DZRTGRLS

Pacific Crest Trail Backpack

Niki, now trail named Half Dome, is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Campo, California to Manning Park, Canada with her sister Joyce. She promises to get busy updating our past trips when she returns in September. In the meantime, you can follow her on Instagram (user - nikif or click through to trips page for link) where she uploads a daily collage of photos from her hike.

Hotel California - Orocopia Mountains

We've heard that tucked away in the upper reaches of a canyon in the Orocopia Mountains is a tiny stone cabin. It's supposedly perched high above the canyon bottom to avoid flash floods and exhibits loving attention to detail in the placement of thousands of rocks that form not only the cabin itself but also the supporting terraces and surrounding features. Inside, next to a small fireplace, is a sign that reads Hotel California. Sounds interesting, eh? Let's go find it and have a look!

Oh, since we're going to be in the Orocopia Mountains for the cabin hunt, we might as well also stop by the old Orocopia Fluorspar Mine, sometimes referred to as the Holmestake Mine. The mine is found along the Red Canyon Road and hasn't been worked for many years. Rockhounds, though, have dug along the old veins looking for samples of a rather unique brecciated fluorspar that, when polished, produces some very showy specimens. Finding some of that material would be the perfect end to a day of desert exploring!

Saddle up! We're goin' exploring!

Pictographs and the Smiling Dolphin of Piedras Grandes - Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Today's perfect weather shows that January is a great month for exploring the back country of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. We're currently headed toward the bouldery nooks of Piedras Grandes, ground zero for today's adventure. This rock strewn landscape was once utilized by Native Americans as prime real estate for habitation sites and art galleries.

There are two sites in particular that we're hoping to locate today. The first is a small shelter whose walls are decorated with a series of pictographs, one of which is extremely unique. In fact, it's here that the only known representation in Diegueno rock art of a man "mounted" on a horse is found. It's surmised that this portrays a moment of "contact" when the first mounted Spanish explorers entered this area. The second site that sounds interesting is a habitation site, characterized by bedrock mortars and a profusion of pottery fragments and lithic flakes from tool making. As we nudge the Desert Canary into the graded parking area, shrug into our day packs and take a look at the vast rocky horizon in front of us, we get a gnawing feeling that finding anything out there might be a bit harder than it seemed while we were in the planning stages!

No matter what we find, though, it's going to be wonderful to stretch our legs and prowl through this remarkable landscape! Also, if time permits, we're hoping to head a bit further south to have a look at Dos Cabezas Spring, also a popular hangout for prehistoric folks due to its life giving water. Do you feel like joining us via the magic of cyber space? If that was a "Yes!" then grab your off road mouse and click on the photo link below! We're goin' adventuring!

The "Other" Pictograph Site Near Little Blair Valley - Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Adjacent to an old trail connecting Little Blair Valley with Smuggler Canyon is a large granite boulder that serves as one of the few well marked and easy to get to pictograph sites in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Numerous images, painted in red and yellow roughly 200 to 1000 years ago, lend their continued magic to the sides of this rock. Due to the preponderance of the use of red pigments, along with traditional diamond chains and zigzag lines, it's assumed that this site played an important role in Kumeyaay initiation ceremonies where young girls entered the ranks of womanhood. Both the designs and color used to paint them had great importance to the Kumeyaay. Red was the traditional color to denote the arrival of menstruation and womanhood, while black was used at the site of male initiation ceremonies. The diamond chain and zigzag lines were also gender specific as it was felt that they depicted the rattlesnake, the appropriate spirit helper for a woman, and therefore these were necessary symbols to aid in acquiring such a powerful ally. In addition to the pictograph boulder, visitors to this site can also find along the trail numerous bedrock mortars, pottery fragments and lithic flakes to further remind them of the prehistoric presence here.

However, this isn't the only pictograph site to be found in the area. We've long heard rumors of another location, an older site that rests in solitude and obscurity, its delicate pictographs now faded with age, forgotten and unseen. We've hunted for it before and know of many places where it isn't located! Today, though, dawns bright with promise and you just might want to click on the photo link below to see what turns up! Oh, enjoy the images but don't bother asking where it is. We won't tell you. If the site wants to be found, that's its business. We're keeping quiet!

Rockhouse Canyon Cowboys and Indians - Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Rockhouse Canyon (the southern one, there's another in the north part of the park) is accessed off of Carrizo Canyon, which runs to the south as you're headed toward Bow Willow Campground from County Route S2. Rockhouse Canyon itself is oriented east/west and the simple way to visit it is to drive up the sometimes sandy lower part of Carrizo Canyon for a bit over three miles and then park on the right, at the mouth of the canyon. We've done some pre-dawn driving to arrive at the trailhead just after sunrise and are currently getting our daypacks and cameras ready for the hike. The carrot at the end of the canyon, some three miles away and about 750' higher up, is one of the few surviving line shacks that were built back in the cattle ranching days. This one was built in the 1930's when the McCain family ranged cattle through numerous desert canyons during the more hospitable winter months. The line shack was built partially against some large boulders in an area of seasonal springs. These springs, we've no doubt, also attracted some earlier prehistoric inhabitants and we're hoping to find some evidence of their existence in this area, too. Of course, we'll be on the lookout for plants in bloom and critters, as well. One other aspect of this area is that it's known to contain pegmatite dikes. These often produce some showy mineral samples so we'll be keeping our eyes open for them as well. Sounds like a busy day, eh? 'Course, if we don't get going, we won't see a thing! Since you're here already, why don't you join in and see what turns up by clicking on the photo link below!

Visiting Two Ghosts from the Pinyon Plateau - Joshua Tree National Park

The "ghosts" that we're looking for today aren't the chain-rattling, ectoplasm dripping ones that you might have been hoping for, but rather two old mines from the late 1800's whose current wispy remains are sitting in splendid isolation high on Joshua Tree's Pinyon Plateau. Considering their antiquity and seldom seen nature, we thought an Oija board might be a better device for finding these almost spectral remains but ultimately decide that we'll stick with a more earthly approach and use our GPS! We'll be searching first for the Pinyon Mine, also known as the Tingman-Holland, and then travel deeper into the rugged plateau to look for the Henson Mine and mill site. Both of these mines most likely began operating around 1890, roughly 120 years ago. We're hoping that there's still a bit left for us to photograph. Of course, we have to find them first! We know from past experience that there will be some hard earned elevation to be gained to reach the 5,200' base elevation of the lofty plateau. Sandy washes provide the first route that we'll follow and, with the exception of the almost vanished mining trail that once passed near Pinyon Well, we'll be doing a lot of cross country route finding. Of course, it's possible that faint traces of trails that once led to the mines that we're hunting can still be found. There's only one way to find out!

Are you up for doing a sunrise to sunset hunt for these two phantoms? We knew you would be! Grab that mouse and click on the photo link below to join us on our desert version of Ghost Hunters!

Kofa Queen Canyon - Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona

As we leave the Stone Cabin site adjacent to Highway 95, we run through our options for the rest of the day. It's around noon already, so we want a place that we can get to fairly quickly and where we can find a good spot to camp for the night. The Palm Canyon area looks like it would be fun, but not a great spot for camping and also too many people around for our taste. Kofa Queen Canyon, on the other hand, looks like it would be ideal. It's off the beaten path, has lots of nooks and crannies for camping, is supposed to be quite scenic with its high walls and colorful rock formations and as a bonus is known to be home to lots of wildlife. Well, that was an easy decision! Consequently, although we're taking the Palm Canyon Road turnoff from the highway and are heading toward Signal Mountain and Palm Canyon, we're really looking for the turn off to the smaller road which meanders up the alluvial fan and then enters Kofa Queen Canyon proper. There it is! Even though we don't have a lot of time today, we're hoping that this will prove to be a great choice. Come on along and see for yourself! Just click on the photo link below and you can scrunch right into the virtual seat in the back of the truck! Here we go!

Horse Tanks - Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona

We're getting close now! After leaving the Big Eye Mine around noon, we've retraced our route back to Highway 95, headed north to Stone Cabin and then west on King Valley Road to take us back into the Kofa Refuge. The turn off to Horse Tanks seemed to come up quickly but since then the road has been a bit more cantankerous. We like 'em that way! Already, we're agreeing that our choice to camp near Horse Tanks for the night is an outstanding one. The scenery is once again spectacular and we're looking forward to exploring the natural tanks that have long provided life saving water for both prehistoric folk and wildlife alike. We've even heard rumors of a rock shelter near the tanks that contains some petroglyphs. Definitely our kind of place! "Niki, pull over right there!" This spot looks like the perfect campsite. It's only a bit over a quarter mile to the tanks and is within the maximum 100' distance from the road that's required in the refuge. Since it's late afternoon already, we want to grab our cameras and packs and do some exploring before it gets too dark. Do you want to come along with us? We'd love to have you join in! Just grab a warm jacket, snuggle deeper into the recliner, and click on the photo link.

The Big Eye Mine - Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona

Look! There's a Saguaro! You guessed it, the Desert Girls aren't in California any more! A rare five day hiatus from work has allowed us to expand our range a bit and we've rolled along in the dark to witness the sunrise in Yuma and have now turned off of Highway 95 in Arizona to make our way into the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. This is a huge swath of land, some 664,300 acres to be exact, that was established in 1939 to preserve a pristine desert environment for many unique plants and animals. The name Kofa is actually a contraction of the major historic mine that once operated in the middle of this picturesque landscape, the King of Arizona. But it's not that mine that we're heading for today. Instead, we've got our sights set on the Big Eye Mine. It's going to take us most of the day to get there but that's partly because we also plan to stop along the way at the Colorado Mine, which has some old workings as well as four historic graves, and the Copper Cup, another old mine with some nice trash dumps. The Big Eye itself dates from about 1910 and was a gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc producer. Apparently, some of the original structures are still standing so we definitely want to check it out! If you'd like to join us for the cyber version of this first destination here in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, then grab a warm jacket and a sleeping bag 'cause you're going to be spending a virtual night out here with us! Jump in by clicking on the "Photos - Day 1" link as we're just about to leave civilization behind! After spending the night below the trail up to the cabins and mine, you can find out what's there by clicking on "Photos - Day 2" photo link. Let's get goin'!

Cruisin' the Clipper Mountains

Years ago, as we were exploring the Ship Mountains, we looked longingly to the north, across Historic Route 66, to the Clipper Mountains. Their stately peaks seem to have inspired a comparison with the square rigged Clipper ships which made fortunes for their owners as they plied the watery route around Cape Horn. The mysterious and colorful hills that form the southern flanks of the Clippers sure looked like they'd make for an interesting trip and we kept this idea alive in our "To Do" file.

Finally, we're back here again and ready to lay a course to several spots in the Clippers which look like they might still hold, in their remote and rocky folds, some tangible evidence of the old mines such as the Tom Reed, the Clipper Mountain and the Gold Reef. These mines were first discovered around 1913 and turned into steady producers until their demise in the early 1920's. So, if we can find them, and if there are any remains from the mining years, we might get an interesting glimpse into the past. Really, though, we have no idea what lies ahead...which is just how we like it! If you're feeling adventurous too and would like to see just what's hidden away in the Clipper Mountains, then reef your topsails and shiver your timbers 'cause we're almost there! Grab that mouse and get to clicking on the photo links below!

Half Dome Hike - Yosemite National Park

So, after Niki and her sister Joyce's long drive to Lake Tahoe for their cousin Sonia's wedding, was there some kind of hike they could do to break up the drive home? Their choice was epic. "Let's hike to the top of Half Dome!" That's a 17 mile round trip route with around 5,000' of elevation gain. Too easy, you say? Oh, yeah, they'd have to do the hike at night so they'd be able to drive home to Southern California in time for work! Plans are made, gear organized, backpacks loaded, wedding enjoyed and a full night's sleep savored. Tomorrow the adventure begins.

The morning after the ceremony, full of good cheer and with a wedding cake buzz, they leave Lake Tahoe headed for Mono Lake. After the twisting route west up Tioga Pass, they arrive at Curry Village, near the trailhead, in the early evening. "If we set our alarm for a midnight start, we can catch a few hours sleep and then have the trail all to ourselves! We should be able to get to the base of the final cable climb around dawn." Want to join 'em in the cold chill of the midnight hour, following a bouncing cone of headlamp light up a rocky trail to their awesome destination? Thought so! Grab a strong cup of coffee, your Tikka XP headlamp and click on the photo link below to get started!

Return to Clark Mountain - Mojave National Preserve

On our first visit to Clark Mountain, we knew that we'd have to return because we'd barely scratched the surface. So, here we are again, headed back for a sequel! This time we want to get a look at the massive flooded open pit of the old Colosseum gold mine. Along the way we're hoping to find a couple of prehistoric agave roasting pits and a 1920-1930's mine camp. After the Colosseum, we'll head up Curtis Canyon to look for a cabin and mine remains reported to be in the area. Finally, we'll need to do some driving to relocate to the site that we want to explore tomorrow. We'll be scouting for a good campsite that's near what we hope will be another group of 1870-1890's silver mines similar to the ones we explored last time. We know that the scenery will be spectacular and we're hoping that the weather will cooperate. If you'd like to join us for the cyber version of our ramble, you'd better gas up the recliner and grab some blankets. We've got a lot of ground to cover and it's gonna be cold at night! To get started, click on the Part 1 photo link below!

Mammoth Mine and Shadow Mountain Recon

On the lower slopes of Clark Mountain are the scant remains of a 1916-1929 era copper mine. Its name is the Mammoth Mine. We've been tantalized by distant glimpses of it as we passed through the area on other trips and each time vowed to make it a point to check it out in the future. Today we're finally going to grind and jounce our way up to it and see what's left! If you're going to join us on this virtual trek, you'll want to strap yourself securely into your recliner because the road is badly eroded.

After exploring the Mammoth, we're hoping to have enough daylight left to scurry over to Shadow Mountain and check out another area that's well off the beaten path. The Shadow Mountains have a much older history as the first gold claims were filed in 1894. However, after a meteoric beginning, most of the miners were headed off to other locations after only a year! The California Mining Bureau explains the problem, "The small size of the veins, some of which are faulted, the great distance from supply points and scarcity of water, have retarded the development of the mines, and the district is practically deserted." The obituary proved to be premature, though, and much like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the old mining district refused to die and was soon resurrected and struggled on well into the 1930's. We'll be starting our explorations at the Shadow Mountain Mine and mill ruins and then visiting a few of the more remote sites on our "Recon" of this interesting area.

If you're up for a full day of kickin' up sand, then click on the photo links below to join us in our desert double-header!

Counsel Rocks Archaeological Site - Mojave National Preserve

At the base of Wild Horse Mesa in the Mojave National Preserve lies a jumble of boulders that have been sculpted by the elements into interesting shapes. The prehistoric people of the area found that these particular boulders also had some rather remarkable aspects to them and this site became an important ceremonial location. Finding and exploring this spot is our main goal today. We'll be joined again by Guy Starbuck who we camped with last night after our exploration of the Woods Wash Petroglyphs. We think we have a pretty good idea where the site is located so we break camp early this morning and head toward Wild Horse Mesa to try our luck. We'd love to have you join us for the cyber version of our trip today and all you have to do is grab that mouse and get busy clicking! We don't think that you'll be disappointed because Counsel Rocks is a pretty amazing spot!

Woods Wash Petroglyphs - Mojave National Preserve

Woods Wash, one of the major north/south drainages in the Mojave National Preserve, wasn't always the quiet, seldom visited place that it is today. In fact, the huge volume of rock art, mostly in the form of petroglyphs, clearly shows just what a significant, bustling spot this must have been in prehistoric times. The Dzrtgrls, along with fellow desert prowler Guy Starbuck, are here today to wander through this forgotten gallery of ceremonial images. Through photography, we hope to capture not only the images themselves but also the more intangible "feel" of this site. Even though we're starting our hike in the early morning, we know that covering the vast area spreading out before us will take until well into the late afternoon. If petroglyphs are your thing, and you've got some time to spend in front of your monitor, then grab that mouse and get to clicking because we've got a lot of ground to cover! Hopefully, along the way, we'll see some great rock art and make a few unexpected discoveries!

Joshua Tree National Park: Rock Art Potpourri

As you've probably noticed, we're big fans of the Kern County Archaeological Society and have joined them for many of their trips. One would be hard pressed to find a nicer group of rock art fanatics! You can understand how pleased we were, then, when we received a call from them asking if we'd lead a trip to view rock art sites in Joshua Tree National Park. Here was a chance to try to repay them for putting up with us on numerous trips up in their neck of the woods!

So, a trip was born. Our goal was to try to provide, in a weekend, a variety of rock art experiences for about fifteen hardy souls who had never been to Joshua Tree before. Our choices for sites to visit had to meet a number of variables: adequate parking, relative ease of access, close enough together to make it possible to visit them all in two days and impressive enough to be worth the effort. Eventually, we came up with a plan. The photos you're about to see are from our 'dry run' a few weeks before the actual trip. We wanted to make sure that the hiking time and time spent at each site would fit within the time frame that we had to work with. So, today we're off for a whirlwind adventure in which we're going to fit our proposed weekend trip into just one day while we crunch the stopwatch numbers and make sure that our timing will be spot on for the real thing in just a couple of weeks. Since you probably don't belong to KCAS and consequently missed the field trip, here's your chance to get a personal cyber tour of some of Joshua Tree's better known rock art locations. The best part is that you won't even have to pay the entry fee to get into the park, have to worry about finding a restroom, or do all the huffing and puffing to get from one site to another. Just click on the photo link below to be yanked through cyber space and plopped down right in the middle of the Wonderland of Rocks!

Rock Shelter and Pictographs - Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

The shelter that we're going to be looking for today is known for its spectacular La Rumorosa style pictographs but there is more to be seen here as well. Bedrock mortars, cupules, pottery fragments, lithics and even a projectile point eventually reveal themselves during our visit. The wildflowers are also still in bloom and, as usual, there are plenty of desert critters to spice things up. Dodging the overly aggressive vegetation seems like a small price to pay for reaching such an amazing spot! If you're ready to hit the trail, wrap your mouse up in Kevlar armor and click on the photo link below!

Wildflowers and Petroglyphs at Clark Lake - Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

It's always enjoyable to pay a visit to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in March to take in the wildflower displays. This year, though, our plan is to avoid the crowds at the typical roadside flower display sites and instead do some wilderness hiking and just see what turns up where we're at. The goal of our wilderness hike is the rumored Clark Dry Lake petroglyph site. Although it's a small site, the petroglyphs are supposed to be quite old and well off the beaten path. So, this morning we're heading toward the dry lake to try our luck with both wildflowers and petroglyphs. Sounds like a winning combination, eh? Grab your virtual gear and join us for a day of adventure!

Slaughterhouse Spring, Brant Station and Ivanpah #2 - Mojave National Preserve

After our exploration of Chinese Canyon yesterday, we enjoyed our snug campsite last night on the hillside overlooking the dense mat of vegetation covering the area around Slaughterhouse Spring. Today, as dawn pries us from our sleeping bags, we'll be heading down to the Slaughterhouse Spring area to retrieve the game camera and see what viciously fanged and clawed beast it photographed last night while we all slept. There are also some old prospects in that area so while we're down there we hope to check them out as well.

After that, we'll be travelling back in time along the route of the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad to visit the barely discernible remains of the old station site at Brant. Hopefully, we'll be able to photograph some of the trash items and see if they fit into the 1905 to roughly 1920 dates for the old station.

Lastly, we're hoping that we'll be able to find some remains from the old site of Ivanpah #2. This railhead town on the spur of the old Nevada Southern extension line into Ivanpah Valley existed from 1902 to 1905 as the shipping point for ore from the Copper World Mine. Three years isn't much time to generate a lot of artifacts but we'll be doing our best to find 'em, photograph them and hopefully be able to identify them.

This sounds like a relaxing way to spend a Sunday morning and that's just what our aching legs are asking for. Want to amble along with us in search of history? All you have to do is click on the photo link below and we'll start you on your way to earning a degree in Garbageology.

Exploring "Chinese Canyon" - Mojave National Preserve

"What the heck is that?" blurts Niki as a low slung burly animal waddles across the road in front of us. We hurriedly let Mohave Blake, somewhere back in our dust plume, know that we've stopped due to an animal sighting. We've been driving since well before dawn and during five hours behind the wheel we've lost quite a few brain cells, so instead of grabbing a camera we just stare at the equally startled critter. Finally, as it regains its composure and starts off again at a speedy waddle, Niki grabs her camera and tries to chase it down. Niki's fast, but the critter ditches her. When she returns, we both almost speak at the same time, "Didn't that look like a badger?" Any trip that starts with a possible badger sighting is bound to be a good one!

Shortly after the badger incident, we turn off on a quickly deteriorating two track that winds up into a canyon where an old time rancher buddy of Mohave's recalled seeing some "Chinese" artifacts. He said that many years ago he had found broken bowls and such at an old camp. Hunting for stuff is fun, and this sounds like a good enough reason to be jouncing along in four low. As an added attraction, we've also noted that there's an old mine up in the canyon, too. It's a beautiful morning and the serrated ridges of the higher peaks are still mottled with snow patches.

Soon, we realize that we can walk faster than we're driving and look for a spot where we can get the trucks off the road and switch to our day packs and hiking sticks. It'll be nice to stretch our legs and breath some fresh air. If you're in the mood for a bit of adventure, why don't you join us? Who knows what the heck we'll find! One thing that you've probably figured out already is that "Chinese Canyon" isn't the real name of this spot and since we've changed it, there must be some pretty interesting things up there! Just click on the photo links below to join us for a day of beautiful scenery and unexpected discoveries.

Pictograph Hunt in the Granite Mountains - Mojave National Preserve

The Desert Girls, always gluttons for punishment, are once again headed back to the spiky Granite Mountains to hunt for pictographs. If you joined us on our "Exploring the Southern Granite Mountains" trip, you'll remember that on that outing we only managed to find two sites in two days. Still, the area was travel-brochure beautiful and we nonetheless had a great time. This weekend, we just 'know' that our karma is topped up and that this time we'll hit the jackpot. Come to think of it, that sounds a lot like the same mindset that a Vegas bound gambler would have and we all know how well they usually do!

The weather forecast for the area also seems decidedly pessimistic with cool temperatures and very strong winds in the offing. Relying on our karmic bubble of good cheer to handle the winds, we've finally rolled the Desert Canary toward the slopes of the Granites and, amidst buffets and shrieks of wind, realize that we're in for an interesting day. Heck, in the truck, with the windows up and the heat on, it's not bad at all! Finally, the sandy two track comes to an end and we open the doors to a frigid blast from the howling gale. Hey, wanna join us today? It's bound to be an eventful trip, hopefully full of rock art and maybe even some desert hurricane survival tips! Heheheh Layer up and grab your mouse; we're headin' out! To get started, just click on the photo link below before your fingers freeze!

Winter Hike in Caspers Wilderness Park

The Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park is an 8,000 acre protected preserve located on the western slopes of the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County, California. Its varied terrain includes old stream terraces, sandstone canyons, hills and meadows that are home to impressive stands of native Coastal Live Oak and California Sycamore. Running streams and lush meadows provide a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, from reptiles to raptors and deer to mountain lions. Since the park is only a short drive from home, we've decided to to pop up there today and see if any early wildflowers are blooming and look for a likely spot to set up our wildlife camera. Southern California has been hit hard by a series of strong, wet storms recently, and more rain is forecast today, so if you're joining us for this virtual day hike, you'd better throw a tarp over your computer and slip your mouse in a Ziploc! When you're fully weather-proofed, you can click on the photo link below to get started!

Check out Orange County, A Day Hiker's Guide for maps and descriptions of trails at Ronald W. Caspers Wilderness Park.

Pictographs in the Tehachapi Mountains

The Burham Canyon site, CA-KER-273, is an amazing spot. Its jumbled bedrock granite boulders not only contain cave-like rock shelters once used by the Kitanemuk and Kawaiisu Indians, but they also form the perfect protected 'canvas' for what has been called "one of the most elaborate and well preserved pictograph panels in southern California." With an introduction like that, wouldn't you want to see this large panel done in red, white, black, orange, and yellow? Well, we sure did and, fortunately, the Kern County Archaeological Society bulletin showed that a field trip to this site was being led by everyone's favorite husband and wife archaeology team of Jack and Gale Sprague! These two lead awesome trips characterized by high energy and incredible knowledge of each location. Fortunately, we're able to get our names on the list early before the 15 person limit is reached, and today we find ourselves standing in a muddy dirt lot hobnobbing with other rock art fanatics as we wait for the call to move out.

Would you like to join us for a look at this site, as well as a couple of smaller ones in the area? If that bellowing noise was a "Yes," then you can just roll your recliner into the line of vehicles and follow us up into the muddy canyons of the Techahapis on our cyber-quest for this gorgeous bit of timeless art. We'd recommend that you use your off-road recliner, though, 'cause the trails are rough and the mud is slippery! Also, there's a dusting of snow on the high ridges so you might grab a blanket and pop some hot chocolate in the microwave. Ready now? Let's click on the photo link below to get started.

Rock Art at the Black Tank Wash Site - Mojave National Preserve

Black Tank Wash, which runs in a southwesterly direction through the heart of the Aiken Cinder Cone field in the Mojave National Preserve, is not only scenic but also plays host to a very unique rock art site. This site is centered in and around a lofty span of basalt that forms a natural arch. Petroglyphs are found along the edge of the wash both above and below the arch and, under the protecting basalt slabs of the arch itself, there's a small panel of pictographs done in red ochre. This sounds pretty neat! If you'd like to see what this site has to offer without rolling your gas guzzling behemoth out on the highway and then huffing and puffing over hill and dale, why not join Dzrtgal Jamie as she spends the afternoon there? If that sounds like a plan, grab your sunglasses and a bag of chips and click on the photo link below to get started!