Capital of Peace, Quiet May Be Borrego Springs

This peaceful place in eastern San Diego County should work well if your favorite outdoor activity is trying to do as little as possible.

What can you say about a town where the most exciting thing we saw on the highway was a VW van with an engine fire? (It reminded me of my late, unlamented ’73 VW van, which had every mechanical misfortune but an engine fire in the year that I owned it.) This is a city without traffic lights--and that’s fine with the local residents.

We had to wait until dusk in the area near the De Anza Country Club for some additional roadside excitement, when we saw a coyote sprint across the road in pursuit of a jack rabbit. Near the earth-sheltered headquarters of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park--reportedly the largest in the nation--we saw several other animals and lots of birds. We waited until after the tourists had left for our walk through the area.

Residents of this unincorporated community of less than 2,000, about 85 miles east of San Diego, like to say that Borrego Springs is what Palm Springs was 40 or 50 years ago. I doubt that Palm Springs has ever been as quiet and restful as Borrego Springs.

Traffic Circle

Downtown Borrego Springs features a traffic circle, Christmas Circle, with a park in the middle. There is nothing religious about the name of the traffic circle: It is named after the XMA brand. Other streets in the town--Diamond Bar Road, Frying Pan Road, Double O Road and Circle J Road, among many others--pay tribute to the great cattle ranches of the Golden State.

If you like posh resorts with golf courses, condominiums, spas and fine dining, you can stay at Rams Hill (1862 Rams Hill Drive).

The Di Giorgio Corp. people from San Francisco have lavished a great deal of attention and care on the 3,200-acre Rams Hill development in an attempt to corner the upscale second-home market. They’ve probably succeeded, because the town is so isolated that it will never attract the throngs that clot the streets of Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert.

During the summer season (now until Sept. 30), a one-bedroom patio home at Rams Hill rents for $85 a day ($425 per week); a two-bedroom patio home is $120 ($600). Beginning Oct. 1, prices rise to $100 ($550 a week) and $130 ($650). For reservations, call (800) 524-2800.

The restaurant in the Rams Hill Country Club features fine dining supervised by a chef who is entitled to wear a black chef’s hat. This doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy: Roger Jones is one of 15 chefs who get to wear the prestigious toque noir , symbolic of the “truly creative chefs of the world,” as determined by the Escoffier Club of Paris.

We also had lunch at La Casa del Zorro (3845 Yaqui Pass Road, just up the street from Rams Hill). Owned by newspaper publisher Helen Copley, this hotel features accommodations that will remind some of the La Quinta Inn near Palm Springs. A one-bedroom suite goes for $75 a night, while the two-bedroom villas are $95.

Lodging is also available at the Hacienda del Sol (610 Palm Canyon Drive, rooms $37 per night, double occupancy; cottages $52-$62), the Stanlunds Resort Motel (2771 Borrego Springs Road, $38 per night, double occupancy) and the Oasis Motel (366 West Palm Canyon Drive, $40-$45 a night, double occupancy).

If your idea of fun is forgetting about jackets and fancy shoes, you might be happier staying in one of the motels in downtown Borrego Springs and eating in the restaurants that line the main drag of Palm Canyon Drive.

No, you’re not seeing things--this street has the same name as the main stem of Palm Springs. The differences, however, are readily apparent: There are no lights in the palm trees, and traffic and parking are no problem.

No Counting Calories

The bakery/deli in one of the shopping malls was pronounced excellent by my wife. Check your calorie counter at the door; the fresh-baked bread is outstanding.

The restaurants reminded us of some of the country and western places in Big Bear Lake--friendly, family-style surroundings that make it easy to have a good time.

To get here from Los Angeles, take Interstate 10 to California 86 south to Indio, then west on County S-22 through the beautiful badlands of the 560,000-acre state park. Or you can go south on Interstate 15 to one of the eastbound state highways (California 79, California 76 or California 78) to the desert community.

If you’re coming from San Diego, take Interstate 8 east to the junction with California 79. Go north to Julian and turn east on California 78 to Yaqui Pass Road (County S-3) to Borrego Springs.

Aside from eating, swimming, playing golf, watching VWs catch fire or jack rabbits escape from coyotes, those with a taste for operating dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles or Jeeps will find plenty of space to embrace these activities at the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area east of town on California 78.

If you keep going east long enough, you’ll be at the Salton Sea. Imperial County has roadside stands for dates, grapefruit, asparagus and other produce.

Eventually, after passing through farming communities like Brawley, Imperial, El Centro and Calexico, you’ll reach the International Border, near Mexicali on the Mexico side.