Thursday, February 20, 2020

Mystery of the Water Jugs

There are many mysteries in the desert. Not sure why that is, but it seems like the desert holds more mysteries than other areas. So lets start our hike and see what mysteries turn up!
Mojave Yucca


You know me... I always have to explore alcoves!

I don't see any mysteries inside this alcove, but it would make an excellent shelter and it has a beautiful view looking out! 

As I continued my hike in Joshua Tree National Park, I came across an old fire ring and wood supply. Now that's an interesting mystery!
Not at all recent looking... the rocks making up the fire ring were partially eroded and the wood deteriorating. Whoever camped in this area did so a looooooooooog time ago! This part of the Park is designated wilderness area, rarely visited, and it's very unusual to come across signs of camping. I wonder about who built this fire ring and when. Why did they choose this particular spot? I know I will likely never have answers to these questions, but it's a fascinating find, and it motivated me to explore the area more closely.

Not far from the fire ring I came across this old rusty can. It's an unopened can, which made me wonder if perhaps someone stashed a cache of food in the area. Let's keep looking...

Interesting rock formations. Let's take a closer look.

WOW!! I discover two large glass jugs stashed inside a small cave. Each jug holds one gallon of liquid, and the tops are securely fastened. Whatever was in these old jugs has evaporated over the many years they've been sitting in this little desert hiding place. Fascinating! Makes me wonder how long it would take to evaporate 1 gallon of liquid from a container with a secure lid. Answer: One heck of a long time! The gallon jugs probably contained water were likely placed here by someone who planned to return often and wanted to have water stashed away in a safe spot. But who was it, how long ago, and why this particular location??

The glass isn't clear, although I'm guessing it was originally. Years of being blasted by wind-driven sand likely made it opaque like this.

The bottom of the jug says "ONE GALLON". I didn't see anything on the bottom that would help me determine a date or manufacturer. These glass jugs are heavy, even when empty. They would have been very heavy when full, so I'm pretty sure hikers didn't bring these in. This area has been closed to Jeep exploring ever since it became a National Park. My best guess is explorers in a 4WD vehicle came across this site (pre-National Park) and decided to come back on a regular basis. They stashed some food and water, camped here a couple times (hence the fire ring), and no one has been back since. Just a guess, but perhaps this was back in the 50's or 60's. May be even earlier. After the 70's, plastic water containers probably would have been used. The wind-blasted look of the jugs and the fact that they are empty, despite having a lid in place, confirms they've been sitting here a very long time!

So two mysteries uncovered but not solved: The fire ring and the old water jugs. A fun and productive hike! I make sure to leave the jugs and cans exactly as I found them.

I'll leave you with a couple shots from the hike back to my car. This area almost never fails to provide beautiful skies in the late afternoon and early evening. Only once... during a high wind/blowing sand advisory... was the sky flat and a near white-out. I guess I'll save that for a future post!



Linking with Skywatch Friday.
Thanks for stopping by!!

49 comments:

  1. Hello, your answers to the mysteries seem right on. I love the views of the desert, alcoves and the beautiful sky. Another great hike! Have a great day and happy weekend!

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  2. ...you consistently make what on the surface looks baren, look beautiful. Thank you.

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  3. Quite an intriguing mystery with the empty jugs and the can. Wonder it did not expand as the floor deteriorated, I found a tin of baked beans that had around my mothers place after she passed away. You never know the jugs could have been left there empty The alcove in the third photo has an interesting rock formation above it but the last photos are stunning

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  4. The skies here are mesmerizing, with the directions of the clouds! But the jugs are a neat discovery - a piece of history! Thumbs up, Peter:)

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  5. I bet there's a way to figure out how long a jug would hold the water before evaporating. Someone somewhere must have done that experiment.

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  6. Are these wonderful photos! All of them - not only those from the sky! Excellent!
    Have a nice weekend!

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  7. beautiful post as always - I love hiking with you

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  8. Fascinating finds, and rocks! Great sky shots.

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  9. I love the idea of camping in some of those places. Evidently someone else did. I am always amazed at the Desert you show. Some significant sites. And of course the mysteries just add to the hikes you take your readers on. We love it.
    Sherry & jack

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  10. Stunning view from inside the Alcove

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  11. A usual, great photos, and great finds!

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  12. You´ve got yourself between a rock and a hard place. Yet again. ;)

    Nice finds, nice photography!

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  13. Those alcoves are intriguing. What a wonderful place you have to photograph.

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  14. Did anyone ever tell you that you have a special knack for weaving a good story? I felt like I was there with you, discovering the fire pit, the can, the jars. Most enjoyable :)
    Love those Big Skies too.

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  15. A marvelous post-- I feel like I was along for one of your adventures-- The glass jugs do put a half century of time into the mix. And yes, you do weave a good story.

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  16. Loved the post. Amazing skies.
    Happy Weekend.

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  17. Great jugs and indeed a mistery.

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  18. You really stumbled on quite the mysterious in this hike out the middle of the dessert. Those glass jars are super cool. I suppose since this is now a National Park that you can't remove articles like this from the dessert without risk of getting a fine for violating the park. I know in the Smoky's you can't take anything away plant, flowers, fallen leaf,... nothing! I get that really I do. Your photos are amazing as always. I love the contrasts of the earthy, sandy landscape with a brilliant blue sky and fluffs of white clouds (or a gorgeous starry night) that you share regularly. I'd love to see this place but I don't think I really want to hike, though. I guess I can always enjoy your photos instead. :)

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    1. Thanks, Kathy. I've heard it said that anything older than 50 years is considered to have historical significance by the National Park Service. Newer than that I guess is considered trash. I routinely remove mylar balloons and other trash I come across when I'm hiking.

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  19. Wow, what a find. Amazing that the pile of wood is still intact. And quite the fire ring. Sure makes one wonder what happened and how long ago. I love your ethics of just leaving everything as you found it.

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  20. You had fun exploring. The rock formations are always intriguing. It would have been even better if the jugs had whiskey!

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  21. Interesting rock formations. You are lucky enough to be inside an alcove and taking photographs. I admire that you respect what you find enough to leave it where you found it. You are an honorable person. Thank you for the wonderful skywatch photographs. Each one in my opinion is a TEN (being the best).

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  22. What an adventure you've found in the desert!Beautiful and exciting pictures! I envy you the beautiful sunsets! Here we have hardly seen the sun in almost 3 months due to rain and dark time. I wish you a great weekend!

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  23. You enjoy even more remarkable skies than I in Hawaii! Wow.
    FYI: https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/205986/can-evaporation-occur-in-an-air-tight-container

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  24. I wonder how old the cans are, those can be a bit valuable sometimes, I think the glass jugs would interest me, wonder who left them there?

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    1. I'm trying to learn how to determine the age of the old rusty cans I find out in the desert. I know the process has changed, and there are ways to tell how old they are (ballpark estimate, anyway). I don't think these particular cans look really old.

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  25. Enjoyed the hike through your photos. Some great shapes to tweak the imagination. :) Beautiful blue sky.

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  26. Wow what a mystery! You never know what you will find.

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  27. You always find the most lovely treasures.

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  28. I've seen jugs like that before, they used to be very popular in the 1970s when lots of people here were into brewing their own beer - so maybe it wasn't water that they contained at all. I like the idea of a couple of guys (or gals) sitting round the campfire while hard old reality slowly slips away. Personally I think I could get drunk on just the scenery.

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    1. Thanks, John. Very possible that these were alcohol and not water. Perhaps it wasn't a cache at all, but just a lazy way of not having to carry out the empty jugs. A mystery we will likely never unravel!

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  29. A mystery indeed SPP! Somehow I don't think the previous visitors will be back 😊 The scenery and rock formations on this hike are fabulouso, as are the skies overhead ✨

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  30. Beautiful sky and rock formations that look like big mouths. I wonder how long the water jugs have been there.

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  31. I got hung up on a detail in the 3rd photo of this post - the outline of a rocky pattern around the alcove that almost seems to frame it. Is that just part of the rock? It doesn't really look like it occurred naturally. I love the wide variety of colors in the last photo too. Always so interesting visiting your blog.

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    1. Thanks for noticing that rocky outline in photo #3. That caught my eye too. Almost like a stonemason came in provide some interesting detail work to the alcove!

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  32. I love hiking with you (from the comfort of my sofa) and that you share the treasures you find with us. I've seen heavy glass bottles like that - yes, years ago. A mystery that may never be solved, and who knows if those people ever realized what would happen to the items they left for someone else to discover.

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  33. Wowsa!! Fabulous scenery and mysteries to boot! Those rocks are so amazing to see with their windblown formations. I always love seeing your photos of this park and I do hope that you get some solution to the mysterious items and let us know!



    Feel free to share at My Corner of the World

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  34. Beautiful area ~ awesome rock formations and amazing shots! Wondering how your little granddaughter is?

    Happy Moments to You,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  35. Wonderful photos as always. The rock formations are always interesting but I do love the sky shots in the desert.

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  36. Your skies are spectacular! The cache is certainly intriguing.

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  37. What an adventure! The thrill of finding something unexpected sure does give us quite the stories to tell.

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  38. I love this Peter! I maybe have been reading and/or watching too many old mysteries, so I was just glad you didn’t stumble on any bones. It’s fun making up stories to go with the objects you stumble on ... whether prehistoric glyphs or not quite so ancient but still old (back in the 50s (or even older — my childhood — that’s practically prehistoric). ... and always those amazing beyond beautiful desert skies are so appreciated .

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  39. Great shots. The skies are amazing.

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