I had the opportunity to spend last weekend at the Borrego Ranch in Borrego Springs, California. I was telling my Los Angeles colleagues where I was going, and none of them had ever heard of the place. Borrego Springs is the largest state park and is in the Colorado Desert of California. It is very close to Palm Springs and just northeast of San Diego. It is a sleepy town with a great resort and golf course. I was particularly thrilled to participate in a rock climbing class, tethered as I climbed the face of a 90-degree wall. Also available — the “Walk the Walk” challenge, where you climb to the top of a telephone pole and walk across a beam suspended about 40 feet. The climax is jumping off (tethered) to the sandy floor below. I also took a ride to the Salton Sea, the largest lake in California, located near Borrego Springs. The lake was formed in 1905 from unusual rainfall, the swelling of the Colorado River and mountain runoff. It took nearly two years to control the breach made by the river which flowed into the Salton Sink and salt mine. The lake attracts over 400 species of birds, but its increasing salinity, by one percent per year, will cause the lake to become a dead lake if it is left unstopped. Its current salinity is more than ocean water, but not as high as the Great Salt Lake. It is in danger of shrinking like the Aral Sea. Look for coverage of these adventures in an upcoming issue of GT! -Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO