May 28, 2026

Local Author Spotlight: Dennis Noyes

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More than two decades of storytelling from Borrego Springs


For more than two decades, Dennis Noyes and his wife, Heidi, have called Borrego Springs home. Noyes continues a life shaped by words, racing, travel, and storytelling.


Known especially in Spain for his decades covering the MotoGP World Championship, Noyes built an international reputation as a motorcycling journalist, former racer, road tester, and television commentator. But alongside that fast-paced career, he continued pursuing another lifelong passion: fiction writing.


Words and storytelling have always been central to his life. His father wrote for Stars and Stripes, while his mother was a linguistics professor at Purdue University. Even as a teenager growing up in central Illinois, Noyes found himself torn between two passions: racing and writing.


That passion for writing earned him the Atlantic Monthly Annual Writing Contest for Students in 1966 and a scholarship to the Bread Loaf Writers Conference. His early career included reporting for a daily newspaper in Caracas, Venezuela, teaching English in Guatemala, and eventually building a life and career in Spain.


In Spain, Noyes became both a national championship-winning motorcycle racer and a respected motorcycle road tester for Solo Moto and Motociclismo magazines. Over the years, he traveled internationally covering the biggest names in Grand Prix motorcycle racing while becoming one of the most recognizable voices in motorcycle racing commentary.


The Noyes family story also includes his son, Kenny Noyes, who followed in his father’s  tracks.


Kenny made his world championship debut in 2010 and won the Spanish national title in 2014. After a serious racing accident, Kenny turned to writing as part of his recovery, later publishing From Racer to Survivor: A Memoir. In the book, he shares his journey from competing on the racetrack to facing the challenges of recovery from a traumatic brain injury. Dennis and Kenny also co-wrote a book together, drawing from their shared years as journalists and racers.

Dennis Noyes Brings a Lifetime of Storytelling to Fiction


Dennis Noyes’ own debut novel, Yonders, Illinois, published in 2023. brings decades of experience, observation, humor, and storytelling into a suspenseful and deeply layered work of fiction.


The novel centers on a decades-old triple homicide in a small Midwestern town and follows the lingering effects of the crime across generations. Spanning from 1959 to 1998, the story unfolds through multiple perspectives, including Police Chief Buster Lawton and Keelan Putnam, the longtime suspect in the murders. More than a traditional mystery, the novel explores memory, justice, community, and the lasting impact of unresolved events.


Reviewers have praised the novel’s atmosphere, emotional depth, and richly developed characters. Kirkus Reviews described the book as “an absorbing moral drama with great depth.”


Noyes has said one of the best things about being a writer is “realizing you are not alone. The muses are real.” His advice to aspiring writers reflects the same thoughtful approach to storytelling: rules may be broken, but only when the story truly requires it.


From Illinois to Venezuela, Spain, and finally Borrego Springs, Dennis Noyes has lived a life shaped by storytelling, travel, racing, and curiosity. With Yonders, Illinois, he adds another chapter to an already remarkable journey.


Learn more at dennis-noyes.com.





Learn More About Borrego Springs

Martha Deichler Highlighted for Community Leadership in Borrego Springs

By Andrea McKenna • May 27, 2026
SDVoyager feature recognizes the leadership behind the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center Martha Deichler, executive director of the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center (CRC), was recently featured by SDVoyager for her years of service helping families, seniors, workers, and individuals throughout the community. In the feature, Deichler shared how the CRC grew from a small food bank effort during the COVID-19 pandemic into a major hub for community support services. As unemployment and hardship spread through the area during the pandemic, local residents began turning to the food bank not only for groceries, but also for help navigating unemployment applications, vaccine appointments, Medi-Cal, transportation needs, and other essential services. What started as emergency food assistance eventually evolved into the Borrego Springs Community Resource Center, which today offers a wide range of programs including food distribution, English and Spanish classes, citizenship classes, grief counseling, transportation assistance, computer literacy support, AA meetings, and caregiver training programs. Deichler described herself in the article as a “connector,” someone who helps match people with resources, services, and support systems. Her background working in the school district and her ability to speak Spanish have helped her build trusted relationships with families throughout the community. One program highlighted in the story addresses the growing need for caregivers for older adults who wish to remain in the area as they age. Through the CRC’s caregiver initiative, local residents can receive training and assistance connecting with In-Home Support Services (IHSS) opportunities, helping seniors remain independent while creating employment opportunities locally. The article also emphasized the generosity of the community and the support that has allowed the CRC to continue expanding services over the past several years. At 77 years old, Deichler shared that she has no plans to slow down, continuing her work to respond to the changing needs of the community and strengthen programs that help residents access food, healthcare, transportation, education, and support services. The full SDVoyager feature can be viewed here: Read the SDVoyager feature on Martha Deichler

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Meet Tony Cecena, La Casa del Zorro’s Newest Leader

By Andrea McKenna • May 18, 2026
La Casa del Zorro has named Borrego Springs local Tony Cecena as its new General Manager. A familiar face in the local hospitality industry, Tony brings more than two decades of hands-on experience and a deep understanding of the community he’s always called home. Cecena began his hospitality journey as a high school student working in guest services at La Casa del Zorro. Now, after 22 years at Borrego Springs Resort—rising through the ranks and managing multiple departments—he’s come full circle, returning to where it all started. In his own words, here’s what Tony shared about his background, vision, and commitment to Borrego Springs:

Mount Laguna Observatory summer visitors program starts

By East County News Service • May 18, 2026
May 17, 2026 (Mount Laguna) — Star parties are back at Mount Laguna with the return of the Summer Visitors Program at the Mount Laguna Observatory. The public programs will be held on Saturday nights from 8 to 11 p.m., May 23 through August 15, with a special bonus mid-week viewing scheduled for Wednesday, August 12. Operated by the San Diego State University Department of Astronomy in partnership with the United States Forest Service, the outreach initiative has been connecting the public with the cosmos in various forms since the observatory’s dedication in 1968. According to Dr. Robert Quimby, MLO Director and Professor in the SDSU Department of Astronomy, each event will feature a public lecture at the Harrington Visitors Center. If weather permits, the lecture will be followed by direct stargazing through the observatory’s 0.5-meter (21-inch) Reginald Buller telescope. While MLO boasts larger instruments for deep-space science, the Buller telescope is specifically dedicated to instructional use and public outreach. Nestled in the Cleveland National Forest roughly 45 miles east of downtown San Diego, MLO sits at an elevation of 6,100 feet. The site is highly regarded by astronomers for its pristine dark skies, exceptional atmospheric conditions, and vital distance from city light pollution. Beyond its public outreach, MLO is a premier research and training facility. The mountain hosts an impressive array of cutting-edge technology, including the 1.25-meter Phillips Claud Telescope, which is used alongside the observatory’s 1.0-meter and 0.6-meter Clifford Smith telescopes to collect critical data on the age of and distance to star clusters. MLO also houses one of only two EvryScopes in the world. This specialized multi-camera array monitors the entire accessible sky simultaneously, making it an exceptional tool for detecting stellar activity and eclipsing binaries (co-orbiting star systems). Because the observatory is a functioning research station located in a rugged forest environment, organizers emphasize that safety and preparation are paramount for attendees. Visitors are advised to bring a small flashlight and park at the lower visitors parking lot located on Morris Ranch Road, follow the short trail from the parking lot to Observatory Road, and from there, look for the white dashes painted on the ground and follow them for a quarter-mile uphill to the Harrington Visitors Center. Note that visitors must remain on the designated road at all times. Morris Ranch Road is located off Sunrise Highway (S1) between mile markers 21.5 and 22, directly across from the Wooded Hill Campground sign. All stargazing events are weather-permitting. For daily operational updates, weather delays, or cancellations, visitors should call the observatory hotline at (619) 594-1415 before making the drive up the mountain.
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