Stirrup Tank Wanderbout

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Stirrup Tank Wanderbout

Ok, raise your hand if you've ever been to the Stirrup Tank area in JT. I see a few of you have. Those of you who didn't raise your hand, shame on you. If you enjoy desert hiking amidst and amongst enormous, oddly disquieting-shaped granite boulders (and who doesn't), then set aside a half day the next time you're in the park to visit the Stirrup Tank area. Odds are you'll have several squares miles to yourself, to explore and enjoy some amazing sights.

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Wandering while Waiting

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Wandering while Waiting

So I recently bought a GoPro camera and have been having some fun learning how to use it. I had shot a lot of video earlier this day, and now wanted to try a time lapse experiment. I found an appropriate rock to put the camera on, pointed it towards some other rocks and a portion of Park Blvd., checked the settings and started recording. Which left me with about twenty minutes to wander about while waiting for the camera to do its thing. 

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Desert Queen Petroglyphs

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Desert Queen Petroglyphs

There's a lot of stuff going on in the general area around the Desert Queen Mine. If you park at the small parking area/trailhead for the DQ Mine and Pine City, you've got gold mines, stone building ruins, vanished cities, dams, debris, sparkly rocks, amazing vistas and many signs of the local Indians who once passed through this area during their seasonal migrations. And all within a couple miles hiking distance. It's like a nexus of amazement.

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"Around Back" Pictograph/Petroglyph Rock

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"Around Back" Pictograph/Petroglyph Rock

I was hiking in the Wonderland of Rocks recently (a favorite pastime of mine), searching for a particular rock. Okay, you're probably thinking, "a particular rock? There's eighteen hundred and forty-nine tragazillion rocks in the Wonderland, how is he going to find one particular one?" Well, I had a plan. And some good directions. And a map. Coordinates. And a GPS. And snacks. So I was pretty sure I would find what I was looking for.

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Wonder Rock Pictograph Boulder

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Wonder Rock Pictograph Boulder

Have you ever said that to yourself and then thought, "probably a nest of rattlesnakes, or a hive of killer bees, maybe a mutant scorpion. I'd better not get too close." Or does the kid who lives inside you surface and say, "don't be a scaredy-pants, crawl under there and let's see what we can find!"

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