Is Our Trip Jinxed??

 Do you believe in bad spirits? How about a particularly ominous horoscope telling you not to do something? Or Mother Nature giving you a message to avoid a certain area? Our small group planned to go to the Cima area (Mojave National Preserve) about a month or so ago. About 10 days before our scheduled date, we learned there was a fire in the area (7 miles from where we were planning on camping). We decided not to cancel or plans, but rather just to follow closely to see if the fire gets contained. A few days after learning about the fire, a couple (in our party of five) had a neighbor who had a house fire. They said "Sorry, but the stars don't seem to be aligned for this trip, and we're going to have to cancel." A fire close to home is certainly unsettling. Now we're a party of three. Then two days before our departure date, a large thunderstorm moved through the Mojave Desert. We need to drive through Amboy to get to our destination, and I see a FB post from Amboy showing extremely heavy rain and flooding (here's a link... hoping it works: Flooding rain at Amboy). Amboy looks like a lake, and everything is under 2" of water. The next day I see posts about Amboy Road being closed because of downed power poles that fell across the highway, and yet another post about Route 66 at Amboy Road being closed westbound because of a huge train crash. The wind was blowing so hard that it literally blew the freight train right off the tracks! By our day of departure, we're totally surprised that there are no posted road closures, so we decide to go for it. After driving 2.5 hours, we get to the "town" of Cima and the Cima Road turnoff (about 6 miles from our planned campsite), only to find two Park Rangers standing next to a newly placed ROAD CLOSED sign. Cima Road had washed out and the area was totally closed off. Maybe someone really was trying to tell us something?

 

We drove around the area for a while and found a clearing off a dirt road that looked like it would make a good camp site. That's where we ended up staying the night, and it would turn out to be a good decision.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A quick note about Cima (since I'm fascinated by places like this!):

 

Cima is a largely uninhabited ghost town situated at an elevation of 4,175 feet within the Mojave National Preserve. Originally established in 1906 as a critical commercial water stop for steam locomotives climbing the steep Kelso Valley Railroad grade, it later became a central supply hub for local miners and cattle ranchers. The original town retains its historic charm with abandoned wooden cabins, and old general store, and a post office structure. While it has no recorded population on recent US census filings, it remains a beloved destination for desert historians, campers, stargazers, and hikers.

 

On the drive to the Cima area, we passed by the old Kelso Depot. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area. It's very photogenic, and the bathrooms are clean! (Why is it so hard to find clean bathrooms these days, anyway??). Not sure if the Lunch Room is ever open. It was closed on this particular day.

Old Kelso post office. Been boarded up for a long time.

 

Kelso Depot

 

Back to Cima. Here's the road we followed, looking for someplace to camp. It wasn't long before we came across a clearing. Side note: The Mojave National Preserve allows "dispersed camping". Any clearing you can find that is safely off the road is pretty much fare game to spend a night or two. First come, first served. I love places like this!

Mitch took this photo of me. Dynamic skies and lots of Joshua trees. What more could you ask for??

Shortly after picking out our campsite, the weather starts getting weird. In the photo above, you can see dark ominous skies straight ahead, but the sun is breaking through the clouds behind me, making the foreground bright and golden. What you can't see is the wind and rain. I'm already having visions of a bad night for camping with everything getting soaking wet, and perhaps more road washouts which could make for a tough drive home tomorrow. 

The Joshua trees are thick in this area.

 

 

This rainbow came out, as if to reassure us that everything would work out fine.

 

Be it ever so humble... my home for the night!

 

Thanks for stopping by! More photos from Cima in future posts.

Linking with Skywatch Friday.