“It’s alive and waiting for you. Ready to kill you if you go too far. The sun will get you, or the cold at night. A thousand ways the desert can kill”
The Mojave is a desert of wind, temperature extremes, Joshua Trees and solitude. When most people hear the word ‘desert,’ images of tumbleweeds, rattlesnakes and bleak desolation typically come to mind. In reality, the Mojave is anything but a wasteland. Amongst the sand and sagebrush lie many places of beauty and wonder, and of historic importance. Some are the result of time and the elements, some are the result of man and his efforts to live in the Mojave, both in recent and prehistoric times. Let’s go see what we can find.
Driving along U.S. 395, I’d often seen areas that looked like they had been blasted from the depths of the earth, the rocks melted and strewn across the barren landscape. And doesn’t that thing over there look like a cinder cone? What’s that rumbling?
Read MoreThe Arch Loop Trail is a relatively easy trail to hike, well maintained and marked. There are a few portions of the trail that get your heart going a bit, but that's good for you. There is so much spectacular scenery to see along the trail - the Sierra Nevadas, rocky gulches and canyons, strange rock formations - that you might just miss the two famous arches if your not careful!
Read MoreI was in the Lone Pine area and didn't have enough time to thoroughly explore the Alabama Hills (that is going to happen though), so I hiked to a couple arches and drove to a couple old rock houses. This is the story of the Rock House Expedition.
Read MoreI'd heard about the Petroglyphs at Swansea from several sources and was confident I could locate them. They are located along what was once the bank of the Owens Lake, many years ago. How hard could it be? Advance research almost always pays dividends. Parking Tacoma Red off the side of the road, my Garmin and I set out to see the sights.
Read MoreIf you've ever driven through the Mojave Desert on U.S. Route 395, chances are you've seen this abandoned stone restaurant and wondered about its history. All you catch of it is a glimpse when you're doing 85 mph on the highway. But it's interesting. It sticks in your mind. It beckons. You say to yourself, "self, one day I'm going to stop at this place and see what I can find."
Read MoreJoshua Tree National Park, the California Gold Country, forgotten places in the Mojave Desert. These are a few of my favorite things.
