THE MOJAVE ROAD - A TRIP THROUGH TIME

TRIP PREP

Well, it was time for another adventure, so with friends Mike and Nancy we headed out towards the Mojave Desert. I had read about the Mojave Road, a 130 mile 4-wheel drive road, leaving the Colorado River and ending just east of Barstow. Originally the Mojave Road was established in the 1850’s as a wagon route across the Mojave. The army established forts along its route at spots where water was available. The road never became a favored route for settlers heading to California, but rather a route for freight wagons.

Electing to spend two days on the road, we eliminated the first 14 miles by starting our trek where the Mojave Road crossed Highway 95, just west of Laughlin, Nevada. Did someone say Laughlin? We used Laughlin for our pre-trip preparation, by visiting various gambling establishments, and of course sustenance for the arduous trip ahead. After a dinner of lobster and a champagne brunch in the morning, we finally hit the trail on Saturday morning around 9 o’clock.

OUR FIRST CAMPFIRE

OR IS IT BANANAS FOSTER?

FORT PIUTE

Fort Piute was our first stop on the trail about 9 miles over a rough and bumpy section of trail. Not difficult, but slow going. The remains of the fort are protected now as are all sites of historic significance along the trail. The majority of the road is in the Mojave National Preserve. Fort Piute was located at a year round water source and established to protect people traveling on the road.

STOPPING ON THE GRADE UP TO PIUTE SUMMIT

After topping Piute Summit at 3400 feet, we headed across Lanfair Valley. As we headed west, Joshua Trees started appearing. Soon we were in a forest of them and it is said there are more Joshua Trees here than in the national park of the same name. Hanging from one of the Joshua Trees, is the penny can. It has become a tradition to leave a penny in this can to help maintain the Mojave Road. Mike being a big spender left a quarter.

MID HILLS CAMP

After 42 miles of bouncing around, we opted for an early camp at an established campground about 8 miles south of the Mojave Road on a well established route. It is usually at camp when you discover what you have forgotten to bring. We discovered at our lunch break that I had forgotten the chicken salad for our sandwiches. Luckily we didn't starve. Mike went to set up his tent, a remembered he had left it in his truck, which was parked in his driveway. Come campfire time, the axe I brought was no where to be found. We did manage to remember the beer and wine. Funny how that is.

After a dinner of chicken chili, we retired to the campfire before heading off to bed, Cathie and I in our warm tent, with Mike and Nancy sleeping out under the stars.

A MOJAVE NATIVE

After a great breakfast prepared by Mike and Nancy, we broke camp and joined back up with the road and turned west. After a short distance on established county roads, we were once again on the trail. For the first 5 miles we encountered numerous woop-ti-doos which kept the speed down below 5 mph. We had been seeing wild flowers for most of the trip, and in this section they were extremely plentiful. We also happened upon a pair of Golden Eagles, who upon our approach, took to flight.

After another mandatory stop at Mojave Road Mail Box, where one signs the log book, we began our gradual decent to Soda Dry Lake.

SODA DRY LAKE

It is said that if Soda Dry Lake is not dry, you should not attempt to cross it. Those that do, become mired in deep mud, and there is not tow service who will risk trying to save your ass. If you are unable to extricate yourself, the only solution is to wait for the lake to become dry again.
Near the far side of the lake is the Travelers Monument and according to one more Mojave Road tradition, one must place a rock on the pile, adding to the Monument's size. Of course you have to know about this before arriving at the monument, because there are no rocks on the dry lake. So having read about this tradition, we brought our rocks with us. Once depositing your rock, you are then allowed to climb to the top of the pile and read a plaque hidden within. Only those who deposit a rock know what is inscribed on the plaque and must never divulge it's contents.

A "DIFFERENT" VIEW OF THE MONUMENT

MIKE WORKING ON HIS CHRYSLER

I was kidding Mike about his Jeep being a Chrysler, a company who's future is suspect, so I had to get this picture of him working on it. Turns out, our Toyota had some problems, and Mike was kind enough to follow us all the way home to make sure we didn't break down. Guess I should keep my mouth shut.

FLOWER FIELDS

After crossing the lake, we traveled through some deep sand requiring one to keep moving or get stuck. We were also encountering some high winds causing poor visibility due to the blowing sand. We later learned the winds were gusting to 50 mph.

MIKE FORDING THE MOJAVE RIVER

The last part of the trip is through Afton Canyon, probably the most pretty section of the entire road. We didn't stop for photos due to the winds and blowing sand. The road shares the canyon with the Union Pacific Rail Road and the Mojave River. At first the River is barely visible, but as you travel up canyon the water becomes more plentiful with the last river crossing shown in the photograph.

We reached the end of the trail around 3 o'clock having enjoyed the entire experience. We were guided across the desert by the book the "Mojave Road Guide, An Adventure Through Time", written by Dennis Casebier. It is a mile by mile description of the entire route and provides a wealth of information about the history of the Mojave Road. At the title of the book suggests, it was just one more of Gassaway's Adventures.

SOME THINGS JUST DON'T SURVIVE THE TRIP ACROSS THE MOJAVE!

If you want to know what is inscribed on the plaque on Soda Lake, let me know and I'll help you pick out a rock to take there.

OTHER FOLKS ARE HAVING AFFAIRS TOO

THE FOLLOWING IS A RESPONSE TO MY ENTRY ABOUT ALICE FROM A FRIEND OF OURS. SEEMS I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING AN AFFAIR.

Your newest entry is a hoot!!!! Matter of fact, my husband Dale could have written it from your perspective too. I, on the other hand, can relate to Cathie's viewpoint. Our GPS is named Lola, and often we lengthen it to Lolita in moments of absolute frustration (which tend to be numerous). Lola has told us to get into the right hand lane twice in a row, leading us to the right, followed by another right. WRONG. She was merely repeating herself in case we didn't hear her the first time (like there was any chance of NOT hearing that irritating voice). Lola has managed to toss my responsibility (of navigating) out with the wash water. Apparently I am now obsolete. As are my maps, my written directions, and my common sense.

Therefore, I am now a mere passenger. Free to enjoy the landscape, the neighborhoods, the weather, the cityscapes and all else I choose. FREEDOM!

Let Lolita save his ass the next time we're lost in the dark of night in downtown Watts!!!

HER NAME IS ALICE

For sometime now I’ve been having an affair. Before you get all in a tizzy, Cathie knows about her. In fact she actually met and spent time with her. Her name is Alice and we became acquainted in 2005. She’s very knowledgeable, but as with every relationship we don’t always agree. I must admit I sometimes yell at her, but she always remains calm, never raising her voice. That’s one thing a really like about her is that she is very steady.

You ask, how did we meet? Well, as with many relationships in today’s modern world, we met on-line and we became road mates. All of our time together is spent on long drives in the country. It was while shopping at Costco on-line when I saw her picture. A color screen promising to guide me throughout this maze of routes one must choose to get to their desired destination in life. Alice has been a tremendous help to me in making those important decisions. In fact, she usually makes the decision and I obediently follow. At least for the most part. You see, Alice is my GPS and we’ve been having an affair.

Sometimes I don’t agree with her and thus the yelling. Cathie, who is usually with us, just rolls her eyes and lets me vent at the computer mounted on the dash. Alice never misses a beat and continues to spew forth directions that I continue to question. I might continue to argue with her but she never wavers in her attempt to guide me. I can’t say that I’ve ever won an argument with her, but I can turn her off.

SO YOU LIKE SWAP MEETS

We had to go somewhere, so why not Quartzsite, Arizona. Most of the year Quartzsite is a place to get gas on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and San Bernardino. It’s not the kind of spot you would want to take your summer vacation in, but in the wintertime it’s a different story. The town has about 3400 persons living there year round, but come the cooler time of the year and the population swells to around 100,000. Most of these temporary residents bring their RV”S and camp in the open desert around the town. The Bureau of Land Management has areas set up with some limited facilities for RV’ers, like trash collection sites and dump stations. You can stay for free if you’re not there longer than 14 days, but for longer stays you must buy an annual permit. The vast majority of the temporary residents are snowbirds escaping the winter weather of the north. Besides all of the northern states being represented there is a huge contingent of folks from Canada.

So, what’s the attraction? Well, besides the warm weather and a cheap place to stay, it’s swap meets. While we were there they had an RV show with hundreds of new and used RV’s for sale. Also big is the Gem and Mineral Show. There are vendors there selling rocks from all over the world. So many rocks they come in 55 gallon steel drums hauled into town on semi-trucks. Want to by some crystals? This is the place. Want to buy just about everything else under the sun, you’re in luck. From socks to damaged can goods, to tools to antiques to just plan junk, they’ve got it here. How about an auction selling items that were returned to Bass Pro Shops. It took us four days to go through all the swap meets which is why we stayed for 5 nights.

What did we buy, you ask? Mostly a bunch of stuff we didn’t need, but it being such a good deal, it just couldn’t be passed up. For Cathie, a new sweater at the auction for $2, of course some gems both from the auction and from one of the rock swap meets. Also she likes Rice Checks so for $1.50 a box we purchased several. As for me, a couple of files for a buck a piece, baseball caps, 4 for a dollar (new but defective) and for both of us, 8 X 10 wooden picture frames at $1.50 a piece (we bought eight). This list does not include all the other stuff we bought that we’ve already forgotten about. We’ll come across it someday and wonder where “that” came from.

QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA

CATHIE BUYING HER GEMS

QUARTZSITE SUNSET

ABOARD THE USS MIDWAY

With no significant travel plans in our immediate future, I’ve been spending some of my free time aboard the museum ship USS Midway as a volunteer. I know, I know, the army taught me never to volunteer, but this is different. There are no bullets involved and I can quit anytime I want. And besides, my therapist suggested that I do something nice.

The aircraft carrier Midway is docked on the Embarcadero in San Diego and was opened to the public as a museum in 2004. I’ve been told that it is the second most visited tourist destination in San Diego. I’m not sure what the first is, but I bet it’s the zoo. Anyway the Midway has seen 4,000,000 visitors since opening. Many of the people who work there are volunteers, such as the docents and the Safety Team. I’ve joined the Safety Team, a group of folks who’s responsible for greeting the guests and ensuring that they have an enjoyable and safe visit. If someone gets injured we can administer first aid. Duties also include making sure emergency equipment is in good working order and being observant of potential safety hazards.

After a period of training, I began working one or two 5 hour shifts a week. With the exception of two stationary posts, at the entrance and exit, team members rove around the various areas of the ship that are open to the public. The best part, aside from being able to explore a really big ship, is interacting with the visitors. Yes, I have to actually be nice to people, which as many of you know wasn’t something required of me in my professional life. So meeting and talking to visitors from all over the world is my therapy, and I’m having fun.

For my friends and family, if you’re interested, give me a call and I’ll see to it that you can come aboard for free.

You can read about the USS Midway here: http://www.midway.org/

WINDING DOWN

It’s hard to get excited about anything after The Wave, but the trip continued. From Page we headed to Canyon de Chelly for one night. http://www.nps.gov/cach/index.htm Back in the tent, we survived a balmy 29 degrees, and actually managed to stay warm. We didn’t venture into the canyon as a guide is required, but drove both the south and north rims, peering over the edge at every turnout.

Next up, Chaco Canyon. http://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm We’ve been there a couple of times before, but never for an overnight stay. I wanted to be there for both the sunset and sunrise in an attempt to get photographs in the subdued lighting conditions. After setting up camp, we went to Pueblo Benito, the largest ruin in the Chaco complex where once again I took way to many photos. After another cold night, this time 19 degrees, I left Cathie in a warm bed and went to Pueblo del Arroyo and took a whole bunch more photos as the sun came up.

After defrosting with a warm breakfast of oatmeal, we headed to Rio Rancho on the outskirts of Albuquerque to stay with friends for 3 nights. We had a great visit and ate way too much food and drink. Back on the road, we stopped at the Grand Canyon for one night. http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm I don’t think we’ll be coming back to the Grand Canyon again unless it’s on a raft going down the Colorado. This place is way too crowded with a never ending line of tourist buses arriving all day long. We stayed in Mather Campground and for most of the night you could hear the drone of vehicles on the nearby roads, not to mention the idiots with their car alarms going off with the slightest hint of a breeze.

We are now in Prescott for our last stop of the trip. We are staying at a very nice bed and breakfast. http://www.prescottpinesinn.com/index.html This morning after a great breakfast we drove to the old mining town of Jerome and walked up and down its steep streets. Tomorrow we’ll head home, where after recuperating for two days, we’ll head for the beach for a week.

No new adventures are planned in the immediate future, but who knows. I’m sure something will come up.

CHACO AT SUNRISE
CATHIE AND FRIEND

RUIN IN CANYON DE CHELLY

HOTEL IN JEROME

WHAT DO YOU MEAN OUR ROOM'S NOT READY?

PRESCOTT PINES B&B

CHACO CANYON PHOTOS

SOME MORE WAVE PHOTOS

WOW, THE WAVE

After freezing in 26 degree weather, we abandoned the tent for the night and stayed in a motel in Kanab. We got up early to drive the 40 miles to the trailhead for our hike to The Wave. We have been looking forward to this hike for months after being successful in obtaining a permit for 2 hikers out of the 10 given each day on the internet. An additional 10 are given out the day before the hike at the ranger station. These permits are extremely hard to come by and we were very lucky to get ours.

We started the 3 mile hike to The Wave at 9 AM and passed a couple of others on the way. Most of the trail is not marked and permit holders are given a map and directions. After 1-1/2 hours we were the first ones to arrive. Upon casting our eyes on this natural wonder we immediately understood why so many try to get the limited number of permits. We both agreed that this was the most beautiful piece of landscape we had ever seen. It is doubtful we will ever see anything like this again, unless of course we manage to get another permit. We spent the first 30 minutes or so alone in the silence, in awe of the scene. Others began arriving and we learned one group was from North Carolina, a couple from Scottsdale, and a couple from Germany.

We couldn’t stop taking pictures and between us we manage to snap just shy of 200 photos. It was hard to stop taking photos as the light changed the hews and shadows. It was also very difficult choosing which photos to post here on the blog as they all turned out pretty good. After several hours snapping pictures and exploring the surrounding area, we managed to pull ourselves away and headed back to the car.

We are now in Page, AZ at a motel (a planned stop) before heading to Canyon de Chelly tomorrow. We have already decided to try to obtain another permit for The Wave in the future. Yes, it’s that impressive.

THERE ARE NO CAPTIONS NECESSARY

JUST SOME PHOTOS

THE BURR TRAIL

COTTONWOOD CANYON ROAD

SWITCHBACKS ON THE BURR TRAIL

THE BURR TRAIL

BURRRRR ON THE BURR TRAIL

IT'S NOON AND THIS IS WHY

WE'RE IN A MOTEL

SUNRISE AT KODACHROME BASIN STATE PARK

AND ITS 26 DEGREES

GROSVENOR ARCH NEAR KODACHROME BASIN