I always tell people about our travels and how we love to head out and explore new areas. Well, it's truer than i ever thought, because we were supposed to take this month off and not go anywhere..., but we we just couldn't do it. It seems that after a few weeks of being home , sitting in traffic 2 hours a day and working 9 hour days at a desk job you tend to go crazy and want to escape. So a friend of ours emails me and says, "dude, i have to get out of town, even if it's just for one night". It's funny, because it was like he was reading my mind. So i figured we'd head somewhere we've never been. Red Rock Canyon.
It's so weird how i've traveled all over SoCal, but never made it into the Red Rock area. I've known about it, i've been by it, i've camped and explored areas around it. Just never actually stopped in. It's funny, it's like you love this one hamburger joint and you drive half way across town to get to it, but then they open one in your backyard and you never go. That's how Red Rock was for me. I guess i always forgot it was there. So needless to say i was excited as always to see a new area so close to home.
So we agreed to only spend one night. Yosh had not been feeling very well so this was going to be a solo trip for me. I wanted to get back to her the next day to make sure she was feeling well. Our goal was to hook up with some local 4 wheelers that we knew and have them show us the area, all the while camping primitive away from all the crowds and see some history.
I pulled out of our home Saturday AM and headed to meet another buddy down the hill near the freeway. We would be meeting up with the locals that headed out the night/day before. They were super cool and agreed to get to camp early enough in the day Friday that we could get a BLM adopt-a-cabin. Beings that it's only a bit over 2 hours to get to the area it felt like i was driving to the store. It was nice actually.. and i saved money on fuel.
After airing down and heading down Last Chance Canyon Road.. we dropped into Bonanza Gulch and found our rendevous point and camp for the night. We worked mainly on GPS waypoints to find the cabins.
I was very surprised with the cabin conditions. They were very clean inside and well taken care of. People will come and clean, leave canned food, magazines, the whole nine yards. The day we showed up, our 4 wheeler friends were there cleaning and doing some maintenance to the cabin #2. Apparently from what they say is that as long as they are well taken care of and kept "active" , then they're considered a active mining claim and they cannot be removed or demolished by the government. It's really pretty neat. It's all part of a program called adopt-a-cabin my the BLM.
Richard brought something special for the cabin.
Some of the old mining day supplies laying in the nearby areas.
We made camp for the night. Our plan was to relax for the rest of the day and explore the next day before we went home. Jasmine the beagle didn't have a problem with that!
The sun would soon drop and the sky would turn to dark with no moon and very little clouds. That would mean, plenty of stars and a chilly night. With a great campfire and a tri tip on the grill we never noticed the cold weather.
Peppercorn marinaded tri-tip grilled to perfection.
It was good eats for sure.
The next morning we awoke to blue skies and some good old fashioned percolator coffee brewing. Some of the group stayed inside the cabin where it was warm and toasty while the rest of us were in our rigs or tent camping. Another overlander would show up this AM that also lived nearby to say hello and take us around to the some of interesting spots.
After getting camp broken down we headed south through Bonanza Gulch and made our way over to Bickel Camp.
Bickel camp was owned by Walter BIckel who mined the area in the 1930's. Much of what you see is the same as how he left it. There are caretakers on the land now and you can visit the camp anytime you'd like. Unfortunately when we visited they were doing some work on the land and didn't allow tours of the area that day.
After seeing Bickel camp we headed up the trail to the Burro Schmidt Tunnel.
It's an amazing tunnel hand picked through an entire mountain side. To read about it click here
The tunnel was amazing. I was told the length of it was about a half mile. It took a good 15 minutes to walk through it, which was insignificant compared to the 32 years it took to make. All the while you had to watch your head.
At the opposite end the tunnel came out the side of the mountain with a terrific view.
I never found out who the cross was for. Schmidt is burried in a cemetary in Johannesburg.
The winds were extremely high, so we headed back into the tunnel and towards the trucks.
We took this photo of Schmidt camp... still exists pretty much the way it was back in the days. It's nice to see people take care of the area and make sure others don't trash the place.
Some beautiful terrain surrounding the camp area.
After visiting the Schmidt camp and tunnel.. we headed north for further exploration. Out in Bonanza gulch we found a series of cabins.
I've read that this particular cabin may have been a old time gas station at one time.
The inside was furnished very nicely. Couches, pots, pans and even some starbucks coffee and bbq sauce on the shelf.
We had received word that there was a underground home built out of one of the canyons.. so we went and explored further. After finding the entrance we found that there was a collapse but everything inside was still intact. If you peek your head inside you can see a bed frame, chair and other such things. No one was willing or prepared to drop down inside.
I couldn't get my flash to work properly to be able to get a shot of what was inside. A remote flash would have worked great in this situation.
Some old remnants of what used to be.
After a short while at the underground home, we headed for our last stop. The old Bonanza gulch post office.
It was very well taken care of most had been rebuilt. It was protected by a wood fence.
We said goodbye to fellow 4 wheelers and headed back towards the highway staying on the Bonanza Trail.
The road was beautiful. Abundant amounts of Joshua Tree's.
After airing up and hitting the highway, we stopped briefly for a photo at Red Rock Canyon SP. It was breath taking. Hopefully next time we'll get more time to spend in that area and see more of the red bluffs.
With a stop for a bite to eat at Astro buger in Boron and our bellies full.. we made it home in a few hours. It was a great weekend. Thanks to all that came out and special thanks to Richard, Kyle and Justin for showing us around. I had a great time and i know i'll be back to this area again.