Mystery Structure at Dale Dry Lake

 Last post, I signed off with a photo of this "mystery" structure.

It's certainly a mystery to me. Kind of reminds me of a Midwest grain silo, but I know to a certainty, there is no grain being farmed in this area. To refresh your memory, there are salt ponds in the area, and salt is being mined. How or if salt mining has anything to do with this structure is part of the mystery. Lets go take a closer look through those open doors.

 

It's kind of creepy inside. Through the magic of digital photography and editing, I lightened up this photo considerably. It was like stepping into a dark cave, and I had to stand here for a while to let my eyes adjust. As I was standing in darkness, a large bird suddenly flew down through a hole in the ceiling, directly over my head, and out the door. I think it was an owl. Scared the you-know-what out of me!

 

Looking out the entrance. That's my Jeep out there. 

I decide to walk the perimeter just to see what else I might find. This is the view looking south. The access door we walked through is on the west side (right side in this photo). The south side (which you can't see in this photo) has a fenced-off area.
 

It's too bad I'm out exploring alone today. I would like to have someone stand next to this structure for size perspective. It's huge! Look closely and you can just make out my Jeep in the photo below. That might help a little with perspective.
 

 

As I was walking the perimeter of our mystery structure and looking through the camera lens happily clicking away, I walked right by this hole in the ground. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was not to have fallen in! It's about 10-15 feet deep, and had I fallen in, I'm certain I would have never gotten out. I'd be just another desert mystery... gone missing and never seen again. I wonder what ever happened to that guy over at Spare Parts??!
 

Here's were things get really weird...

Not far from the mysterious hole in the ground is this huge circular structure. It kind of reminds me of something one might see at Burning Man, or perhaps the movie Beyond Thunderdome. It's not visible from a distance, so I didn't spot it until I was close to it. It has strangely twisted rebar sticking out of the top of the circular wall, as if a bomb went off, and a strange concrete tower thingy right in the middle of the circle.

 

The only way I can find to get inside Thunderdome (I don't know what else to call it).

From inside Thunderdome, I discover a tunnel or passageway heading in the direction of the grain silo mystery structure (not sure what to call that one either!). Perhaps there is an underground connection? And perhaps if I had fallen in that hole, I could have crawled out through here? No answers, just questions, but I strongly suspect all this stuff has something to do with salt mining.

 

You must admit, it makes for interesting photographs!

This photo shows the proximity between "Thunderdome" and the grain silo structure.

Looks like a road went through here at one time.

 

I've been doing a lot of exploring, but there's still more to find.

I come across this old sofa sleeper, and it crosses my mind to sit down for a rest and a drink of water. That thought quickly leaves my mind as I see the dilapidated condition it is in. Perhaps years ago someone used to sleep under the desert stars on this sofa sleeper?

 

Thanks for joining me on my exploration of the Dale Dry Lake area!!

Stay safe and stay healthy.

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

 

Addendum to this post: As it turns out, Dale Dry Lake is owned by the CA Supreme Salt company. My assumption was that this is BLM land, but that's not the case. I promised the good people over at CSS that I would update my post, let my readers know that this is in fact private property, and ask that you please not trespass. I've also asked CSS if they could provide a map of the property they own. I'm guessing the "mystery structure" is on their property, but that's just a guess. It's a huge area with many interesting things to see, and it would be very helpful to know exactly what is private property and what is public. You might also be interested to know that CSS "derives revenue from location companies and private third parties that rent our property for fashion shoots, advertising campaigns, music videos, and movie productions." So if you see an add, video or movie in the future with a familiar background, don't be surprised!