Day 1
The
guys were dying to go four-bying (off-roading) in the desert, so four couples set
off in a couple of cars down an old mining road somewhere behind the
ghost town of Calico in the Mojave Desert.
The
road started off okay, narrow and sandy. Soon, however, the sand
turned to boulders. We inched along, with Bill giving us
instructions. Can you see the piece of our running board he picked
up and tossed into the vehicle? Thanks to Stephanie for the vehicle video and photo!
Bill said, “I'll go ahead and scout out the road. You stay here.”
Soon,
he got stuck, his one wheel
hanging over the rocks.
I
couldn't watch, thinking to myself, WHY are we doing this?
I busied myself gathering pretty
striped desert rocks.
Terry
to the rescue, pulled him backwards, using Bill's strap, an essential
piece of equipment for riding off-road.
There,
that was easily accomplished. We abandoned our plans to explore that
road.
Day
2
Bill
and Shirley invited us to go on a 240 mile round trip to see what
else we could see in this barren landscape of a desert. First we
drove on Highway 58, east of Barstow, then north on Highway 395.
Lunch stop for a picnic at Randsburg, an old mining town that was almost a ghost town. The businesses along Main Street opened whenever they felt like it. Hard to tell if there really was a shop there, although Bill did buy an old fashioned soda.
Lunch stop for a picnic at Randsburg, an old mining town that was almost a ghost town. The businesses along Main Street opened whenever they felt like it. Hard to tell if there really was a shop there, although Bill did buy an old fashioned soda.
Our destination was the Trona Pinnacle Rocks . Several futuristic movies have been made at this weird, moonlike landscape. Planet of the Apes (2001) and The Fourth Horseman (short film, 2010) to name two.
On
our way home, another adventure. Through my slumber in the back
seat, I heard the men discussing the temperature gauge. The
temperature was climbing, so we stopped for a while to cool down the
radiator. I guess we didn't wait long enough. Finally Bill called a
tow truck. While we waited for that, Terry
and I found two new birds, the Horned Lark new for our Trip List.
 |
| Horned Lark |
 |
| Western Meadowlark |
 |
Riding off into the sunset
|
Day
3
No
adventures on this short road trip! Just interesting and colourful
rock formations in Rainbow Basin Natural Area. And splashes of bright colour in a few flowers.
 |
| Fremont Phacelia? |
 |
| Prickly Pear |
 |
| Prince's Plume |
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