5 Days in the Desert travelog #25
Ridgecrest, CA - Wed, 28 Dec 2022, 1pmWe're close to wrapping up our "5 Days in the Desert" trip. Today we're headed home, but first with a detour to visit Trona Pinnacles just southwest of Death Valley. We've been wanting to visit the Trona Pinnacles for years, but it seems that each time we're in Death Valley ( Read more... )

5 Days in the Desert travelog #24
Barstow, CA - Wed, 28 Dec 2022, 8am

If you've been paying attention to the datelines on my "5 Days in the Desert" journals- okay, just pretend you are- you might have noticed after writing multiple blogs about outdoorsy stuff on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I wrote basically nothing about Tuesday. "Wait, what ( Read more... )

5 Days in the Desert travelog #22
Pisgah, CA - Mon, 26 Dec 2022, 5pm

We drove Route 66 east, including stopping for a classic Route 66 picture along the way, to Pisgah Crater. Visiting Pisgah Crater was ironically one of the things we planned this trip around. That's ironic because we've wound up doing various other things the past few days and ( Read more... )

5 Days in the Desert travelog #21
Newberry Springs, CA - Mon, 26 Dec 2022, 3pm

After lunch today we crossed down from the I-15 corridor to the I-40 corridor, heading out to Pisgah Crater. Rather than cruise along I-40 with the truckers we opted to drive Route 66. The two roads run parallel in this area, sometimes barely 50 feet apart ( Read more... )

5 Days in the Desert travelog #20
Yermo, CA - Mon, 26 Dec 2022, 2pm

Today is shaping up to be as much about the driving as the hiking. But that's okay because the driving is purposefully scenic. The old Native American prayer, In Beauty I Walk, doesn't mean literally walking. It means journeying, as in the journey through life. Sometimes that ( Read more... )

5 Days in the Desert travelog #19
Afton Canyon, CA - Mon, 26 Dec 2022, 1pm

Not long after leaving an impressive but unnamed side canyon off the Mojave River, we arrived at Spooky Canyon.


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5 Days in the Desert travelog #18
Afton Canyon, CA - Mon, 26 Dec 2022, 12:30pm

We set out today for a combination of wheeling and hiking in Afton Canyon. My goals upon planning this adventure were threefold:

1. Cross the Mojave River- kind of to prove to myself I could (DONE)
2. Explore the beauty of Afton Canyon in general (IN PROGRESS)
3. Find & explore ( Read more... )

5 Days in the Desert travelog #17
Afton Canyon, CA - Mon, 26 Dec 2022, 11am

Today we decided to do another combination 4x4/hiking trek in the Mojave Desert. We drove east of Barstow to Afton Canyon and down to the Mojave River, where the Mojave Road follows the course of the river through the canyon.


( Read more... )

5 Days in the Desert travelog #15
Cima, CA - Sun, 25 Dec 2022, 5pm

I left off in my last blog entry with us descending into the bowels of the earth after an hour+ long drive to the remote lava tubes in Mojave National Preserve. I decided that after all that effort I would not be deterred by having to crawl on my hands and knees a bit, so in I went ( Read more... )

5 Days in the Desert travelog #14
Cima, CA - Sun, 25 Dec 2022, 4pm

This past Sunday afternoon- Christmas Day, for those still keeping track amid this prolific series of blog posts about our "5 Days in the Desert" trip- we visited the lava tubes in Mojave National Preserve. This was our third adventure of the day, after hiking the 650' tall sand ( Read more... )