Having enjoyed my visit to the Colorado River Aqueduct and "mystery mountain", it's time to continue on to my primary destination: Camp Iron Mountain.
Camp Iron Mountain was part of the U.S. Army Desert Training Center and is where General Patton's 2nd Armored Division was stationed. It was built in 1942 to prepare troups to do battle in North Africa during WW2. It's now designated as a California Historical Landmark.
At nearly 68,000 acres, it's very large. The camp had 15 shower buildings, 26 latrines, 113 wooden tent frames, an amphitheater, a 4,000-gallon water tank and two 3,000-gallon water tanks. There were six training ranges for rifle, handguns and machine guns. There were extensive life-fire exercises and warning signs are still on site regarding the risk of unexploded ordinance.
The army did a good job removing everything when it closed the camp on March 16, 1944. The best preserved structures that remain today are two outdoor stone chapels. The Catholic Chapel is well preserved and is relatively easy to find. I wasn't able to find the Protestant Chapel, and I suspect it isn't as well preserved.Camp Iron Mountain is completely fenced off. Any exploration must be done on foot, and like I said, it's a very large area. There are these funny little turnstiles every 100 yards or so that allow access. In the photo above, you can also see the Catholic Chapel in the background. The roads to get here are not maintained and there is soft sand in spots. I recomment 4WD.
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Pathway to the Chapel. |
I guess Patten wanted order at his camps. As you explore this camp, you see rock pathways everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. They line the streets, walkways, tent sites, and who knows what else. I can imagine these poor, young soldiers spending hours and hours and hours making perfectly straight lines out of rocks, with a drill sargent close by to berate the unfortunate soldier whose line waivers! And what kind of punishment awaited those who stepped outside the lines?!
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I have no idea what this is. |
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Perhaps this was a garden area? |
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Former shower or latrine site? |
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Soldier, flatten your trash!! |
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This walkway is like a portal to the mountain, with some seriously straight lines! |
Red barrel cactus are very slow growing, but I doubt this guy was here in the 40's.
You can still find some rusty treasures as you explore the camp, but my guess is that much has been taken for "souvenirs" over the years. If you visit, please leave everything exactly as you find it.
As fascinating as Camp Iron Mountain is, my main goal for coming here was to try for a photo of the Milky Way arching over the chapel. I have my sleeping bag and tarp and will be "cowboy camping" (no tent), with a very early morning alarm. To get the brightest part of the Milky Way, I need to be shooting to the south, which means I would be photographing the back side of the chapel. Fortunately, the chapel looks pretty good from either side.
3:00AM alarm. Disappointment as I wake up to heavy cloud cover. As you can see, there is no Milky Way in sight. Much too cloudy. Just a few stars. Still, a fun and memorable trip, and a location I look forward to returning to (on a clear night!).
PhotoPills shows the galactic center right over the top of the Chapel at 3AM. |
Playing around with lights. |
3:00AM alarm. Disappointment as I wake up to heavy cloud cover. As you can see, there is no Milky Way in sight. Much too cloudy. Just a few stars. Still, a fun and memorable trip, and a location I look forward to returning to (on a clear night!).
Thanks for joining me on this adventure!
Linking with Skywatch Friday.
Absolutely fascinating! Thank you so much for sharing this adventure, for the information you have provided and all the photos!
ReplyDeleteDang clouds. I have tried twice to see a full solar eclipse only to be shut down by clouds both times. I'm not sure if I'll live to finally get to see one some day.
ReplyDeleteIt’s very interesting, and the photos are just fine IMP although not what you wanted. Will you try again sometime?
ReplyDeleteThanks, and yes, I really want to try again, but it's a very long drive. I'm usually pretty lucky with clear skies (uh oh, did I just jinx it?!)
DeleteBlown Away There Brother Parts - Incredible Pictures And Even The Disappointed Evening Sky Is An Award Winner - Wasn't It Spooky Walking Around - Places Like That Make My Simple Mind Wonder - All The Best To The Family And Enjoy The Rest Of The Month
ReplyDeleteStay Brilliant ,
Cheers
P.S. Yes , Its The Padre Here
Still a good dramatic shot.
ReplyDeleteThe rocks lined up made me chuckle. When I was in boy scouts, the leaders and active dads were almost all veterans and boy did they like making walkways and lining them with rocks. Or rather they liked it when the scouts did while they shouted instructions.
That has a lot of potential for a great milky way shot. Your cloudy shot is great. What an interesting place to explore.
ReplyDelete...thanks for the history lesson, my friend!
ReplyDeleteIf you don't succeed, try again and I'm sure you'll be successful. Your photos are still a pleasure to see. I like the light shining on the chapel's frame, it beautiful. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us.
ReplyDeleteI never knew about this place. I had an interesting history lesson. Thank you. I adore the Catholic Church frame and the way you did the lighting and then waking up at 3:00 A.M. to show us what is even if it wasn't what you wanted. Fabulous blog each week. Never a dull moment here.
ReplyDeleteit's incredible to imagine the discipline and effort those young soldiers put into even the smallest details, like those endless rock-lined paths, all while preparing for something as immense as war
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of this camp before this post. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteAnother fascinating piece of history. Those lines of rock say so much about life there. Great pity about the clouds but I enjoyed your night shots nevertheless.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great entry. I had to smile. In the military, no matter how tough something is, The old soldiers and salts will tell you this ain't nothing , youshoulda trained at xyz, etc. Iron Mt was one of those goodies I heard in the 1950' s, This mt/desert training aint nothing! , you shoulda spent a few weeks on Iron Mt. LOL. Thanks for kicking inthe memories and enjoyed the great shots..
ReplyDeleteYou not only see beautifully but you understand the backstory and that makes your posts very rich as well as enjoyable. Thank you friend for sharing. Aloha
ReplyDeleteOh no! Too bad you couldn’t see the Milky Way. You still got some great effects in the chapel photos.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a really interesting place. I wouldn’t want to train there though.
Great pics and amazing use of sky! #Skywatch
ReplyDeleteInformative post.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good location. Bummer on the cloud cover. Those rock pathways are so straight. I had no idea that camp was there.
ReplyDeleteNo milky way, but still such an awesome image.
ReplyDeleteWorth a Thousand Words
Wow! Absolutely fascinating. Great story. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteReading with great interest. Yes, I agree, that was indeed an adventure. A place with history, signs of a sad time. I believe, this was not easy? ...to walk there along.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
What a shame about the Milky Way! Still, the chapel shots turned out beautifully, and the atmosphere in them is incredible. Hope you get a clear night next time!
ReplyDeleteWell, you've done it again--- An excellent post with super shots, and delightful writing. Personally I think you did more with your lighting than the Milky Way would have.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of a fascinating area with those straight rock paths. Too bad the clouds spoiled the fun.
ReplyDeleteWow great desert post again . You would sit there only to be sent to Africa.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting site. Though you didn't capture the milky way I really enjoyed the sky photos. Very pretty indeed.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos of this part of history :-D
ReplyDeleteThose last photos of the chapel and light are excellent ~ Wow! ~ Great historical post and photos ~ thanks so much,
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores ~ clm
aka (A Creative Harbor)
wonderful place, Amazing photos. Great post.
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend.
What an interesting area. Oh the stories that could be told…so worth the trip though the Milky Way wasn’t visible. Another reason to go back…
ReplyDeleteFascinating chapel.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting excursion you went on! I am surprised that these rocks that mark pathways haven't been lost due to sand accretion in the area. It's as if someone is in charge of maintaining their visibility. I love the very spirited photos of the chapel in dramatic light. Sorry that the cloud cover disappointed your Milky Way outing.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting to see
ReplyDeletewow that's quite a camp, very dry and barren but it's good to see part of the chapel still there and the rocks outlining where things were.
ReplyDeleteThat makes it real to see the photo taken in 1943. It's good to learn more about history. We are finding a lot of the state parks we are visiting are historical...especially the Civil War places. I'm sorry the weather didn't cooperate but you got amazing photos anyway!
ReplyDeleteI always learn new things from your posts and this one is no exception. Wonderful photos, as always, even with the cloud cover.
ReplyDeleteOh no. Clouds! I still love your last two photos and also the story. I didn't know about Camp Iron Mountain.
ReplyDeleteA fascinating piece of history I knew nothing about. I'm sure the soldiers who trained here had lots of memories and perhaps even stories to tell. The Catholic chapel is beautiful and your light pictures of the chapel were amazing.
ReplyDeleteLa tierra se ve bastante seca. Se nota que hace tiempo que no llueve.
ReplyDeleteQue tengas un agradable fin de semana.
I feel with the stone-laying soldiers!
ReplyDeleteGreat, great light pics, sorry for the later clouds!
Thank you, this was very interesting!!!
Dramatic lighting on the chapel arches. What a shame the clouds rolled in but I think your trip was well worth the effort. Were you the only person there? Is this site well known or is it kept pretty secret?
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, there was another photographer there to shoot the Milky Way, but he ended up leaving early. It's not a secret location, but somewhat remote and hard to get to, so not too many visitors.
DeleteI like those lines of rock.. as much as the soldiers must have hated making them I like the symmetry and order of them. You got some amazing photos as usual.
ReplyDeleteThe chapel setting is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting writing and story with the photos.
ReplyDeleteInteresting heat. Impressive straight lines all done in the heat of the desert sun! Your first two chapel images quite beautiful.
ReplyDelete