After hitting the sack early the night before, we awoke and knew the day was going to be epic once again. With recharged batteries both in our recording equipment and our souls, we headed off to start the historic and ever-popular route, Mojave Road.
The Mojave Road was used by Native Americans early on and in the 18th and 19th century explorers alike. Much of it was used for the US Government starting in 1848 with outposts along the route near the watering holes. The original route ran from the Colorado River to the San Bernardino Mountains. Although instead of being on foot or riding a horse with cattle ahead, we were to drive our vehicles. The route is 138 or so miles and usually takes about three days to complete if you want to see all the history and rich cultural sites. Being that we have been on the road for quite some time at this point, we chose to do it in 2 days.
If Dixie could talk, she'd say "Come on Dad, let's go already!"
I think Chile was ready too. We're an equal dog opportunity adventure family, that is for sure. Anything with four paws is always welcome with us.
We eagerly made breakfast and were out on the trail right away. One of our first stops of the trip was a petroglyph site i knew about from previous trips. Very well kept and many people stop here, but nobody shares the location to prevent vandalism.
A few examples of what you can expect to see.
Most of the writings here are said to be from Mohave, Chemehuevi and other Archaic hunter-gatherer groups that came to the location for water.
Crossing through beautiful Lanfair valley, we stopped to let the dogs get some fresh air for a minute at the abandoned school bus. Such things don't surprise us anymore, actually we look for the strange things in the desert. The stranger the better.
Speaking of weird things, this one is more interesting than anything. It's the VORTAC station located just south of the route. Airliners specifically use this beacon as a way of keeping track of aircraft traffic through radar. There's about 3,000 of these sites worldwide today.
Proceeding Westerly we ran into the "Penny Can", where as myth has it you donate a penny for good luck along the rest of your journey. Pay your way as they say.
I was personally thrilled to see my original can hanging in it's place still. A few years ago the old rusty can had been taken and replaced by a Gatorade bottle. That just didn't work, so i took the time to replace it with a metal can that will eventually rust.
The can is protected by a Gnome that sits at the base of the Joshua Tree. He's watching your every move so don't even think of taking the coins.
Passing the cut-off route to Salt Lake City Utah. They linked off of Mojave road at this point and headed Northeast, known more commonly as the El Dorado Route. One day i want to explore this route.
Heading through the Joshua Tree Forest. Spectacular area. Probably one of my favorites of the Mojave Road. If you're in anything bigger than a full size pick up, you'll be looking for some heavy pinstriping and extreme cactus whacking. Always keep your eyes peeled for tree limbs laying across the road and try to not run them over.
Dropping down to Rock Spring. One of the only four-low required sections of the Mojave Road and primarily for engine braking. Pulling the trailers down the route we turned off our brake controllers as to not have the butt-end slide around on the steep decline.
There's a complete bypass of this section if for whatever reason you don't want to drive it. However, that being said i've seen first-timers drive rentals right up it so it's not that difficult by any means.
A stop at Government holes, which still provide water today. The windmill in the photo still functions as well.
Notice the water frozen over. Cedar Canyon is one of the highest if not the highest section you'll cross in the entire route.
This is also the same area of which some remains still stand of an old 1825 era cabin. Also, the place of a real wild west shoot out. However, not the type we think of today that television has led us to believe. More of the kind of two ranchers that were fighting over either cattle or land.
Heading West and dropping elevation quick as we approach the Kelso-Cima Road crossing. There's a short bit of pavement here, maybe a quarter mile if that. The road is smooth as silk with occasional potholes that you need to keep an eye out for.
Dixie looking on, "where's camp?, all i see is trail for miles!"
Crossing the valley and up towards the nights camp, you can see Kelso Dunes in the far distance. They're about 650 feet high with National Preserve protected fencing and no vehicular traffic, although they make a fun day hike to the top. The dunes are formed from blowing sand from as far northwest as Afton Canyon river sink which we'll be driving through later in the route.
After resting from a long ten-twelve hour driving day previously, we chose this day to be one of the shortest. We were in need of a day of relaxation, doing nothing and a nice warm shower. The girls were happy to hear that as well.
We setup camp and didn't waste any time getting freshened up. Nothing like a warm shower in the middle of no where of the front of your Landcruiser.
Many people ask how we keep clean on the trail for long periods of time. Well, for short days baby wipes are the big ticket. But for extended trips, we use a Helton heat exchanger (Cruiser Outfitters) that brings heat from our engine via the coolant lines. When we arrive at camp for the night it's usually nice and warm and ready to go. For the water source we use a 5 gallon Scepter from AJIK Overland Exchange and an Expeditions Ops reclaimed wood roll-up shower mat. All of the above is simple, reliable and functions perfectly for our use.
We did some clothes washing as well. A little soap, hot water from the heat exchanger and let the sun and landscrape do the rest. Some people dunk their clothes in a 5 gallon water jug and strap it down to there roof rack. Washing along the way with the bumpy roads ahead.
The sun started to set on camp for the night as it was time for a peaceful dinner in the serenity of the open desert. It doesn't get much better than this for us.
(Verny and Itzia enjoying a nice cup of soup)
As nightfall came, the temperatures dropped and we scooted closer and closer to the warm fire. At one point we found ourselves all wearing ushankas to keep our heads toasty.
As morning came we were ready for the next adventure filled day. This day would be no exception. As we climbed up from Marl Springs we found a hot power line down on the road. This was pretty scary because it was still Live. You could hear it crackling and if someone even came remotely close to it, it could arc and kill anyone or anything in it's path.
It always pays off to take your time and keep an eye on the road ahead. If we drove through this line we may have not lived to talk about it. The power line ran several thousand feet in each direction so there wasn't any way to drive around it in the immediate area.
The first thing we did since we had cell reception was to call Edison. They explained that they could not locate the downed line, even with our coordinates and that we needed to call 911 so they could triangulate our location via cellphone (thank goodness for cell reception). After that, we coordinated with the Mojave Preserve crew as to our location and they finally figured out where it was. Thank god we weren't injured or it may have been too late. I was really surprised that none of the groups we spoke to could use GPS coords. Scary. Because we were on a schedule, we needed to find away around the downed powerline. Fortunately we did find a bypass via some other power line roads and re-linked with the Mojave Road just a few feet after the area where the cable fell.
This also meant that the crews coming out to fix the line were going to take hours to get to the location so we wouldn't have that long to wait. So before leaving we made some signs to warn fellow travelers on the route about the dangers in the area. If you were on a moto you'd never know until it was too late. We also didn't know if the crews would arrive before sun down so it was good to have a reflective device. Verny found these old trailer markers in his tool box and they worked perfect.
One of the reflective signs in the trail warning drivers and riders of all type that the cable was hot and there was danger. I think we had 2 signs on each side staggered as to give the operator time to figure out what was there.
After a timely detour, but happy to be alive we headed on our way. We climbed over the pass and made our next stop at the ever-popular Mailbox.
It's important that we all sign the travelers guestbook as the BLM collects this book to measure the amount of traffic on the trail. We need them to know it's in use. Less people sign it means more of a chance of it being closed.
And of course, if you're there and have a sticker handy by all means plaster it somewhere. Almost like advertising on the off road highway.
Around the same area of the mailbox is the Frog Shrine. It's customary to leave a coin for - again, good luck. What was funny about this particular instance is that when we tossed the coins in we heard a "Ribbit" from one of the frogs. Must have had battery operated 'something' in it that sensed the motion, either way it startled all of us. The oddest part about this interesting desert attraction is that sometimes it's there and other times it's missing. Almost as if someone purposely takes the entire collection away and then brings i back. Too weird.
Crossing Soda Dry Lake. Usually the whiter the lakebed is, the wetter it is. This also means less dust. The rockpile we're parked near is the Travelers Monument. Your job is to bring a rock with you and add it to the pile. Also, there's a placard in the center of the pile, but i'll let you wait to see that in person to reveal what it says.
We made our way up through Afton Canyon and river drainage. It was slow going and the sun started dropping for the night. We made our way out of the canyon and across the interstate touching pavement for maybe all of 2 minutes. At which point we stumbled upon an old general store where we picked up such goods as lemonade, beer, water and soda. There were basic supplies here, but no fuel. We were still carrying the fuel we purchased way back at Chiriaco summit.
At this point we received a call on the cellphone. It was a good friend of ours that wanted to join the rest of the journey with his diesel Sportsmobile van. We were happy to have him along. He too, brought along his dog named "Gooseberry". It was almost time to change the name of the Expedition to something like "Dogwandering".
After another long day and rolling into camp near dark. We hit the sack and woke the next morning to run from Interstate 15 near Baker California to Carrizo Plains. This would mean another seriously long day. 280 miles of slow off road to be exact.
We stumbled upon an old abandoned US Mail Truck. First one i've seen in the desert. No telling how it ended up here.
Sign on the side of the truck was still intact and legible. Thinking the late 60's?
This day would have many long stretches. This particular area we traveled along a Powerline road that connected to Coyote Dry Lake.
A memorial cross we found on Coyote Dry Lake. In memory of Steve Sherrod, Sept-7-71 to Nov 16, 1996
Video, really? Since we were close to Ft. Irwin, you never know if these signs hold any truth. I didn't stop to find out and like my mom always said, if you aren't doing anything wrong why worry about it?
We spotted one of the natives hanging out. Since this i've been back to the location and the indian is no where to be found. Im sadened to see such interesting pieces removed, however i guess they didn't belong to begin with.
Heading westerly toward the Black Mountain Wilderness. Just epic areas with some of the largest Joshua Trees i've ever laid eyes on.
The two track trails were no where near used as much as some of the other sections of CalZona we traveled. You could tell these were old. These back country exploration remote areas have always been my favorite.
The terrain changed throughout the day. From desert rock to grasslands. It was epic. This section was almost half bush and half dry lake.
Cattle still graze the area today. These foot prints looked like a mother cow and a calf. Although we weren't exactly positive.
After skirting the China Lake Naval Base, we headed south west into the Black Mountain Wilderness. You can see mines nearby and petroglyphs in many of the canyons, namely Inscription canyon. At this point we took a short break and walk around one of the blast sites and explore for a few minutes. It felt great to get out of the seat and from out behind the wheel for a bit.
One of the many mine attempts in the area. Every corner you pass and every canyon you look up has a surprise. It just takes the extra few minutes and foot steps to find out what you may be missing.
After lunch, we headed dead West towards highway 395 on a stretch of road that was straight as can be. A far as the eye could see, up and over hills, straight as an arrow. We had a long way to go for todays segment.
In the above photo you see the Air Force Radio tower on top of the hill near Boron. Boron Air Force Station has long been retired, as it was turned into a Prison after that. The radio tower is still possibly in use but the rest of the hill is abandoned.
Here's a closer view of the tower. We actually heard gun shots as we passed the site. Very strange and we didn't want to stick around to find out why.
Making our way across the vast high Mojave desert.
Climbing up a few sections were a one chance deal. Especially when towing a trailer you need to make sure you make it the first time. You would not want to have to back down a hill like this while in tow.
More trail for miles and miles ahead. It would take hours upon hours to cover this ground at a slow pace. We were all feeling the exhaustion at this point and were looking forward to camp. Little did we know, that camp would be a long ways off.
Pressing on, we came to an interesting area fenced in along the route. We researched and found out that it's the California City test track. This is where automobile manufacturers come to test their vehicles in various elements under discrete supervision.
A few months previous to the CalZona trip we pre-ran this section and viewed a car passing on the mysterious track. They stopped when they saw us and waited for us to pass before they continued. They certainly did not want to be seen.
As we became closer to the town of Mojave, interesting things started to appear. Such as this airplane fuselage. Which with given the town of Mojave's history of aviation and space travel, it makes a bit of sense.
Notice the old jukebox found inside of it. We tried to find dates for both, but no real luck. The tags on most of the pieces of the plane was around 1976.
After crossing highway 14, passing Reefer city and twisting through various side roads for a community that never was built, we negotiated our way past the giant windmill farm. It had been a long day and the sun was starting to set again. The biggest problem was that now we were driving straight into the falling sun.
The windmills are much larger than one thinks. You won't realize it until you get up close to them. What's also interesting is that on Google Earth, this windmill farm didn't even exist. So all the research in the world, cannot always help you.
The sun finally set as we finished up for the night. At this point we were crossing the California Aqueduct. We were fatigued from driving several hundred miles off highway, and from the consecutive 10-12 hour driving days. We were ready for camp.
We finally made it to Interstate 5 and Gorman for fuel. Much needed fuel as a matter of fact. Verny's diesel Landcruiser just about didn't make it. His truck pulled into the station on fumes. The good part is we were on pavement for a short while and everyone was really happy about that. We made the decision to press on to Carrizo Plains National Monument and arrived at camp around 930PM absolutely exhausted. We shared some spirits around the campfire and hit the sack excited to know tomorrow would be our last day of the trip.
The Final morning sunrise came and it was a bitter sweet feeling. We were almost to our destination but that also meant we would no longer be driving this epic journey.
We woke up to a completely different terrain than what we had experienced the rest of the time. Grasslands and beautiful wide open plains.
For ease of access and because we were too tired to get off the beaten path, we made camp at the KCL Ranch campground. Formerly owned by the Kern County Land Company, the KCL still has a few of the original barn structures as well as some of the corrals. It was a terrific change of pace.
After packing up for the last time, we headed north on Soda Lake road into San Luis Obispo county where we would climb up over the mountains and to the coast. Excitement was in the air.
Climbing through the rolling hills of the beautiful central California coast country. The structures well preserved and stunning. This building just really caught my eye for some reason. I think it was the stone work in the main structure.
We couldn't believe the change in scenery. There was now cattle grazing along the side of the road. Goose had a tough time sitting still and not try to do his job as a cattle dog.
Making our climb over Pozo Road towards the Pacific Ocean. We could smell the salt, we were so close. This was the highest point of the entire trip. Everyone had smiles from ear to ear and the weather was terrific.
The view from ocean side of the route. We'd be dropping down into the valley next and it wouldn't be many more miles till we hit the sand. We were taking everyone moment in.
Arriving at Pozo Saloon. An old town saloon built in 1858, still functioning today. They were open so we popped in for a quick look. We had visited the Pozo Saloon in the past and fell in love with it years ago. It attracts many bands and various shows are held here quite often.
The boys celebrating the "almost end" of the trip with a Pozo Pale Ale and their signature Olive. When in Pozo, do as the locals do right?
The beer was even served in a mason jar as it should be.
After the last final break, we headed for the ocean via the Hi-Mountain Road off highway route. Up and over near Garcia Ridge, we finally dropped down into the city of Pismo Beach.
With a quick stop off at a local convenience store for some champagne we proceeded for the gates of Oceano Dunes and the Pacific Ocean. We had finally made it. It felt unreal. The dogs could smell the salt water as we paid the ticket booth and pulled onto the sand. We couldn't believe it. We were here.
We gathered around and shook the champagne. It was an epic ending to an epic trip. We all made it safe and sound and on schedule. Suddenly we were on cloud nine. Months of planning and everything we set out to do was complete and finally came full circle.
With Verny and Itzia by our sides the whole way, we couldn't of asked for better friends to share it with. We conquered!
We want to personally thank everyone for reading our blog. We are truly thankful for all of you loyal fans. Also, we want to take a moment to thank all our dear sponsors. Without you we wouldn't be able to accomplish adventures such as these and for that we are grateful. Lastly, i want to thank everyone that was on this trip with us, Yosh, Dixie, Verny, Itzia, Chile, Colin, Mike, Kelly and Goose! Also, Jack, Debbie, Linda and Pepper for your hospitality! You guys all made the trip a complete success.