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WINTER '05 - LAST CHANCE TO BEGIN Last Chance Canyon 12/04 I've heard the best way to go through Last Chance Canyon in the El Paso mountains east of Redrock Canyon is from the top down -- I entered from the bottom. I went up about half an hour before sunset. The campground over at the state park was full up some I was scrambling for a place to stay. This was so radical! I tip-toed the 4x4 up the rocky and narrow wash as far as Cudahy, the Old Dutch Cleanser mine camp. North of the camp the road was too tough and it was getting dark. I was where I would be for the night, so I set up under a salt cedar. I like the black nights where the moon comes up late. The stars pierce through the absolute blackness and the Milky Way bands the universe. The wind would gust and the trees would moan. When it would get real quiet, an owl would ask, "Whoo--who-who". I slept great, got up early, took some pictures and split. Mojave Preserve - 1/05 In Search of the Lava Tube. What a great excuse to go out and get stuck in the sand! Also, the last time I trust ANY directions I get off the internet. The ordeal lasted about an hour, with my buddy very near to cursing the day I was born. However, the easiest way out and back home was to go further into the desert and past Kelso Depot (which looks very near to having renovations complete). The Kelso Dunes looked incredible as usual, and it was pretty easy to talk the driver into heading out to Hole in the Wall for a hike down the ring trail. All in all, a very nice day. The next Lava Tube trip will include two vehicles, and the long way in. Joshua Tree National Park - 2/5 I've just returned from JTNP. The first day I drove the Geology Road and took some time to explore Squaw Tank at the western end of the Hexie Mountains. Beautiful monzogranite formations. Although strange rock formations are plentiful throughout the park, I like the way they all vary from one another in the different locations. Day 2, I hiked out to Lost Palms Oasis east of Cottonwood Springs. I've read different milages to the oasis, understand that the longest ones are probably the most accurate. I was impressed by the overlook, providing breath-taking views of the canyon and a separate stand of fan palm several hundred feet up from the spring. The last day involved spending the exceptionally brisk morning at the campfire seeing exactly how much coffee I could drink. Once things warmed up and everything was packed, I explored the downstream area from Cottonwood Spring. Death Valley National Park - 2/5 Panamint Dry Lake was filled with water and was a good place to warm up the camera with a few reflection shots. I've been out there several times before and never seen a drop of water in it. Some day I'll head up to the dunes, but I was excited about seeing Death Valley after a week of rain. I camped at Stovepipe Wells the first night and shot photos of the dunes at sunset and the following sunrise. I stopped at the Devil's Cornfield briefly before moving on. Keane Wonder Mill & Mine The Keane Wonder Mill is fascinating. The price people paid for gold amazes me. The mill sits at the base of the canyon with the mine located 1,500' feet up and one mile away. Ore would be brought down 1,300 feet by a gravity-powered tram. Sounds easy. Hiking up the steep trail, the word "strenuous" kept popping into my head. If the trail were any steeper it'd be called a ladder. There are 11 tram towers between the bottom and top. The locations of these towers are precarious to say the least and one wonders how the materials were brought to these stations and constructed. No wonder an ore car was left between the towers when the site was abandoned. The top of the tramway was also astounding and made for great photos of what has evolved into some cool junk. The mine tunnels and shafts were another 200' above. Along the way several ruins of old buildings were scattered about. I could only imagine they were quarters for miners and operators. If not, the daily commute would have been exhausting. Possibly they rode up in ore cars? Looking into a couple of the tunnels I noticed in one there were feathers from somethin' that got itself killed and ate. To a city boy like me this can be a bit unnerving. I probably should have looked around for tracks, but it didn't come to mind at the time. You never hear about the trip down -- no sense in breaking tradition. Badwater Road Since the tent sites at Furnace Creek were full, I had decided to cut the trip short and head out to Dumont Dunes for the night. I went down Badwater road to the boardwalk attraction. The water from the recent rains had filled the basin, but the shoreline receded about a tenth of a mile out. I don't care to take shots with people in them so I pulled off the road at a point just west of the developed attraction. It was a bit windy and Telescope Peak was covered by clouds. Instead of reflection shots of the peak, the water had a silky look and made for some beautiful landscape anyhow. Heading south out of Badwater, traces of lupine lined brief bits of the road. Further on, Desert Gold spilled out of the canyons and washes and became thick with yellow and green. The sky was scattered with clouds, both black and gray and mist from a rain shower heading toward the Wingate Pass gave the scenery a dream-like quality. I pulled up at the Ashford Mill about 5 minutes before the sun sank behind the mountains. The concrete mill was pink and flowered and made for some totally gorgeous shots. I remarked to another tourist that I ended the day in the right place at the right time. He told me if I would have arrived five minutes earlier, the mill was framed by a rainbow -- Aw heck... well... I've had worse days. This is the first issue of the Desert Gazette. Hopefully, next time I'll have the details ferreted out and present something a bit more substantial than just semi-coherant misspelled ramblings. Drive Careful - Survive. Walter |
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