Desert Hike

I wanted to share more pics from my recent desert hike (see last week's post called Car Wash). I had a few people ask me about how those old rusty cars ended up in that desert wash in such an isolated area. Turns out there was an old well and mining operation in the area, long ago abandoned. Rumor has it that the old desert rat that operated the well (which provided water for many of the mines located in the nearby Dale Mining District) ran a car repair service on the side. When the mines started shutting down, the well caretaker probably pulled up stakes and moved on, but he left a lot of stuff behind, including old cars! Likely one of those big desert thunderstorms washed all the cars into the wash, and there they remain to this day!

Getting ready to start our hike. That's Old Dale Road in Pinto Basin, Joshua Tree National Park. We are about 10 miles from paved road (Pinto Basin Road).

Came across this old gate, really and truly in the middle of nowhere! The fence doesn't extend on either side of the gate, so it serves no purpose. At one time, this was probably the road to the well and mining operations.

My brother-in-law checking out an old stove...

... and having some fun with an old car door!

View from the well. Although I think the original well dates back pre-1948, this chunk of cement is probably a more recent improvement.

Lot's of "stuff" left behind at this site, so a super-interesting place to explore. Along with the well and mining operations, there was a house (only the foundation is left now).

My sister with the giant funnel!!

One of the few vehicles (or vehicle parts) that didn't get pushed into the wash by heavy rain. That's my sister on the right, with her friend Karmen.

View out the rear window of the little truck.

My brother-in-law... photo converted to b&w, then added grain to give it a vintage film look.

Does this qualify for Good Fences?  More of a gate than a fence, but nice and rustic!

Editing included adding grain and a texture.

I think this is a "line drawing" edit in photoshop. A little strange, but I kinda like it!

Heading home! Now lets see if we can find where we parked the Jeeps!!

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Car Wash

No, not the kind of car wash you are thinking of. This is a desert wash with, mysteriously, a bunch of old cars in it! How they got here, or even were "here" is, is also a bit of a mystery. The Joshua Tree National Park "car wash" is isolated and it's location is not shared. The area has a treasure trove of old artifacts, and people don't want to see it disturbed or vandalized. It took a lot of research (and eye strain looking at Google Earth) to find it, but find it I did! So off we went last weekend to explore and photograph the area. I hope to share more photos with you in a future post, but for now, here are some of my favorite car shots. Enjoy!

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Dinosaur Attack!!!

Breaking news... there have been reports of dinosaurs attacking cars along Highway 62 in the California desert near Joshua Tree! Drivers are advised to be on the lookout, and to avoid the area during the dawn and dusk hours when the dinosaurs are reported to be especially active!!

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Desert Wildflowers

I was out hiking and jeeping in Joshua Tree last weekend, and a bit disappointed that I wasn't seeing more wildflowers. However, I got to the far south end of Geology Tour Road, and things changed dramatically! It's so interesting how the flowers can be very abundant in one desert area and totally missing in other areas. 

I did my best to avoid stepping on flowers as I was hiking along in this remote area!

If you look really hard at the top center of the photo above, you will see a little line dropping down the distant mountain. That's the northern section of Geology Tour Road. Keep heading south, then do a bit of hiking, and you will end up here!

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