Thursday, November 12, 2015

Secret Desert Hideaway!!

Actually, this is Part III of my Pinto Wye Arrastra hike in Joshua Tree. Keep in mind this was only about a two mile hike (as the crow flies) but, wow, what an amazing array of stuff I stumbled across! For this part of my hike, I am heading back toward the main road (Park Blvd.) where my Jeep is parked. I'm taking my time, because it's nearly sunset and I'm enjoying a really beautiful sky and taking lots of photos. During this time of day the desert has kind of a magical feel to it. Not sure how else to describe it... totally quiet, beautiful, and the quality of the light is amazing.
I notice some stones up against a rock ledge off to the left that look funny (not natural), and sure enough...
Wow, I must have walked right by this place on the hike in and totally missed it! So cool, I wonder who built it and what it was used for??
Here's the view from the inside looking out... spacious, comfortable, heck it even has a little BBQ area for cooking. All I need is internet access and I could move in!! There are some old rusty cans that make me think this place has been here for quite a while.
Assuming I could find it again, it would be a perfect spot for overnight camping!

A short distance from my newly found "secret hideout", I notice this rock that looks eroded along the base. 
If you look really closely, you can see a hole or small cave on the bottom left of the rock. Let's go check it out...
Yes, definitely a small cave with some debris scattered about. Looking even closer...
Someone used this hole in the rock as a place to throw their trash! The hole goes deep into the rock, and appears to be filled with old trash. The cans are old and rusted, so this little trash dump has been here a long time. The miners of the Pinto Wye arrastra used this area as a camp site back in the '20s and '30s, so I wonder if this is old miners trash from that era?? Wish I had more time to look through it, but it's getting late!
After taking this photo, I put everything back just the way I found it. Hopefully some future hiker will enjoy their discovery as much as I did today!
The sun has set, and I'm hiking "cross-country" without a trail to follow, so feeling a sense of urgency to get moving.
Good, there's my Jeep! It's getting dark, so the timing is perfect. So ends one of the most amazing short desert hikes I've ever taken, and the end of my three-part blog post about the hike to the Pinto Wye Arrastra in Joshua Tree National Park! Hope you enjoyed it.

Linking with Skywatch Friday. Click on the link to check out great skies from around the world. Thanks for stopping by!!

43 comments:

  1. some old-time trash! those caves/holes have some stories to tell...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, stories to tell indeed!! I do agree with Tex!! What a great find AND what an amazing place!! Terrific captures as always!! And, thanks as always, for sharing the fun, the beauty and the adventure!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What an awesome place to explore. I love the sky shots, just beautiful. Thanks for sharing! Happy Skywatching, enjoy your weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful post and awesome photography ~ Wow! What a treasured experience!

    Happy Weekend to you,
    artmusedog and carol

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is my first time visiting your blog. Your photography is quite beautiful. I'm going to explore some of your older posts and get to know your blog. Thank you for stopping by Dharma Bums today and leaving us a comment. It was lovely to hear from you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very cool!



    ALOHA, Friend
    ComfortSpiral

    (\__/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_('')

    ReplyDelete
  7. That was an amazing hike for sure. And you are so right about the light being so beautiful. But the idea of being out there after that light is gone would make me race for the car too. Scary.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great place to discover - I also wonder who built it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love mysterious things like that. I wonder why they felt the need to stuff their cans in that hole.

    Beautiful photos.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Amazing place. Love the sky shots!

    ReplyDelete
  11. That is too bad dumping junk like that. Bangalore faces this same problem.
    Great series.
    Happy SWF!

    ReplyDelete
  12. such a great story - i enjoyed it very much, and maybe in that hole a mysterios one was hiding ... my phantasy creates more stories about that hole :-)
    happy weekend and great shots !!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You don't need to describe the magical feel of the desert - you photos do the job beautifully. That's a neat little campsite, how neat to find it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. skies are great, but I love that little hideaway you found. It would probably be a great place if needed :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful photography. Thanks very much for dropping by.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Such strange places set in the rocks. And those desert skies are a magnificent blue.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Amazing photo's indeed. Great idea to go for something on the map and discovers a lot of other things on the way. I like it very much.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Totally intriguing
    and mind blowing beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  19. What gorgeous shots.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Got to get there one day. Must admit I had a fav today. Shot #9 will be coming up on my desktop once a month or so :O)

    ReplyDelete
  21. What interesting finds! So glad you shared them with us!
    ~Cheryl Ann~

    ReplyDelete
  22. I loved this series! What a wonderful place it is, and you got some really amazing shots! Made some great discoveries. The desert can be so forbidding, yet so amazing too!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Did you see any petroglyphs? Thanks for sharing these photos, they are great! I hope to get to Joshua tree one day. Patrick Tillett at http://patricktillett.blogspot.com/ does a lot of exploration in your part of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  24. A wonderful series of photos, a great area.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Such a gorgeous place "Joshua tree" and amazing photos by the golden light...Thank you...

    ReplyDelete
  26. Such a gorgeous place "Joshua tree" and amazing photos by the golden light...Thank you...

    ReplyDelete
  27. Would be pretty cool rummaging around there and finding old cans, even if it's trash. The story behind it must be neat.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Peter, how cool to stumble upon that make-shift camp site beneath that rock! I haven't seen turn keys on anything, since the mid-to-late 70s. So, that sardine can dates at least 30+ years back and who knows it could be older. The desert landscape really makes that gorgeous blue sky pop! Great photos!!! Have a funtastic weekend! Oh yeah, thanks visiting today!

    ReplyDelete
  29. You have did a very well job in capturing the skies.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Such clear pictures1 Perhaps someone will find something of value in that old trash, who knows?

    ReplyDelete
  31. What a very beautiful place ! Why do people leave their trash everywhere ! It's really terrible !

    ReplyDelete
  32. I do love your shots of this fantastic landscape!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Incredible photos. It's an amazing place, those views are absolutely gorgeous and what interesting photos they are.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Incredible photos. It's an amazing place, those views are absolutely gorgeous and what interesting photos they are.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Oh wow! These photos are completely *awesome!* Love the sky and scenery and so neat to find the cave. Your Jeep fits in perfectly too...so many explorers and detectives in the series I watch use Jeeps in this type of countryside!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I don't know what I can add to all of these comments--- These pictures are incredible. Your technique always adds to the "reality" of the shots. Amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  37. An amazing series of photos! This landscape and the sky .... I´m stunned!

    ReplyDelete
  38. I LOVED tagging along on your hike and experiencing a landscape that is truly out of my world! The cave and old tins - what a story, it reminds me of the cave in 'The English Patient.' (Glad you didn't find bones!)

    ReplyDelete
  39. A beautiful place just a shame that people leave rubbish everywhere.
    Enjoy the weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  40. What a great series! Wonderful landscapes and skies!

    ReplyDelete