Monday, December 03, 2018

Mostly Mojave, then Mohave!

It looks like we spent almost 10 days, camped in the Mojave Preserve, south of Baker, Ca.We were a long ways from I-15, and a fair ways off pavement.  Average traffic past our spot was <1 vehicle/day.  During the long weekend, we could see the solid line of traffic in the distance, and we were SO glad we were not part of that rat race.

IMG_0559IMG_0623

There was a nice mountain complex beside us, so that provided some exercise exploring and scrambling up the various peaks, or walking entirely around the rock in the desert.

As per usual in these spots, my floor magnet picked up a good quantity of nails from the various abandoned fire pits – from past idiots burning pallets.  Lots of broken glass, from target practice no doubt, was picked up and hauled to the bins in town.  Overall though, the area was pretty clean and well kept. 

A bit of burro sign seen in the desert, but none were spotted.

The area has an active volcanic past, so back trails lead to some very interesting formations.  One of these is a small lava tube that you can walk down inside.  There are stairs leading down into it in one spot where the roof has collapsed, and then you can go a few yards in either direction.

IMG_0585

On the surface, next to my light is a small hole, less than a foot across that leads down into the cavern.  Inside, this is a hole in the ceiling, about 10’ over your head.

IMG_0588

At this spot, the road ended at a dry waterfall in the wash.

vlcsnap-2018-11-19-17h32m00s857

Several evenings Hailey was indicating mouse-like sounds, but they were coming from high on the walls or ceiling, not the usual mouse haunts.  Finally went outside with a light and found that it was a large group of bats circling the rig, and presumably landing on the roof or walls that was creating the scratching sounds!  That’s a first.

IMG_0598IMG_0559Found these spider dens out in the desert.

IMG_5137IMG_5139

I had one neighbour for a few days, but we each had our own private side of the rock pile.

DJI_0654After departing that location, we found another scenic spot for an overnighter.

DJI_0659DJI_0667IMG_0600

Hailey climbed a Joshua tree for a look around the neighbourhood.

IMG_0606DJI_0674IMG_0618IMG_0619

This is the Mojave Cross, on the Cima road, inside Mojave National Preserve, also known as the White Cross World War I Memorial.  It was the subject of a court battle that went to the supreme court.  So now it sits on a small parcel of private land – surrounded by the Preserve.  You can read all about it with the link above.

IMG_0613IMG_0614

I hiked up Teutonia Peak nearby and checked out some abandoned mine workings, but passed on the higher Kessler peak hike.  It is high elevation and sunny, but fairly cool, so only spent the one night there.

From there we headed back eastward to Searchlight, Nv, but had to dip into my fuel reserves to get back to the much cheaper Nevada prices.  After topping up the propane as well we headed down to Six Mile Cove on Lake Mohave, meaning to just check it out. 

IMG_0626 - Copy

But the long road down to the shore was so rough with washboard, we decided to stay a few days.  The area was much cleaner than when I had visited years ago, but there is still abundant trash back in the bush and along the shoreline.  Only saw one Roadrunner, and wondered if it was the same one that came face to face with Hailey in the same tree when we were last there!  There were only a couple other rigs there, but it got a bit breezy, so that attracted a bunch of kite boarders.

IMG_0632IMG_0633

AT&T signal was weird there.  It would be strong for an hour or so, then be gone for longer.  Even on the surrounding hills it was not consistent.  I’ll use that as the latest excuse for not updating the blog.  Nice neighbours from Missouri felt sorry for me and picked up some cold beverages for me on a trip back into town.  We hadn’t planned to stay that long and were running a bit short.

IMG_0631

Had a bit of a rain shower one afternoon, but there was no visible runoff down by the lake.  It must have rained a lot harder up near Searchlight, as there was obvious signs of flooding across the Cottonwood Cove road, and some minor erosion of the road shoulders.IMG_0634

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for the tour! Those are some places that we (and the cat!) will have to visit.
    And thank you for caring enough to leave a site better than how you found it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We always try to leave with a little trash that isn't ours!

      Delete
  2. Some amazing areas you are visiting love your pictures. Nice neighbors to pict up beverages for you

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing. Very nice neighbours!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You sure can find the perfect spots for camping and photos! I thought we'd seen most all there is to see over there, but we're not even close. I miss the desert, but must admit Tampa Bay area right now is a nice change from the last 3 winters. Glad Hailey is still on watch duty! Have fun and be safe my friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's LOTS more places yet to discover!

      Delete
  5. I recognized that Mojave Cross place you were at. I was thinking about the Mojave again for this winter but have a feeling it would be too cold in January and February. I've been trying to think of somewhere new and different to go without humanoids all over the damn place!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm sure you'll be able to find some new and quiet spots. Looking forward to following your journey down and hopefully crossing paths again!

    ReplyDelete