This week, I got to visit an old friend in San Diego County’s Laguna Mountains, our Summer monsoons.
The West has been drying out for an entire generation, a drought far worse than what affected the Ancestral Puebloan Culture that left disappeared. And it has been particularly acute this year, with what seems to be no end in sight.
Southern California has a weak monsoonal system that comes from moisture and evaporation from the Gulf of California. It has been pretty weak for several years, and that is likely affected by the 2nd consecutive La Niña weather system in the East Pacific. Storms from Summer monsoons can have a very big impact on the Southwest, and in our area, summer rains can be a welcome relief to our dry heat.
Several of these are from a favorite overlook above Storm Canyon. It isn’t the spot with the deck installed by the US Forest Service. It is a different turnoff that some people miss, where a very old section of Sunrise Highway exists. I like the symmetry of the steep canyon walls that frame the lower Borrego Desert.
Some Moments In The Laguna Mountains
As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the images.
Further Viewing
San Diego’s East County Portfolio Gallery
Laguna Mountains Portfolio Gallery
T.M. Schultze Fine Art America Print-On-Demand Store
T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.
Beautiful skies, love the cloud in the last image.