We visited the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge toward the end of March and…read moreunfortunately the timing did not work in our favor. It was already around 100 degrees, which made it too hot to venture out toward the lake. My son loves bird photography and uses a telephoto lens, so we were hoping to see more wildlife. Instead, we mostly stayed near the visitor center area. We did spot quite a few adorable cottontail bunnies resting in the shade. They dig little shallow pockets in the cool dirt, which was fun to watch. There were also a few birds chirping and some doves, but overall not much activity. The visitor center itself is small but nice and worth a quick stop. From what I have heard, this area can be amazing for migratory birds, but we did not see many during our visit. I am guessing earlier in the year or during the winter would be a much better time to go. It is also pretty out of the way, so not somewhere you will just casually swing by. Overall, it was an okay visit, but I would definitely plan for a cooler season next time. 3 stars

I just went for the first time from 9:30-12pm on Saturday 10/19/24. My main goal was to see…read moreburrowing owls and I was successful!!!! Unfortunately the visitor center was closed even though it was supposed to be open according to the posted hours. Luckily a couple walking their dog were very well informed and helpful! They told me volunteers man the visitor center in winter when the winter bird migration is happening. They said to return in 3 weeks (11/9/24) and there would be thousands of birds and the center should be open. I recommend waiting and coming then. The couple also told me how to find the burrowing owls, they live on the drainage ditches and their nests are labeled with a stick with a pink ribbon tied to it. You have to drive very slow or stop and wait to see them. Luckily there was a sign posted on the visitor center window with a map and "X's" drawn where the burrowing owl nests are. So I used that to drive around the dirt roads that are in grids in the farmland. I went to 4 near areas and two were occupied, one with a pair of burrowing owls and one with a single owl. I also saw a roadrunner, American kestrel, lots of egrets, quail, blackbirds, what looked like a prairie dog, and other birds. The visitor center area is considered "Unit 2." There is a 2 mile trail round trip called Rock Hill Trail that leads to the shore of the Salton Sea. I will do that next time. There is a huge two story observation deck, a shaded picnic area, a very nice restroom, and water dispenser. Unit 1 is 30 minutes away on the southwest edge of the lake. It has another huge two story observation deck, a toilet, a 0.7 mile hiking trail around a large pond with two photography blinds. I'll do that next time. This area will be great for waterfowl viewing when the winter migration occurs. I recommend stopping and taking pictures on the east side of the Salton Sea while driving to the southeast corner where the visitor center is. Once you're at the refuge there is pretty much no view of the lake, same with Unit 1. Next time I also want to explore Salton City. I got a hotel in Palm Springs for the night but it is 1 hour 45 minutes away! So next time I will stay in the a hotel in Brawley. It takes a lot of time to explore this whole area and bird watch.

Great spot to catch some geothermal live action. Steam…read morevents hissing and mud pots sputtering. Cool mini volcanos in the middle of nowhere. There are a couple geothermal power plants taking advantage of the massive pent up energy in this area.

5 stars for seeing something new, but 2 stars for the fact that the roads are covered with mud, and…read moreonce you get there you'll see signs saying No Trespassing, and that people will be charged if they are caught! Yep, there were a few people walking round the mud volcanoes, but we didn't want to ruin our shoes or get arrested! Definitely worth the drive if it hasn't rained for a couple of weeks, but if there's been recent rain, forget it!

Have you ever been on a Jeep ride adventure? I have. I will continue seeking more road trips, muddy…read moreand rocky grounds anywhere in the world with experienced drivers in Southwest 4x4 Adventures. I don't own my own Jeep, however, I didn't let that stop me from joining on a ride with like minded people who love the outdoors. Thanks Southwest 4x4 Adventures for my first but not my last rides in the future.

From the owner: Southwest 4x4 Tours is an off-road guide and pack service specializing in trails and tours in the…read moreSouthwestern US. If you need a guide for a day or a week or if you need to get your gear to a hard to reach location, we can get you there. We also have great tours going into exciting historical areas in the southwest such as the the Mojave Desert and Death Valley in California, pioneering trails in Arizona and many other amazing places. We have tours from one day and up to a week. If you don't have your own vehicle, not to worry, we will assistant you. All our guide are licensed and certified. Call us for more information and tell us where we can take you.

Great evening at the Christmas ride. Great service and greetings, and friendly people every step…read moreof the way. Beautiful horses and grounds. Small and quaint, we ordered hot chocolate and cake pops for the ride. Very pretty 12-15 minute ride through gorgeous grounds and winery, and an adorable set up going through Santa's workshop. He had great questions and interactions with the two little girls with us, made them smile in wonderment. And made us parents laugh, too. Affordable, too. $75 per carriage, and we had 6 people in our carriage-2 sets of parents and 2 kids. The 6 of us loved it. All in all, a great evening.

This was such a fun experience for our family! I was looking for something that would be…read moreentertaining for all of us, as we had ages from 9 to 74 years old. The Headless Horseman Carriage Ride was definitely a hit! When my nephew asked his daughter, what was the favorite thing about our family get together, she said, the Headless Horseman ride. We also found a Great Pyrenees on site that she fell in love with. This dog was such a sweetie! It was about a 20-minute horse-drawn wagon ride through Wine Country Hollow where we saw some cute Halloween and fall scenes and then we had a magical encounter with the Headless Horseman! There is coffee, hot chocolate & treats available from Coffee Cave to enjoy before or after your ride. Everybody working we're all fun and friendly. The Headless Horseman ride is available select October nights from 5:30 to 9:30 PM at a reasonable $15. This fills quickly, though, and we were lucky to get a reservation. I would love to come back and try some of their other carriage rides.

We had a zoom meeting with Susan today and she is simply amazing! Such a soft spoken and loving…read morespirit and she gave us information that only spirit would relay to her! She even shared information from a loved one that passed several years ago and we would have never thought he would come through! He shared very kind words to us and reinforced our knowing that Susan was speaking to our loved ones! Thank you so much Susan! We are grateful for you sharing your journey with us through your wonderful book and now even more so with our zoom mediumship reading today! Much love to you! Bruce L.

Very good reading. Locked in to many of my issues. I have followed her suggestions and feel s bit…read morebetter.