Deep in the Mojave

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we loaded up the Toyota and headed out to the Mojave desert. We met up with a group of off-roaders lead by the same guy who conducted the 4x4 training that we attended a few years ago.

We spent 3 days on old mining roads, rugged jeep tracks, dry lake beds, sand dunes and one hell of a water crossing. Yes, here and there, you will find mud and sometimes deep water in the Mojave.

We were introduced to the history of the area, and stopped at several spots of significance. Old grave sites. Abandoned rail road lines. Ghost towns that no longer have buildings or any structure, just sand. Many of which you'd have a hard time finding on your own.

We camped among Tamarisk trees (yes the same ones that are so evasive - they were introduced by the rail road to keep sand build up off the tracks) and slept comfortably in our double sleeping bags and luxurious cots. Winter nights in the Mojave are below freezing. Like about 25 degrees. But we were very comfortable!

Our stock 4WD Toyota 4Runner looks wimpy compared to the beefed up trucks in our group.

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The gravel roads go on . . . and on . . . and on.

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You may not expect it, but the Mojave has very high mountains.

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A steep climb up . . .

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 . . . and a steep descent.  Low range, 1st gear on 'the up' and 'the down'.

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Top gear across Boswell dry lake bed.

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The rest of the group eating our dust. That didn't last long. Soon it was the other way around.

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Entering "The Devil's Playground", a giant sand maze.  Here, we follow the tracks of the others in our group.

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Down, down, down into a giant sand bowl.  Going down was surprisingly easy and gentle on the Toyota.  Going up proved impossible.

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And the sand bowls continue. With reduced tire pressure and proper momentum you don't get bogged down on all but the steepest dunes.

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There are a bunch of Tamarisk trees at our campsite.

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Bobcat print.

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At 7PM it's already dark and darn cold. Virginia bravely begins dinner, soon we're loving our hot meal!

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A very deep water crossing, a little above our door line! However, hardly any mud leaked in.  I should have taken this a little slower, but hey that's how you get experience. The Mojave river is mostly dry but has this one spot where much of the water collects as muddy and deep. The front radiator (for the A/C system) got very clogged with dirt and organic matter.

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Sunrise.

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Another long road leading to another cool spot. Another chance for a Gumby shadow :)

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On the final day, we broke away from the group and delved deeper into the Mojave National Preserve. Check it out here.

We had never been.  The place impressed us greatly and  we are going back.  Ok, who's going?  Have you ever been out there?  Sound off with your comments!  Hint: comment password is life is good

Comments (1) -

Dave Menapace
Dave Menapace 1/4/2016 9:31:29 AM

Great post Doug!  Looks like it was a blast out there!  I was fortunate enough to join a friend in his jeep wrangler to do some off roading out near Valencia about a year ago but it paled in comparison to the Mojave.  Glad you guys had fun!  Happy new year!

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