Under the Borrego Sky

A blog about everyday life in Borrego Springs, California.

October 15, 2026

The Curious Things I Notice in Borrego Springs

I’m fairly new to Borrego Springs. Plenty of folks here have lived in town for 20 years or more, or all of their lives.

Me? I’ve been here just shy of two years. That’s still a newbie in these parts (at least that’s what it feels like).

Although I’m rather settled in now, there is still so much I don’t know about this unique place in the desert.

I’m still learning day by day, and there are places around town that make me curious.

The Grape Trellises on Di Giorgio Road

A field of weathered wooden grape trellises stretching across dry desert brush in Borrego Springs, with charred ground in the foreground and distant hills under a clear blue sky.

When I drive past or ride my bike along Di Giorgio Road, the weathered wooden grape trellises that stretch off into the distance always grab my attention.

To me, they kind of look like a field of crooked crosses stretching out across the landscape. At dusk, I’d say they are even a little eerie, like the backdrop of a horror movie.

They look very old. Why are they still here? Who owns this land?

The Dead Palms

Outdoor daytime view of palm trees with heavy skirts of fibrous dead fronds standing in dry desert terrain with distant mountains.

Then there are the stands of dead palms. While an eyesore to some (including me if I’m being entirely honest), they seem to be attracting life.

I often see birds flying overhead and have spotted coyotes and mice coming out of the undergrowth. Is that why no one has cut them down? Or does it have something to do with leaving them as a windbreak?

The Golf Course

A wide desert landscape under a clear blue sky with a few scattered white clouds and distant mountains. The foreground features low, dry desert scrub brush, while the mid-ground is filled with a dense line of dozens of dead palm trees, mostly stripped bare trunks with a few surviving palms on the left. — The golf course in 2017 vs. today (in the distance).

There’s also the golf course behind Borrego Springs Resort & Spa, which closed in 2019.

The water was turned off that year, and the desert has since reclaimed the land.

My husband used to golf this course, once with his dad who had traveled to Southern California from Oregon for a visit.

“It was a great course,” he’s told me.

Are there any plans to bring it back one day? We’d sure love to see that, provided there’s enough water to support it.

The Old Structures Near Coyote Canyon

A weathered and abandoned desert structure sits under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds, surrounded by dense tangles of dead, gray mesquite brush and trees. The single-story building features plywood walls, an open-beam roof structure, and a mountainous desert range in the background.

A faded, hand-painted “PINK GRAPEFRUIT” sign on corrugated metal with an arrow pointing left.

Near Coyote Canyon, a popular destination during the cooler months, a dilapidated wooden structure still stands, surrounded by trees and brush that died off long ago.

On the other side of the road (not pictured) is an old, abandoned house that’s in similar shape. It sits behind a large sign with PINK GRAPEFRUIT written on it and an arrow.

Most people drive right by these on their way to Coyote Canyon. Me? I do as well, but I’m curious what the backstory is. Did someone live in that house at one time? Did they sell pink grapefruit across the road?