Hey everyone! I've got a big trip planned to visit the most famous mines in California. These mines are a destination for mine explorers like me from all over the west. They are in fairly good shape, as far as abandoned mines go, but there are no hand rails or other safety devises in them. Unfortunatly they are not the easiest mines to navigate because they have a fair amount of vertical workings with ladders and steep chutes connecting them. I want to make it clear that I am not trained in mine safety or rescue. With that said, there is tons to explore here even for someone who has never experienced abandoned mines before. A fair amount of them will be accesable without climbing ladders. It's not a place for dogs or unsupervised children but with some common sence and caution, it's possible to have alot of fun and see some neat things.
Itinerary
friday night:
I'm head out from Victorville after work around 7pm and traveling up I15 north to Baker. At baker we'll gas up and then proceed on to this little known cabin
I dont think we will sleep in there, and it may already be occupied for the night, but I thought it would be a cool place to make camp for Friday night.
IBEX ghost town
http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/ibexspring.html
The old Ibex camp(its not haunted :P) is actually a bit of an oasis complete with palm trees. The ruins are from various stages in this areas life but should make for a good camping spot. The Ibex hard rock mine is located a ways to the northwest with a trail of unknown difficulty that time may not permit unless its a late night run. sorry...no time for wheelin with so many tunnels to cover
Ibex talc mine very near to the camp site:
Saturday morning:
Proceed to Topeca and grab a date shakeChina Ranch then on to the main attractions!!!
Gunsite- http://www.undergroundexplorers.com/gunsite1.htm
Noonday aka "Midnight"- http://www.undergroundexplorers.com/noonday2.htm
War Eagle aka "Peace Dove"- http://www.undergroundexplorers.com/wareagle3.htm
Columbia aka "boomstick"- http://www.undergroundexplorers.com/columbia2.htm
maps of these mines are available here: http://www.undergroundexplorers.com/info.htm
Saturday night:
Camp at the mine site. There is plenty of room for primitive camping. There are no facility's there...its just plain desert.
Sunday
Finish up exploring... Maybe everyone can take a ride in the ore cart, assuming we can locate it by then, and leave around 4pm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSjEXDu2_0Y&source=GE
Travel times:
San Bernadino to Tecopa- 3 hours
Palmdale to Tecopa- 3.5 hours
Las Vegas to Tecopa- 2 hours
Vehicle requirements:
I've seen pictures of semi trailers parked at the mines and stock suburbans on street tires. Ibex ghost town on Friday night is also a place any stock 2wd Toyota should have no issue. I expect old fire roads with the occasional rut.
Fuel requirements:
*EDIT* Shoshone is 10 miles beyond Tecopa and 20 miles from the mines. Shoshone has a gas station and at least one place to eat. We will also be fueling up when we exit I15 in Baker. That gas station is 75 miles from the mines. With the addition of the Shohone Cheveron fuel is no longer an issue even for paranoid me lol, but I will probably bring my fuel tank anyways just to test it out for future trips.
Shoshone Chevron!
Camping requirements
Camping at both places is primitive camping. There are no facility's or running water. Bring everything you would need to be comfortable in the desert for 2 days and 2 nights. Also keep in mind that you will want to clean up after a day in the mines so be sure to figure that into your water supply.
Optional showering solution:
Tecopa is actually a fancy hot springs town. There is a couple of fancy places and $5 public bathe. The catch is they are nude bathes. But if your ok with that, then 13ish miles from the mines is a hell of a way to clean up.
mine safety and exploring equipment
Please read this page for answers to FAQ
http://www.undergroundexplorers.com/safety.htm
http://mojaveunderground.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4
The most important thing to bring with you is your head. Mine dangers are all about calculating the risks involved. For instance, you might encounter a vertical shaft and be curious how deep it is and thats fine. What you can do is stand back at a safe distance and throw a rock down to listen for it to land...or you can crawl on your belly and peer your head over with a flashlight to see if you can see the bottom....or you can step to the crumbly edge and look down. One of those scenarios is a safe approach, one is a smart approach, and the other is a unsafe approach. People get hurt when they dont use there head. I think I've read there was 5 deathes in the last 10 years due to mine exploring. everyone of them was doing something stupid.
For gear I would bring 2-3 flashlights per person. The theory here is if you hit your head you will wake up to a dead flashlight. Bring tons of battery's and expect to be underground for up to 24 hours if you intend to see all of the mines in there entirety. Bring a small backpack to hold water/snack and battery's. Wear clothes that you wouldn't mind sliding into home plate with because they will get extremely dirty. A hard hat isn't a bad idea. I've hit my head a few times already even being careful. Wear hiking boots or shoes that provide traction and protection. Rope also isnt a bad idea for emergency's and gloves for climbing have come in handy
I wear jeans, tshirt, backpack(gloves, batterys,water), and army boots. These are the flashlights I use http://www.mojaveunderground.com/for...opic.php?t=544
Weather info:
http://www.death.valley.national-park.com/weather.htm
November brings more managable heat but also large swings to night lows. Be sure to bring a range of clothing. Underground temperatures are pretty stable so thats one bonus of this hobby. You can expect 60-70 underground with hot humid pockets do to the hot springs in the area.
Im thinking a group of 10 will be the optimal size for something like this. if more people are interested we can figure something out
1)Troy
2)Kimi
3)Efin
4)Adrian
5)ecchamberlin
6)JoAnne
7)
8)
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10)
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