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We took a little trip over the Hualapais to pre-run a short segment of Moss Wash, with plans to include a visit to the Gold King Mansion in an upcoming tour of the mountains. I’m glad we checked out the area ahead of time, there’s no way we’re getting a stock vehicle up here…
4x4s, camping with friends, great food and wine, and amateur radio – what a great weekend. Here’s the contact map (and a link to the forum) from OAUSA’s first Field Day…
Any trip that ends with your vehicle running better than when you started is a good one. Such was the case with this past weekend’s trek up the mountain, and the electrical gremlin that has plagued me since April has finally been found and eliminated. I’m not a big fan of letting computers look out for me, but this time the error code that popped up led me straight to the melted wire on cylinder 6 (these short Magnecor wires have to go). A quick trail-side band-aid later the Disco is running nice and smooth again and the troubles with my Yaesu 350 are gone.
I saw the storm clouds to the west this morning and just had to go for a hike. Since it was nice and cold we tackled Ryan Mountain, which is just over 1,000 feet of gain in just over a mile – normally shadeless and very hot. There’s still quite a few wildflowers out, and we were able to get very close to a couple of hawks soaring on the breeze.
Up at the top it actually snowed a little, but it melted the instant it touched anything. The rest of the pics are in the Flickr set »
Last weekend we headed out into the southern Mojave to see a few different areas in and around the Old Woman Mountains (previous trip). It was good to get out with some like-minded folks, and we had a great time exploring both places we’ve been and new places we never would have found.
The opportunities for wildlife, and particularly reptile viewing were excellent. Lizards and snakes were in a lazy mood this weekend and stuck around long enough for us to get close-up pictures of several different species. We were also able to explore a new (to us) mine area in Carbonate Gulch – a canyon I’ve driven partially in the past, but never quite went far enough to discover the mine before. Old engines, massive pulleys, cables, crumbling foundations, scattered debris and a dripping spring all bake in the sun a the top of this hidden canyon. We’re planning to head back when it gets cooler for the hike up to the main shaft.
All of our pictures from this trip can be found in the Flickr set. Many thanks to everyone that made the long trek out to the desert and made this a wonderful weekend.
1,294.3 miles of driving, hiking, climbing and exploration over 239 hours, 43 minutes and 4 seconds (about 11 days). We encountered just about every sort of weather possible (short of a tornado or a hurricane), but somehow it always seemed like just the right weather for the moment (or the picture).
Many thanks to Dave of OAUSA for setting this up, the Navajo and our guides for their hospitality, and everyone else who participated in making this a wonderful trip. I would have to say the highlights for me were a 3-way tie between the Poncho House ruins on day 6, the snow/rain in Monument Valley on day 8, and Tom’s peach cobbler… all of these would be hard to beat.
All of the pictures from this trip can be found in the Flickr set »
Note: the geo-locations for many of the pictured sites have been kept private to protect the sensitive cultural and natural features in the Navajo Nation. If you would like to visit some of these places for yourself I suggest heading over to OAUSA to find out when the next trip will be.
We had heard the two feet of snow which dropped last year was a freak occurrence, not likely to repeat for many years. I could already see the next storm system moving in, so without delay we loaded up and went into the park. For us, the rewards of rural living far outweigh the costs – to be first since the snow through the gate on the dirt road to Queen Mine, and at the same time last through the gate before the Park Service closed it, this beautiful unspoiled scenery would be ours alone to enjoy.
More in the Flickr set »
Mountains, mines, ruins and vistas in the Black Mountains…
…and exploring an old ghost town along the abandoned Old Kingman Highway…
More pictures can be viewed in the Flickr sets here and here.
Update: after a recent visit to the area, Chris Evans reports that a write-up on the history of the above Union Pass ghost town is available here. The following is a quote from an old Kingman newspaper…
The rock house by the side of the road at Union Pass stands today as a monument to Jonathan Draper Richardson and his wife Victoria, who bequeathed the house to their descendants on condition that they never cut down the trees and that they give water to any thirsty traveler. The spot where Richardson chose to build his rock house is less than a quarter of a mile east of Highway 68 on the crest of the Black Mountains – the mountain wedge known as Union Pass.
In 1897, Richardson, his wife and three children settled there, the area, had lush native vegetation, ample water and just enough flat land to accommodate a pioneer homestead. “We left Los Angeles in 1896,” one of Richardson’s daughters, Edith, was to write. “Crossing the 360 miles of desert in the summertime was anything but easy in a covered wagon with two horses. We crossed the Colorado River at what is now called Lake Mohave on a raft operated by a white man, his two sons and a crew of Indians. We settled at Union Pass in 1897 on a homestead (160 acres) where my parents lived the rest of their lives”. When the Richardson’s arrived they found the remains of an old Army post that had been established there to protect the immigrants from Indians on the old road from Kingman to the Colorado River. There were old harnesses, pieces of Army clothing, Union buttons and other artifacts found. An old horse barn found on the site (now gone) was used to house the Richardson’s pet burro, Whitey.
The family developed an extensive garden and orchard at their homestead. By 1910 they were pressing upon the weary travelers who stopped at their house an abundance of fruits, including apples, peaches, pears, figs, apricots and elderberries. Stopping by the Richardson ranch, exchanging news and gossip and drinking the deliciously cold water from the hand pump at the well became the highlight of the traveler’s hot and dusty day-long trip from Kingman to Katherine mining district. Using hand tools only, Draper and Victoria maintained the narrow winding road over Union Pass, three miles each way from their house. They were paid a small monthly sum by Mohave County to keep the road usable. Victoria and Draper celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1931. Victoria died of cancer in 1935 in Mohave General Hospital. She is buried in Mountain View Cemetery. Draper became ill soon after the death of his great helpmate. He died in 1940 and was buried beside his wife.
Their legacy remains. The old road through Union Pass has been bypassed by Highway 68, but the traveler may still find a welcome at the homestead built by the Richardson’s, Lonnie and Ethel Ferra, who inherited the property, have honored their grandparents’ legacy of hospitality. Water is available to thirsty travelers if they ask for it, and certainly the trees haven’t been cut. (Leonard, 1984)
Thanks for sending the article my way Chris!
We spent a long weekend with OAUSA out in Anza-Borrego. I have enjoyed our solo explorations (and will continue to do so), but it is great to finally meet a group of people with similar feelings about vehicles, camping, land use and laws, and backcountry exploration in general. I look forward to future trips with these folks.
Details on OAUSA and BorregoFest are here, and the rest of our pictures are here.
We took a quick weekend trip up to the San Bernardino mountains to try and find an old road I remember taking years ago. Not only did we find the road, but we found a wonderfully secluded yellow post (aka campfires allowed) campsite.
More pictures in the Flickr set »
