Mojave Night Sky
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Mojave National Preserve
It is a short drive to our next stop, Hole in The wall Campground in the southern section of the preserve. Rugged mountain ranges cut through the long stretches of creosote dominated desert. We settle in then head for the visitor center since they are closed Tues and Wed and I always like to check in with them to see if there is anything special going on during our stay. It is a bit of an adventure since we set out on the shorter path; 38 miles rather than 60 miles. The catch, 16 of those 38 are on dirt road. There is a lot of pot hole dodging and washboard rattling and we are grateful we were not here a couple weeks ago when they got all the big rain. The road must have been impassable then. I enjoy the views as Kent endures the drive. We make our stop then come home via the paved roads. It wasn’t a mistake but it is a decision we probably won’t make again! Back home we are entertained by the many black tailed jackrabbits that scurry around the wash just outside our window.
There is no power in or even near the campground so it is a great night sky park – once the neighbors put out their huge bonfire. We even got up in the middle of the night. We are “only” 70 miles from Vegas so that light dome is visible but Kent still captures some pretty amazing views. I just stand in the stillness and soak it all in. The only interruption is the low call of great horned owls.
The trailhead for our day 1 trail, Barber Peak, is right here in camp. We dawdle a bit ‘til the temperature gets into the 50s then head out. Much of the trail crosses open range where favorite shaded areas are noticeably dotted with cow flops. Lots of flops but no cows so far. We travel washes and cross low rocky ridges as we circle along magnificent cliffs. Erosion patterns are amazing. In just 6 miles we cross desolate desert and comparatively lush mountainside slopes. We are on the lookout for big horn sheep (again) but find only two cows and an adorable calf. We know where at least some of the freshest flops have come from.
Our trail intersects The Ring Loop Trail. It is sort of the name sake of the area as it winds through narrow slots (holes in the wall) in the eroded cliffs. We spot a high eroded recess that is filled with honeycomb – so that is where they live out here! Two of the canyon slots are steep walled and high enough to warrant climbing rings to assist the ascent. It is a fun trail….as long as you approach it clockwise so it is up the rings not down them.
Good thing that we are in no hurry!
We laze around camp waiting for it to cool off then head for the trailhead about 4PM. Oops, it is a 2 ½ mile trail, if you go down into the crater and who wouldn’t, and it gets dark here by 6PM. We know that it is a rocky uneven climb so not something we want to finish in the dark. New plan, we will hike it tomorrow morning then head on to Mojave Preserve. The overflow lot is a perfect place to boondock. We do a lot of train watching. This big valley seems to be a staging area for the many east-west trains that move through this part of the country. They were lined up like huge caterpillars as we came into the valley and I am sure that one moved through here every half hour all evening and most of the night. We got in some great dark sky star viewing.
Monday morning the temperature is about right and the sun beautiful but the wind is going to make an exposed hike on the cinder cone rim an interesting event. We are up for it. Up close, even the lava flow area doesn’t seem quite so barren. There are wildflowers, lizards including chuckwalla and a beautifully colored green -blue lizard plus more of our usual desert birds. The ascent up the one trail is loose rock and steep…I regret wearing shorts. Fractured and wind eroded lava and pumice make for pretty abrasive stuff that will create some pretty severe trail rash. We climb up, down through the crater, back up a really awful trail to the rim, walk about half the rim with only a few stops when the wind threatened to blow us off, back into the crater – another trail that is steep and loose rock- then back to the lava field. I can’t help but imagine the power involved when this erupted. It must have been amazing and they claim it was only 500 years ago.
Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark
Not quite THE definition of middle of nowhere but pretty darn close! We reach the top of a drive up a steep mountain ridge on Amboy Road and began the slow long descent into a huge valley. The floor is stark creosote studded Mojave Desert with vast swatches of dry lakebed, barren salt flats. Still some 15 miles out, we see the black, symmetric silhouette of the Amboy cinder cone rising up from the desert flats. Closer, we begin to see the lava fields that stretch out from the cone. A few wildflowers dot the desert areas but the cone and lava field look absolutely lifeless from here. On our right we pass one of the dry lakebeds is actively being mined. Equipment dots the horizon and soil is piled seemingly randomly for as far as one can see. Between the piles are trenches or patches of parched bare dirt all cracked and curled up. Signs claim the mine produces sodium chloride and calcium chloride… it is not a pretty sight. It is a good thing someone thought to protect this cool cinder cone and crater from the advancing mine. I doubt that progress would have halted itself. It is a little too hot, bright sun and 83, to head out right now but we plan to hike the cone and crater a bit later this afternoon
20 – 30 MPH winds with gusts to 50
Yikes. This is not the best weather for hiking the ridges on the north side of Joshua Tree at Black Rock but we head off that way hoping things will settle a little or will be protected somewhat over there. No such luck! By the time we get to Black Rock the wind is still howling, it is in the 50s, and it is spitting rain. We wait a while at the trailhead hoping things will blow through but it just isn’t going to happen. Neither of us is fond of being cold and damp so we scrap the idea of a hike and take one last scenic drive through the park.
We stopped at the Joshua Tree (town) farmers market while we were on the north side. The wind was nearly carrying the venders away but they had some great stuff. We left with beautiful (and deliciously sweet) strawberries, field ripe oranges, locally roasted organic coffee beans, a loaf of rye/pumpernickel swirl bread and a couple yummy muffins. That stop would have made the trip worthwhile all by itself.
Desert boondocking
Joshua Tree campgrounds are full for the weekend so we are moving out to the BLM land just outside of the park on the south side. There is some traffic noise as it is not far off I10 but it is tolerable, especially we have our windows closed for these cool nights. It will give us one more day to explore.
Fault lines lead to palm groves
The San Andreas Fault line runs through the Indio Hills in the Coachella Valley just southwest of Joshua Tree NP. Slo-mo movement along those faults has created some impressive geologic changes in this part of the country and gets blamed for lots of damage to man-made structures. In this desert land it is also responsible for strings of palm trees and even surface pools as water works its way up through the fault line. Just beyond the pool and palm oasis the valley walls and washes are blanketed with wildflowers. Snowcapped peaks create a perfect back drop. All this is protected in the Coachella Valley Preserve and is a great place to get out and hike for a few hours. Today the temperature made it into the mid 70s by noon so we were glad we had gotten an early start.
Mastadon Peak
I rarely hike alone but Kent is under the weather and it is too pretty to stay indoors. Off I go on a 3 ½ mile loop around a ridge just above camp. It is still pretty early so I have the trail mostly to myself, nice. I trek up washes and some nicely placed carved steps as I move up the ridge. Near the top, a short boulder scramble takes me to a solitary spot at the summit with a beautiful view of the rugged valley. No pictures, I left my photographer at home! I relax for a few to let it soak in. As I head back down, I come across a chuckwalla basking in the sun and couple very friendly hummingbirds that dart all around me. What a great morning.
I hope it is allergies!
Kent is sniffling and sneezing like crazy and is really low energy. It started very suddenly so I am hoping it is something here in the desert that he will get over as soon as we move on. It will be terrible if we all come down with something from LA!
Exploring
I’m up early and it is a chance to check out a quiet desert sunrise. I wander a short way just over the ridge from camp. As I wait for the sun to make its appearance, the whir of hummingbird wings and tap-tap-tap of a woodpecker break the desert silence. I love morning!