Return from the Mojave Desert - 2013

[Tbars4]

..Weather was great so we took a ton of pictures..:biggthump

...I will post some random pics while we wait for Brian1 to drive home and do a proper trip report..

..Plus I'm learning my newer camera...

 

[Tbars4]

..And a couple more...

 

[obie]

Every time you all post up pictures and trip reports, it makes me miss living in AZ. Maybe one day I'll get to take a cross country and come out for an EF run.

 

[Brian1]

Made it back home. Great trip! I will work on my pics and a trip report tomorrow.

 

[Stic-o]

Look like you guys had a lot of fun

Also got my 4Wheel & Offroad issue today, with you guys in it

Congrats!

 

[RangerX]

Some real nice pictures, Ted! But that last pic, first group...wow you've changed!

 

[Tbars4]

Look like you guys had a lot of fun

Also got my 4Wheel & Offroad issue today, with you guys in it

Congrats!

..:scratch:..It must be a misprint...Unless it's a Ford Edition...

..I caught wind of it on trail but haven't seen it yet or know exactly which months edition it is in..

Some real nice pictures, Ted! But that last pic, first group...wow you've changed!

..Yea...I know...I'm not tall nor am I ruggedly handsome...

..That is Jim, Brian1's Dad and he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar..:

To whom it may concern:

..I contacted ScottB last night and put in a request that if he is not on the next trip to be sure to please pass along the secret brownie recipe ...:biggthump

 

[Josh S.]

Beautiful! Miss that place.

 

[Tbars4]

..For those who might remember this, the ORR sticker is still on the inside of the mailbox long after the site had gone down..

..The EF frog is MIA in the frog section and there are no longer any Gnomes or Army men in the area..

 

[Scott B.]

To whom it may concern:

..I contacted ScottB last night and put in a request that if he is not on the next trip to be sure to please pass along the secret brownie recipe ...:biggthump

When is the next trip? I do miss the desert...

 

[DB_1]

Great pics, someday i'll make one of these trips. What are you using for a still camera Ted? You have a GoPro too right?

 

[Brian1]

Day 0 - Sunday

After watching the Mint 400 Race on Saturday and camping the night outside of Jean, NV we drove south on I15 to Barstow. Along the way we stopped at Zzyzx to walk around the area.

From Zzyzx we continued to Barstow for a visit to the Mojave River Valley Museum. The main attraction for me was the Bishop Stone which lies on the floor under a table with no note. The stone was broken into a few pieces back in the 70s when it fell off the hillside in Piute canyon and the part with the SA Bishop inscription was airlifted out before any more damage occured. Eventually it was placed in the museum.

Across the street was a tank guarding the gas station or maybe they couldnt afford the diesel to move it any further

There were a few more things to see at the museum like the railroad car we walked through and the jail similar to the one in Kelso.

After fueling up we were off to the Afton Canyon campground for the night. A pretty nice place but bring bug spray as it is right by the Mojave River.

 

[Brian1]

Day 1 - Monday

We started the Mojave Road at the Afton Campground. The idea of this trip was to loosely follow the Mojave Road but see things that none of us had seen before. This meant driving right by the usual attractions on the Mojave road. The 3 of us- Tbars, Ritsui and myself have all done this trip together 2 times in the past so it made this part easy.

The RR bridge just a few hundred feet from our camp

The Mojave River crossing to start the trail. This was the lowest I have seen it in person

The first stop of the trip would be Spooky Canyon, a canyon that gets narrower and narrower until it eventually comes out on top of Afton. It starts just on the other side of a small RR bridge. We hiked up the slot canyon for a little bit and then turned around.

The next stop would be the buried boxcar. Easy to miss if you dont know it is there! A Mojave mystery as to what is inside...

 

[Brian1]

Day 1 - Monday Continued: Crucero Sites

Our first departure from the Mojave Road would be to the railroad siding of Crucero. If you think the Mojave Road goes through the middle of nowhere the road out to Crucero goes even further out into the middle of nowhere.

We crossed the tracks just outside of the mouth of Afton Canyon and proceeded to drive several miles paralleling the RR tracks. We made a brief stop at the site of Delores Holland's grave who was just an infant when she died. Another Mojave mystery as to who she was and who keeps her grave site in such nice shape.

We paralleled the tracks for a few more miles and then turned South and followed the old Tonapah and Tidewater railroad grade through some sandy big whoops. Eventually we passed through a cut in the RR grade and parked at the Desert Megaphone. We hiked to the top for a better view.

Another Mojave mystery as to what it is, what it is for, who put it there and when.

Not too far away are some furnaces that are also a mystery as to what they were for as there are no signs of mining or anything else in the area.

We stopped for lunch at Mesquite Springs, another of the Crucero points of interest.

The guidebook I had showed an old bath tub in the trees but it was no where to be found. Ritsui came across it a little ways away

And we also had to look for a little bit to find the petroglyphs but we found them!

We returned to the tracks and made a right to find the Rock Igloo, yet another mystery as to what it was used for

We returned the way we came in and picked up the Mojave Road again. Next stop would be the Travelers Monument on Soda Dry Lake

 

[Przybysz]

This is incredible! I can only dream of the day I can afford gas to make a trip down there and drive thru the mojave!

 

[Brian1]

Day 1 - Monday Continued

After navigating through my least favorite part of the Mojave Road we made it to Soda Dry Lake and the Travelers Monument where each traveler throws a rock on the pile and you read the plaque on top of the pile. Only Mojave Road travelers are to know what it says!

Throwing my rock onto the pile

At this point I found that the Crucero whoops had caused a whoops of my own. My 5 gallon water jug had rubbed a tiny hole into the bottom and was leaking all over my cargo area. I tied the jug down on its side to minimize the leaking until we camped that night where some JB weld did a great job of sealing up the hole.

Crossing Soda Lake was uneventful. Do not attempt if wet!

Signing in at the Mojave Road Mailbox

The Frog Shrine at the Mailbox. The Explorerforum Frog I placed there 2 years ago was missing

We departed from the Mojave Road once again and took the power line road towards the tiny town of Cima. We would make camp a few miles to the North near the controversial Mojave Memorial Cross.

Our campsite for the night

 

[Brian1]

All for now...I will continue with Day 2 and Day 3 tomorrow sometime. Day 2 was all about the old mines in the area and the small town of Goffs, CA

 

[Tbars4]

When is the next trip? I do miss the desert...

..I believe you will be on the next trip to the Desert in May, destination Ghost Towns of Nevada...

..But we generally do the Mojave Desert in March each year and and it may be scheduled again with the Mint 400 race next year..

Great pics, someday i'll make one of these trips. What are you using for a still camera Ted? You have a GoPro too right?

..It's just a point and shoot Olympus (Cheap by today's standards and I'll look up exact model) that has taken over all still and video duties when not using my phone...

..I still have a GoPro but it may be up for sale in the near future if anyone is interested..Otherwise, it will be limited to be attached to race trucks and stuck out on the track where I can't shoot due to safety distances..

This is incredible! I can only dream of the day I can afford gas to make a trip down there and drive thru the mojave!

..If you had your location under your name we would know where you are wanting to travel from..

 

[Tbars4]

..A few more scenic shots while we are waiting on Brian to finish his fantastic trip report..:biggthump

..Lizard..

..Desert Tortoise's...The ones on the left are 1 yr. old and the one on the right is 20 yrs. old..

 

[Tbars4]

...and some other stuff from early on in the trip..

..And the whole reason why Brian1 heads West..He see's an In-N-Out truck and just follows it to it's next location...: