It's been a long summer but the weather finally cooled off and we were able to camp at our favorite desert spot! It was my brother's idea to go out this weekend and he came out with some of his kids on Saturday night. We thought we'd need a little more time, so we loaded the bikes in the truck and the food and stuff into the RV and headed out on Thursday night after rehearsal.
Since Jake's bike isn't ready to ride yet we decided to take the quad. We haven't loaded it into the truck before and weren't sure if it would fit with the DRZ, but that is what my cousin did to bring them out so it has to be possible. The boys did it themselves! Tom rode the quad into the truck and then the pushed it over to the side and the rolled the DRZ in next to it. Easy peazy!
Going out on Thursday night means that the boys and I are on our own to entertain ourselves on Friday while Dan works from his computer. It's still too warm to walk during the heat of the day, but it's perfect for riding! The boys went for a ride by themselves for a long time which gave me plenty of time to relax and read. Then they wanted me to go, so I rode the back of the quad. I'm just not a fan of these things. I'm terrified of falling off. It would probably be safer for me to learn to ride myself! Jake drove me out and Tom drove me back. Both are excellent drivers and by the time we got back, I was feeling pretty confident about their skills. I only screamed to slow down a few times!
We didn't get pictures of the ride because Dan had to use my phone for work since his died the night before. When we got back we napped, read, and ate the afternoon away until Dan got done working.
When Dan was done working we climbed up to our "Monument" nearby. No one has been up here since we were here last April, as expected. There isn't much desert exploring going on over the summer. We decided to make our spot a Geocache, so I made doubly sure of the coordinates and we placed a new trackable inside to send on its way. When we got home, I got online and added the information to www.Geocache.com. I'm sure we'll have a hit on it very soon! I can't wait to see where our trackable goes.
On the walk back to camp as the sun went down, I found this cool hole. I think it's a tortoise house, but I didn't see any.
Jake thinks he is hilarious. He rides ahead and then "hides" behind the quad. Nut.
We spent the rest of the evening eating dinner and then sitting out in the dark watching the stars. We didn't need a campfire, so we just sat there relaxing together. There was a meteor shower this weekend, so we saw a lot of shooting stars. We used the star app on my phone to find satellites and constellations. We heard some bombs from the Marine Base and very bright light flashes from the other side of the hills in that direction. We were wondering what it might be. I didn't realize the bombing range went that far east. There were also what looked like fireworks or something on the other side of the highway. It was a very nice evening.
Saturday morning we decided to go for a drive since my brother wasn't expected to arrive until noon. The boys wanted to go to this big pit and ride, so we headed in that direction. Dan was driving around in it and scaring me! But then the gas cap popped off, so we had to stop and retrieve it.
Riding in circles and kicking up dust clouds was big hit.
They love it out here because there is no fear of making the neighbors angry with the noise and speed. I love it because it's pretty!
There was a lot of dust and Jake had acquired a fine dirt mustache! I tried to take a picture of it.
After a while, we decided to keep going and see some new places. Rocks! I hate driving over rocks. It's bumpy and wild and I'm afraid of having to walk back! When we got to this point, I got out and took some pictures and video of them going down this crazy road...all the while wondering if we could get back up in the bug. But there was no where to turn around so down we went.
We were glad we did! We found this awesome mine! It's far enough back that it hasn't been ransacked as bad as ones that are close to easy roads. Down we went to get a closer look. Jake road ahead first to see where the road went and if we could turn around somewhere. It led right into the National Park. Ok for the bug, but not the dirt bikes. We'll deal with that later. There's exploring to do!
Pretty nice! It's the most intact mine that we've found. We were afraid someone might still be working it and get mad at us. For the first few minutes we were there we were thinking someone would poke their head around a pile of rocks at any moment.
It looks like 1988 was the last time someone was really working here. There were tire tracks though, as if someone was here trying to recover some metal and stuff.
We have a lot of fun exploring these old claims. We try to imagine what it looked like when people were working it. The names in the dirt made me think of one scenario. One crazy husband gets his heart set on making a claim pay again and drags the whole family out to live on and work it. This could be my reality. And to be honest, I'd probably enjoy most of it!
We found an older sign! "Golden Egg Mine March 13, 1944" We did some research online when we got back and didn't find much about it. I sure would like to know some details about this place.
So we're poking around and we start to get the creeps. I can totally see a horror movie being filmed here. So we start filling in the plot. Family goes out to explore in the desert, comes across this old mine. Youngest scouts ahead to find a road and comes back (but something happens to him while he's gone, aliens, possession maybe). He rejoins the family and they keep exploring. It starts to get dark, so they go to leave but the bikes won't start. They are stuck there for night. Crazy things start happening. They think it's haunted. One by one they're picked off in strange ways. The youngest is left alive. And that's when we find out it's him! Can't you just see it?!
We think this is some kind of rock mill, arastra kind of thing. There were mounts above it with old belts. Probably a motor of some kind.
This is when we started getting serious about movie idea. Tom is not amused.
Horizontal shaft, but it didn't go but twenty feet back and up to a level above it.
So of course, they had to climb up and see that.
To the south of those was a very deep and elaborate vertical shaft with a pulley/winch system above it. Well, it used to be above, but it looked like it fell over recently. We through some rocks in and it was pretty stinkin' deep!
I found these foot prints in a patch of cement. I wonder if they did it on purpose, like a "I was here!" sign.
We decided we should start getting back. It was 10am. Half a mile down the road we found this. We have no idea what it is. It isn't on the claim map either.
The road did go into the park. I didn't think we would be going anywhere new, so I hadn't brought the map, so the only way to be sure we were going back was back the way we came...up that rocky road. And then this happened.
All was going well, slowly, but well, when the bug seemed to make some strange noises after one part of the climb. Dan stopped to check it out and then the bug wouldn't start again. Something was wrong with the clutch. We all sat around and relaxed while Dan tried to figure out what to do next, whether he could fix it and continue or what. Then, at the bottom of the hill we had just came up, came a long line of Jeeps!
Tom road down on his bike to tell them we were stuck up there and they couldn't get by us. The guy he talked to said he'd tell their leader. There were about fifteen of them, families mostly. Tom came back up and we watched them while Dan worked on the bug. They hung around about ten minutes looking at that flag building...and then turned around and left! They didn't even wave. Not even a howdy doo. I couldn't believe it. Nothing. A desert caravan of cars came across a single car in an off road area, broken down, with no cell service and they just left without saying a word. All I can say is "Karma". That is totally not Kosher in the Code of the Desert. We now refer to them as "Jeep Scum".
Jake found this chuckwalla on the rocks near where we were stuck. He came out to have his picture taken!
No pictures after that! Dan couldn't get it to climb again, but we could go down and travel a flat area with out shifting, so we made a plan. The boys helped to turn the bug around on the narrow rock trail and then get us going. After a few hang ups, we parted ways and headed out through the park. The boys took my phone and I took theirs. My phone had the coordinates of where we parted, so they took it just in case we didn't make it back to camp. The plan was for them to take some of the water and the phone and go back to camp the way we had came. Don't split up. Leave a bike behind if there is trouble. If someone gets hurt, just stay put on the road, otherwise, go back to camp and wait for Uncle John. Wait until 3pm and then call the rangers.
Stress. Not for ourselves but for the boys. It was miles from camp and down some crazy paths. But they are very capable kids and know the area pretty well. I was more worried that they'd get back to camp and my brother would freak out. So Dan and I drove that road. From what I remember that road goes through the park. I couldn't remember where it went though, whether it met up with the paved road or kept going to the hills across the park to the interstate. So we drove and when we saw the paved road going in the direction of the park entrance, we breathed a huge sigh of relief!
Once we got to the park entrance we had cell service and I called the boys and told them everything was fine and we'd be back to camp from the highway in about an hour. That was at 1:30pm. They said John was there and they were having a good time. We could all relax now. The clutch must have cooled off and had started working again but we still couldn't go more than forty MPH with our tired deflated for sand driving.
Back at camp, things were getting fun! Uncle John had set up camp next to us and they were hunting cans all afternoon.
He had brought out a few fun things for target practice!
We were having a blast reliving our childhood desert fun!
All the boys were enjoying the desert. The younger boys really liked shooting the .22. It isn't very loud and the cans react well. When they were shooting, they were running around the other side of camp recreating scenes from their favorite movies and games. They were going non-stop. I tried to get a video of it but there was too much wind noise to hear anything they were saying.
A friendly skeet-shooting competition started between the older cousins.
As soon as the sun went down, the fire began! Hot dogs, marshmallows, and some crazy antics.
Poor Mr. Chuckles didn't really know what to make of all this. He really didn't like walking on the rocks and the noise was making him very nervous.
Hot dog roaster? Or weapon? This viking with the light up horns was having a good time either way!
The next morning, we had to get John's car unstuck. Since we weren't there to guide him in to our spot, he took the wrong road on Saturday afternoon and landed in the wash. We had tried to pull it out yesterday without success. It was hot and we were all tired, so we gave up until morning. I should have gotten some better pictures, but I was busy trying to be helpful and didn't want to aggravate those working very hard.
It was pretty stuck. Then we got the bug stuck too, but that's easy to fix. After several hours of digging, pushing, jacking, and doing it all again, they finally got it out! Yay! Now for some more fun!
We went up to the hill to shoot the rifles at some more targets below. It was like a scene from "Red Dawn" up there!
I found a nest on the way back! And some baby horned toads which I caught and showed to TJ and Olaf.
And then the clean up started. John had a much longer drive to get home, so he had to leave early. I think Modi was very tired though. He slept in the little tent with my boys and I think they were up very late being silly.
Tom and Jake went for one more ride before we had lunch and packed up for home.
Tom was covered in three days worth of dust.
Jake found out that a helmet isn't just for falls. This is the mouth guard after Tom's bike kicked up a rock ahead and threw it at his face! Those bikes do kick up a lot of stuff. I got hit by a stick or two on my ride and the quad kept kicking up rocks at his feet. I think they are going to bring their riding boots next time.
This picture sums up the weekend. We were all tired, dirty, and ready for home. And we can't wait to come out again!
Since Jake's bike isn't ready to ride yet we decided to take the quad. We haven't loaded it into the truck before and weren't sure if it would fit with the DRZ, but that is what my cousin did to bring them out so it has to be possible. The boys did it themselves! Tom rode the quad into the truck and then the pushed it over to the side and the rolled the DRZ in next to it. Easy peazy!
Going out on Thursday night means that the boys and I are on our own to entertain ourselves on Friday while Dan works from his computer. It's still too warm to walk during the heat of the day, but it's perfect for riding! The boys went for a ride by themselves for a long time which gave me plenty of time to relax and read. Then they wanted me to go, so I rode the back of the quad. I'm just not a fan of these things. I'm terrified of falling off. It would probably be safer for me to learn to ride myself! Jake drove me out and Tom drove me back. Both are excellent drivers and by the time we got back, I was feeling pretty confident about their skills. I only screamed to slow down a few times!
We didn't get pictures of the ride because Dan had to use my phone for work since his died the night before. When we got back we napped, read, and ate the afternoon away until Dan got done working.
When Dan was done working we climbed up to our "Monument" nearby. No one has been up here since we were here last April, as expected. There isn't much desert exploring going on over the summer. We decided to make our spot a Geocache, so I made doubly sure of the coordinates and we placed a new trackable inside to send on its way. When we got home, I got online and added the information to www.Geocache.com. I'm sure we'll have a hit on it very soon! I can't wait to see where our trackable goes.
On the walk back to camp as the sun went down, I found this cool hole. I think it's a tortoise house, but I didn't see any.
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| You just have to love the sunsets out here! |
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| Three of my favorite guys! |
Jake thinks he is hilarious. He rides ahead and then "hides" behind the quad. Nut.
We spent the rest of the evening eating dinner and then sitting out in the dark watching the stars. We didn't need a campfire, so we just sat there relaxing together. There was a meteor shower this weekend, so we saw a lot of shooting stars. We used the star app on my phone to find satellites and constellations. We heard some bombs from the Marine Base and very bright light flashes from the other side of the hills in that direction. We were wondering what it might be. I didn't realize the bombing range went that far east. There were also what looked like fireworks or something on the other side of the highway. It was a very nice evening.
Saturday morning we decided to go for a drive since my brother wasn't expected to arrive until noon. The boys wanted to go to this big pit and ride, so we headed in that direction. Dan was driving around in it and scaring me! But then the gas cap popped off, so we had to stop and retrieve it.
Riding in circles and kicking up dust clouds was big hit.
They love it out here because there is no fear of making the neighbors angry with the noise and speed. I love it because it's pretty!
There was a lot of dust and Jake had acquired a fine dirt mustache! I tried to take a picture of it.
After a while, we decided to keep going and see some new places. Rocks! I hate driving over rocks. It's bumpy and wild and I'm afraid of having to walk back! When we got to this point, I got out and took some pictures and video of them going down this crazy road...all the while wondering if we could get back up in the bug. But there was no where to turn around so down we went.
We were glad we did! We found this awesome mine! It's far enough back that it hasn't been ransacked as bad as ones that are close to easy roads. Down we went to get a closer look. Jake road ahead first to see where the road went and if we could turn around somewhere. It led right into the National Park. Ok for the bug, but not the dirt bikes. We'll deal with that later. There's exploring to do!
Pretty nice! It's the most intact mine that we've found. We were afraid someone might still be working it and get mad at us. For the first few minutes we were there we were thinking someone would poke their head around a pile of rocks at any moment.
We have a lot of fun exploring these old claims. We try to imagine what it looked like when people were working it. The names in the dirt made me think of one scenario. One crazy husband gets his heart set on making a claim pay again and drags the whole family out to live on and work it. This could be my reality. And to be honest, I'd probably enjoy most of it!
We found an older sign! "Golden Egg Mine March 13, 1944" We did some research online when we got back and didn't find much about it. I sure would like to know some details about this place.
So we're poking around and we start to get the creeps. I can totally see a horror movie being filmed here. So we start filling in the plot. Family goes out to explore in the desert, comes across this old mine. Youngest scouts ahead to find a road and comes back (but something happens to him while he's gone, aliens, possession maybe). He rejoins the family and they keep exploring. It starts to get dark, so they go to leave but the bikes won't start. They are stuck there for night. Crazy things start happening. They think it's haunted. One by one they're picked off in strange ways. The youngest is left alive. And that's when we find out it's him! Can't you just see it?!
We think this is some kind of rock mill, arastra kind of thing. There were mounts above it with old belts. Probably a motor of some kind.
This is when we started getting serious about movie idea. Tom is not amused.
Horizontal shaft, but it didn't go but twenty feet back and up to a level above it.
So of course, they had to climb up and see that.
To the south of those was a very deep and elaborate vertical shaft with a pulley/winch system above it. Well, it used to be above, but it looked like it fell over recently. We through some rocks in and it was pretty stinkin' deep!
I found these foot prints in a patch of cement. I wonder if they did it on purpose, like a "I was here!" sign.
We decided we should start getting back. It was 10am. Half a mile down the road we found this. We have no idea what it is. It isn't on the claim map either.
The road did go into the park. I didn't think we would be going anywhere new, so I hadn't brought the map, so the only way to be sure we were going back was back the way we came...up that rocky road. And then this happened.
All was going well, slowly, but well, when the bug seemed to make some strange noises after one part of the climb. Dan stopped to check it out and then the bug wouldn't start again. Something was wrong with the clutch. We all sat around and relaxed while Dan tried to figure out what to do next, whether he could fix it and continue or what. Then, at the bottom of the hill we had just came up, came a long line of Jeeps!
Tom road down on his bike to tell them we were stuck up there and they couldn't get by us. The guy he talked to said he'd tell their leader. There were about fifteen of them, families mostly. Tom came back up and we watched them while Dan worked on the bug. They hung around about ten minutes looking at that flag building...and then turned around and left! They didn't even wave. Not even a howdy doo. I couldn't believe it. Nothing. A desert caravan of cars came across a single car in an off road area, broken down, with no cell service and they just left without saying a word. All I can say is "Karma". That is totally not Kosher in the Code of the Desert. We now refer to them as "Jeep Scum".
Jake found this chuckwalla on the rocks near where we were stuck. He came out to have his picture taken!
No pictures after that! Dan couldn't get it to climb again, but we could go down and travel a flat area with out shifting, so we made a plan. The boys helped to turn the bug around on the narrow rock trail and then get us going. After a few hang ups, we parted ways and headed out through the park. The boys took my phone and I took theirs. My phone had the coordinates of where we parted, so they took it just in case we didn't make it back to camp. The plan was for them to take some of the water and the phone and go back to camp the way we had came. Don't split up. Leave a bike behind if there is trouble. If someone gets hurt, just stay put on the road, otherwise, go back to camp and wait for Uncle John. Wait until 3pm and then call the rangers.
Stress. Not for ourselves but for the boys. It was miles from camp and down some crazy paths. But they are very capable kids and know the area pretty well. I was more worried that they'd get back to camp and my brother would freak out. So Dan and I drove that road. From what I remember that road goes through the park. I couldn't remember where it went though, whether it met up with the paved road or kept going to the hills across the park to the interstate. So we drove and when we saw the paved road going in the direction of the park entrance, we breathed a huge sigh of relief!
Once we got to the park entrance we had cell service and I called the boys and told them everything was fine and we'd be back to camp from the highway in about an hour. That was at 1:30pm. They said John was there and they were having a good time. We could all relax now. The clutch must have cooled off and had started working again but we still couldn't go more than forty MPH with our tired deflated for sand driving.
Back at camp, things were getting fun! Uncle John had set up camp next to us and they were hunting cans all afternoon.
He had brought out a few fun things for target practice!
We were having a blast reliving our childhood desert fun!
All the boys were enjoying the desert. The younger boys really liked shooting the .22. It isn't very loud and the cans react well. When they were shooting, they were running around the other side of camp recreating scenes from their favorite movies and games. They were going non-stop. I tried to get a video of it but there was too much wind noise to hear anything they were saying.
A friendly skeet-shooting competition started between the older cousins.
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| TJ being adorable. |
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| A desert Viking? |
Poor Mr. Chuckles didn't really know what to make of all this. He really didn't like walking on the rocks and the noise was making him very nervous.
Hot dog roaster? Or weapon? This viking with the light up horns was having a good time either way!
The next morning, we had to get John's car unstuck. Since we weren't there to guide him in to our spot, he took the wrong road on Saturday afternoon and landed in the wash. We had tried to pull it out yesterday without success. It was hot and we were all tired, so we gave up until morning. I should have gotten some better pictures, but I was busy trying to be helpful and didn't want to aggravate those working very hard.
It was pretty stuck. Then we got the bug stuck too, but that's easy to fix. After several hours of digging, pushing, jacking, and doing it all again, they finally got it out! Yay! Now for some more fun!
We went up to the hill to shoot the rifles at some more targets below. It was like a scene from "Red Dawn" up there!
I found a nest on the way back! And some baby horned toads which I caught and showed to TJ and Olaf.
And then the clean up started. John had a much longer drive to get home, so he had to leave early. I think Modi was very tired though. He slept in the little tent with my boys and I think they were up very late being silly.
Tom and Jake went for one more ride before we had lunch and packed up for home.
Tom was covered in three days worth of dust.
Jake found out that a helmet isn't just for falls. This is the mouth guard after Tom's bike kicked up a rock ahead and threw it at his face! Those bikes do kick up a lot of stuff. I got hit by a stick or two on my ride and the quad kept kicking up rocks at his feet. I think they are going to bring their riding boots next time.
This picture sums up the weekend. We were all tired, dirty, and ready for home. And we can't wait to come out again!
