Old Mines East of Hayfield

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY TWO

It is a good thing that I am near the end of my yearlong adventure. If I'd had any day like today earlier in my endeavor I doubt very seriously that I'd have gotten this far.

My hike started out well enough. I headed east of Interstate 10 and got off on the Red Cloud Mine exit. I went north and started exploring the mountains in the southeastern corner of Joshua Tree National Park. It wasn't until after the hike that things went downhill.

Driving along the road I see this sign. They don't ever put these where there's nothing to protect so this is a good indicator that something of interest is nearby.

I head up the wash west of the sign and see this large pile of tailings on the hill.

Hiking up to the top of the pile I see a tunnel going back quite a ways. I would follow it to the end but the only light I brought is a very small LED headlamp and it doesn't offer quite enough light for me to feel comfortable. Also, who'd call for help if this thing caves in?

I hike around for about another hour and don't find much to report until I come to this. It looks like this just might be some old Indian rock shelter.

A pottery sherd lying near the entrance makes this seem very promising.

There is a large amount of tarry pitch on the roof of the main room of the shelter.

This must have been in use for a long time because there are several rooms and each one is covered with pitch. This is Grandma's room.

And this room belonged to the kiddies.

After leaving the rock shelter and traversing along the hillside I come upon this tree that looks like someone cut off the end of all the branches.

I quickly discover why: someone lived here.

They also mined here. There are lots of tailings around this hillside.

This mine goes down rather than into the hill so I don't want to get too close.

There is a tunnel but I'm faced with the same not enough light problem so I won't be going in.

And this one is just a tad too small.

Up the hill there are lots more tailings so let's see what's up there.

There's a whole superstructure that was set up in order to tap a vein but I won't be doing any exploring here.

The whole mountaintop is being supported by a bunch of old timbers. Now that looks real safe. So I looked around a little more and hiked back to the Jeep. That's when the fun began.

I stopped to take a picture of this sunset and got a flat. Somehow the key that removes my spare got lost--I'm terrible with keys--and so I had to drive miles on a flat in order to get to a place where a tow truck could meet me. The wife drove out to Chiriaco Summit to rescue me but Russ, the tow truck guy, managed to get the lock off of the spare and I was able to drive home, getting there about four hours after finishing my hike.

Now I've got to get a new tire and these things aren't cheap. I just hope the rim's OK.

Forty Nine Palms Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY SIX

There are some places that you visit which surprise you. You aren't really sure what to expect and they are better than you imagine. The Fortynine Palms Oasis is one of those places.

I'd never been to the oasis so it took a few wrong turns before I got to the trailhead but I got there. And I also know how NOT to get there.

It's nice to see some government stimulus money going to good use. Not only is there a nicely maintained trail to the oasis, I found three trails going there.

The main trail has lots of obvious improvements and is wide and well graded.

I was expecting this trail to be fairly flat and follow some canyon but it gains elevation right out of the parking lot and is up on a ridge. I wonder if there is a way to get to the oasis from the canyon below but that'll have to wait for another day.

From near the top of the trail you can look down and see some palms of the oasis below.

Now let's see: one, two, three, forty-nine.

The oasis is a cool place but the Park Service has certain restrictions on where you can visit. They say it's a sensitive biological area. Whatever. I think they just want to keep deadbeats from vandalizing the area so I guess it's OK.

With three trails leading into the oasis from just one direction I can imagine what other trails might head out from here in different directions.

There is water available on the surface and there are probably many other interesting little spots to discover but the Park Service greatly restricts your movement in the oasis. It's pretty crowded so I can understand why. I guess the place has gotten trashed in the past.

But despite the restrictions this is an enjoyable hike, suitable for almost all members of the family. It also has a lot of promise for further adventures. If three trails lead into this place from just one directions, who knows how many others lead out of here?

Nowhere Man

THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN

I have a big hike planned for next week so my hikes until then will tend to be short and easy so I can rest up . I went out north of the Indio Hills to go and explore a bit and see if I could find anything interesting. Unfortunately, you don't always find something interesting when you go out exploring. That's part of the challenge.

I drove up some canyon until I couldn't drive up any further. It has a barricade due to the fact that this is the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park.

I don't think those targets were part of the original National Park sign.

I think I might hike up to these radio towers and see what the view looks like from there.

Then I read this sign that, through the bullet holes, urges caution because the radio energy may be unsafe. I don't know enough about radio waves to know what it could do to you but I wonder if maybe it could cause cancer or turn your mind into a gob of gelatinous goo and render you incapable of reasonable cognitive function. It's possible. Look at Glenn Beck, he started in radio.

So I start hiking up the wash and I'm surprised to find footprints and that someone else has been up here hiking in the middle of nowhere.

I walk up a series of washes hoping to find something interesting but each turn looks much like the last although where the canyon narrows it starts getting a bit more intriguing.

As I pass through the canyon I spot this little arch up high on a hill. It's not big or made of stone but it's something I've never seen before.

I get to a place where the canyon splits and I'm not sure which way to go.

So I choose neither and climb up the side on the left. I figure I can see more up top than down in the canyon anyway.

There's a nice view from the middle of nowhere up to San Gorgonio and I wonder how the view up by the radio towers is. Just not enough to risk cancer or dementia.

Wall Street Mill, Joshua Tree National Park

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THREE

About a week ago I got an email from a guy who'd read my blog and wanted to go hiking. He would be in town for a conference and would have some free time. He assured me he wasn't a serial killer--I'm sure serial killers do this, too-- and sent me a bio to reassure me. He is the part owner of a vitamin company, Celebrate Vitamins, and had never been to Palm Springs before. Like many people who've never been to the desert he was quite surprised by the mountains and all the beauty of the area. He expected cactus, sand dunes and probably camels. I didn't have any plans for my hike today so I thought it might be fun to go with someone new.

I picked him up in Palm Springs and we headed out to Joshua Tree National Park. We didn't have much time so we went to the Mill Street Mill from the Barker Dam parking area. My son, Nikolas, came along.

We went to Red Lady pictograph. The Park Service sign tells you about the seriousness of doing any harm to these valuable historical resources. But you would think that the Park Service would have spell check. What are CRIMINIAL PENEALITIES?

The famous Red Lady of Joshua Tree.

After leaving the Red Lady we went to Uncle Willie's Health Food Store. I figured it was a fitting place to take the vitamin guy.

There is a lot of "historical litter" in this part of the park. This appears to have been used for-- I have no idea what.

One reason there is so much in this particular area is the presence of water. There's this old windmill that was designed to pump water.

Unfortunately, it's no longer operational but that's OK because we brought our own water. That's a good idea for any visitor to Joshua Tree because there is no water in this portion of the park.

Along the main trail to the Wall Street Mill is this sign which was placed by Bill Keys. Mr. Keys was a famous settler in the park and shot Worth Bagley over a right of way issue. Joshua Tree truly was the Old West.

The Wall Street Mill is registered as a National Historic Place and is a good example of an old gold mill. Ore was crushed before the gold was extracted.

The ore poured down on this side.

And a man worked in here to process it. There is a fence around the mill to keep souvenir hunters out and keep it in good condition. It looks a lot like things I saw at Knott's Berry Farm when I was a kid in Orange County.

There is a new sign here that explains the history of the Mill and how it worked. The Park Service must have gotten some new funding because it looks like they used spell check here.

If anyone wonders why someone settled here in this inhospitable place I think it's because they may not have had a choice.

Cars just don't hold up too well out here.

The Wonderland of Rocks here in Joshua Tree is like a playground for boys...of all ages.

We hike around a bit more but it would take more time than we have this afternoon to really explore even this small portion of this almost 800,000 acre park. I hope Nick the Vitamin Guy had a good time because Nikolas and I sure did. Can't wait to come back to JT.