Mojave Road West 11-4-2011

[Seanz0rz]

We started our journey early Friday morning from a rainy Redlands. Joining Alexus and me was our close friend Val. This was to be her first offroad experience. The drive to the Mojave National Preserve was wet. Very wet. It rained steady the entire time up the I15, at times very heavily. As soon as we turned East out of Barstow, we enjoyed clear skies along I40 and up Kelbaker Rd. We assumed the rest of the trail would be similar, or at the most just cloudy. We were very mistaken...

After an 18 Mile jaunt up Kelbaker Rd. towards the Kelso Depot, we ran into an obstacle that was completely impassable. To top it all off, Kelso Depot was in sight and indeed just yards away. Still, our bladders ready to burst, there was no way 'round this obstacle:
http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Mojave%20Road%20West%2011-4-11/IMG_3685.jpg
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We waited about 45 minutes for it to clear the tracks so we could enjoy a very clean stainless steel water closet...

We then continued North on Kelbaker Rd. At this point, it was apparent that we were in for some nasty weather out on the plains, passes, lakes and rivers.
http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Mojave%20Road%20West%2011-4-11/IMG_3689.jpg
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The start of the trail looked like this:
http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Mojave%20Road%20West%2011-4-11/IMG_3694.jpg

And from then on, my windshield wiper motor never stopped more than a few minutes...

[Seanz0rz]

Navigation was made easy by the numerous rock cairns lining the trail, and even if we did veer off course, we were quickly returned to the proper track.
http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Mojave%20Road%20West%2011-4-11/IMG_3699.jpg

Pictures are hard to take through a piece of glass smothered in moist dirt, so not many were.

The rain picked up as we hit Soda Lake, and I knew from previous experience and stories from the campfire that this was a likely place to get very, very stuck. The conditions were terrible, and I would never like to experience them at any increasing degree of difficulty. We were lucky to make it to Travelers Monument without so much as a bog down of the vehicle. With blowing rain, we quickly deposited our rocks, spent a few quick seconds reflecting on the plaque nestled in the pile's bosom, and "Got the @$&*!% out of there"
http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Mojave%20Road%20West%2011-4-11/IMG_3702.jpg

Once we cleared the lake, and the horrible conditions it presented us, we found the soft blow sand of the western edge of Soda Lake. By this time, we were hungry, so I found a great spot to sit and eat.

Lunch locations don't get better than this:
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Following this was miles and miles of twisting, undulating tracks. Whoops to big to go fast over, and washboarded ruts that riped organs from their attachments. This was probably the worst section of the trail, just for its pure frustration factor

However, we were rewarded with beautiful and spectacular Afton Canyon:
http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Mojave%20Road%20West%2011-4-11/IMG_3715.jpg
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The freshly washed walls on the canyon were spectacular colors of red, green, brown and colors between for which I am unable to convey in words. The road bed proved to be very sticky, with much of it still attached to parts of the truck that rarely ever see anything but sunshine.

The water crossings were such a disappointment, especially the one at the end. I am not sure if the water level is very low, or if at some point BLM has filled the bottom with gravel, since there was much evidence of this. Either could be the case, as my previous experience was in mid Winter, where the water level would be expected to climb higher.

We concluded the trail by a stop at Afton Canyon Campground, a use of their facilities, and a few minutes refilling the fuel tank so we could make it home without stopping.


All things considered, a great trip. The rain made for a truly miserable experience when not in the vehicle, but luckily a heater that could rival the Arc of the Covenant for face-melting power is standard equipment in my 4Runner. It was a good experience, and makes me want to go visit Afton Canyon during more hiking-appropriate weather.

Until next time,
Sean & Alexus

[DHC6twinotter]

Awesome! I so wish I was there right now. :drool:

[^VooDoo^]

Sweet, Jealous.

[some_odd_girl]

Looks like a fun trip! As for the water levels,they're probably low because there hasn't been much rain yet and the water table hasn't risen very high. :P