DZRTGRLS

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!

Petroglyphs at Cow Cove - Mojave National Preserve

One of the nicest and most easily accessible petroglyph sites in the eastern Mojave Desert is at Cow Cove. Cow Cove is located in the Mojave National Preserve on the northeast fringes of the Aiken Cinder Cone field and is best accessed by a well maintained dirt road that starts near Valley Wells, just off Interstate 15. Detailed directions, maps, photos and commentary regarding this site abound on the internet. Since there's just nothing to compare with a day spent in the desert clambering over basalt boulders in search of enigmatic petroglyphs from the past, we've decided to head on out to Cow Cove and see what's there. If you'd like to join us on this virtual adventure, then lace up your boulder scrambling boots and scoot the recliner up to your monitor. We've goin' petroglyph huntin'! Just click on the photo link below to get underway.

Justrite Prospect and Desert Bighorns - Mojave National Preserve

Cloudy, cold and gloomy weather ahead of an approaching series of storms caused us to think twice about this trip. Still, what's a bit of bad weather compared to the excitement of exploring a new site? So, here we are, crawling down the west side of the Old Dad mountains and headed toward what we'll call the Justrite Prospect. Actually, the initial names of the claim filed in 1917 by Charles Reat and Julius Meyers were the Big Horne and Little Horne. Later, in the 1940's-1950's, Reat, Myers and M. W. Redhead relocated these mines under the name of the Bighorn (Justrite) Prospects. These were silver claims that also produced a bit of gold and lead. They were never major producers, but our Eastern Mojave guru, Le Hayes, mentioned that there were still some remains left high up in the canyon. Of course, ever since then, our curiosity has been in overdrive! So, gloomy weather or not, we're finally going to get a look at the site today!

Since the Old Dad Mountains also happen to have a thriving herd of bighorn sheep, we've lugged along our Reconyx wildlife camera and are thinking about setting it up overnight near a spring or guzzler to see if we can capture any images of these reclusive animals. A couple of hikes to check out the spectacular scenery in this part of the Mojave National Preserve seem like a good idea as well. If you'd like to join us for this virtual adventure, then fix up a Thermos of hot coffee, lash a warm jacket to your mouse, and click on the photo links below!

Hidden Hills and Bighorn Mines - Mojave National Preserve

In the years between 1894 and 1919, the area just up canyon from us was a veritable hive of activity. It all started with a bang, literally, as the first couple shots of dynamite opened up a pocket that yielded over $25,000 in gold. The development of the Hidden Hills, and nearby Mable Mine, waxed and waned over the years but gradually it was reported that "the camp is assuming the appearance of a village." Of course, rich pockets such as the 300 pounds of ore that produced over $13,000 in 1914 certainly helped! Today, all is quiet and a cold wind whips down the canyon, through the remains of stacked stone walls and across old cement foundations. We're looking forward to prowling around and seeing what's left. In particular, we wonder whether the main adit, which is reported to have had about 800' of workings on four levels, is still accessible.

The Hidden Hills Mine, though, is just one of the sites that we hope to visit this weekend. Several small prospects near the Hidden Hills are also marked on our maps as is the Bighorn Mine, off to the northeast. The Bighorn operated from 1918 to 1941 and produced gold along with traces of silver, lead and copper. We're hoping that it, as well as the Buena Vista which hangs in the hills high above, will also provide some interesting glimpses into the early mining days of the southern Providence Mountains.

If you'd like to join us on this virtual adventure, you might want to plug in the electric blanket and grab a mug of coffee because it's cold and windy! A click on the photo link below will get you started!

Where the Bears Are - San Bernardino National Forest

This isn't so much a trip report as it's a way to introduce a new bit of gear, a Reconyx PC90 Covert Pro wildlife camera, which promises to get a lot of use on our future outings. So what you'll see, if you click on the photo link below, are a few pics from a hike that we did along the aqueduct trail near Forest Falls in the San Bernardino Mountains. When we had hiked this trail in the past, we were amazed by the amount of bear scat that we saw along it, making it the perfect area to test out the camera. The hike started out easy and then ran into some seriously eroded sections that forced us to turn around. On the way back, we picked a poop-covered area and set the camera up in a tree that had a good view of "Poop Hollow." We planned to return in a couple of days to retrieve the camera and see what it captured. Are you curious? We thought so! Not to spoil your fun, but we wouldn't want to be hiking that trail after dark!

Born Again and Beyond - Joshua Tree National Park

Originally, we weren't going to post this trip. After all, we're trying hard to keep up the fantasy that we always reach our goal. Heheheh. That notion is quite far from the truth and illustrated by the fact that we spent the whole day hunting for the rumored "Handprint Cave," only to come up empty. All we got for our efforts were punctures from cholla, prickly pear, agave and some really neat gashes from cat-claw acacia. We also got tired and did some falling. Not one of our finest moments. What finally swayed us to post a few photos of our efforts was the fact that the scenery was absolutely stunning. We initially headed out toward the "Born Again" site and then slogged our way up into a deliciously remote little valley. We're joined for this trip by our hiking buddy Dave and believe us, we all shared in the pain and dripped a little blood along the way! So, as long as you don't have high expectations about actually finding anything and don't mind a return visit to the "Born Again" site, then we think you might enjoy this outing just for the great scenery. If you'd like to join us, wriggle into that Kevlar hiking gear and click on the photo link below!

The Tough Nut Mine - Mojave National Preserve

Due to a lot of pre-dawn driving, we arrive at the wilderness boundary just as the first tendrils of sunlight climb over the Providence Mountains and brush the landscape with rich morning colors. There's excitement flowing as we stretch our legs and tighten up the straps on our day packs. We're hoping that today's hike will enable us to crack a few of the mysteries that surround the Tough Nut. What, for example, will we find at the lower well site? What's at the lower camp where the tunnel and grave site are shown on the topo maps? Will there be any water at nearby Tough Nut Spring? Just how tough is the steep climb to the upper workings where tunnels, shafts and ruin symbols are shown on the maps? Yep, lots of questions to answer.

Even our pre-trip research hasn't turned up much about this spot. We know that the mine is mentioned in the Sept. 15, 1894 "Twelfth Report of the State Mineralogist" but we still don't know when it was first discovered. The only other hit on the name comes from the Barstow Printer newspaper which ran an article in the March 10, 1916 edition that made mention that "F. G. Latham of the Tough Nut Property is making good headway on the tunnel, with excellent prospects of reaching something soon." Maybe, if we finally get this hike underway, we'll reach something soon as well! Heheheh.

Have we got you hooked? We know that we already are! We've been itchin' to do this hike for quite a while. Even though we're making an early start, we still have the feeling that this is going to be one of those dawn to dusk character builders. So, if you're coming, grab your cyber hiking gear and click on the photo link below. We're going exploring!