stick with your iPhone! You won’t be able to get the true feeling of the size of these sculptures without someone in the picture for a point of reference. They are truly awesome!
There’s a Sea Serpent around here somewhere!
Next a left on San Ysidro Road to visit Llama and Camelids. The ancestral Llama evolved in North America and scattered into South America where its descendants are still found. Fossils of the Camelid family are the second most commonly found fossils in Anza-Borrego after horses.
A short drive north on Borrego Springs Road just before Henderson Canyon Drive you will find African Elephants to your left. At Henderson there is a lot to see: a Jeep – representing a 1946 Willys CJ-3A, a Spanish Padre – representing Francisco Garces’ and/or Pedro Font spiritual leaders on the 1774 & 1775-6 Anza expeditions to California, respectively; an Indian head and bust – Indians played a major role in expeditions to Anza in California in the 1770’s, an Arizona Sonora Desert Saguaro, and a number of Giant Tortoise.
There is an entrance to a Private Development – Indian Head Ranch, which is Galleta Parkway. The gates were open and I was able to enter to see the exhibits on Galleta Parkway and Stagecoach Way. After Stagecoach Way Galleta Parkway is marked Private No Trespassing. The gated entrance on Henderson is a little confusing. I didn’t see a street sign indicating it was Galleta Parkway. Due to its location and no other roads I knew it had to be. The first sculptures on the right are Sabretooth Cats, followed by a family of Merriam Tapier. Tapirus Merriami appeared 40 million years ago. Their closest relatives are horses and rhinoceroses. Next a couple of scary Velociraptors and two Giant Tortoise. Immediately on the left hand side of the street are two adult Peccary. The mother nursing four of her children.
Turn left on Stagecoach Way and you are in for a real treat – a prospector with his mule and Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. The high level of detail to the gold miner, his mule and gear are outstanding! Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is one of the last refuges of this federally endangered Peninsular Bighorn species. There are numerous sheep all over this mini valley. You’ll want to check out each one. Ricardo Breceda’s creations are really remarkable.
I made my way back to Borrego Springs Road heading south I stopped at Big Horn Road (I skipped this street earlier to visit the Sea Serpent first). On the left you will find Giant Harlan Ground Sloths, more Camelops and a Shasta Ground Sloth. Directly across Big Horn Road you will discover some huge Gomphotheres – elephant like animals with 4 tusks that date back 9 million years, and a mother Camelop with a nursing child. The same side of the road a little further east you will find a gigantic grasshopper and scorpion preparing to battle. I couldn’t resist a terrified pose in front of the grasshopper. It reminded me of that old black & white 1950’s Science Fiction movie with Peter Graves and the attacking Giant Grasshoppers. Continuing east on the same side of Big Horn Road are metal dedications to farm works harvesting grapes in the Borrego Valley. Getting back on Borrego Springs Road head south to Christmas Circle and check out Capt. Juan Bautista De Anza Park. You will find Ricardo Breceda’s sculpture of the Captain proudly riding his horse in exploration.
Inside the mouth of a Gomphothere.
I hope you enjoyed the sampling of pictures. I deliberating left out many because you really must see them in person yourself. This article covered my trip from the center of town and north. I will cover the south part of the valley in my next installment coming soon! Preview picture below.
Where are the Dinosaurs?
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