Southern California Club Xterra
Southern California Club Xterra => SCCX Xcursions => Topic started by: JFanaselle on May 03, 2015, 01:37:00 PM
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I'll be making a short overnight trip into the Mojave Preserve on Saturday May 16th and returning Sunday May 17th. The plan is to get started pretty early on Saturday and be home by mid to late afternoon Sunday.
This will not be a full Mojave road trip, but rather a short exploration of some specific areas. Agenda is as follows:
Meet in Baker on Saturday morning at about 9:15 or 9:30 am. Fill up the gas tanks and bellies with breakfast, grab any other provisions we need, and be on the road as a group by 10:00 am.
We'll head east into the preserve and spend the first day checking out petroglyphs, the lava tubes, and some old mines. We'll also make a stop in the "town" of Cima to see if the Cima Store is open. We'll camp at Sunrise Rock near Kessler Peak, which is a few miles northwest of Cima.
On day two, we'll head north from camp and check out the Evening Star Mine before heading east into an old mining district that is ripe with old buildings, mines and other sites to explore. We can spend as little or as much time as we want in that area, depending on everyone's schedules and how the exploring is going. If necessary, we can even break into an "early go home group" and "stay a little longer" group at the Evening Star Mine, as this will be an easy place to send some people back to the freeway from.
We'll air back up at Cima Road and take Cima Road back to the 15 then back on to Baker.
Because we don't have a permit, we'll need to cap this trip at 6 rigs max. Ideally, we need to keep it to a total of 14 people as well, but I'm hoping we can skirt past this a little as long as we don't have too many vehicles. That being said, 20 or 21 or people will probably present an issue, especially if we get rolled up on in camp by a ranger. 16 or 17 will probably be ok, so please consider this head-count restriction if attending this trip. I will be bringing my cousin and his wife along in their F-150, and Motorpig77 has already said he will be attending, so there's room for 4 more vehicles.
I am equipped with CB and HAM, and request that everyone be equipped with at least CB for the trip. It's a smaller group, but it's still important for us to be in constant communication at all times (and I'm making my cousin install a CB in his rig before the trip). Next post is for participants and food...
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As previously stated, this trip must be capped at 6 vehicles total, and as close to 14 people as possible due to the fact that we are unable to obtain a permit on this short of a notice. If signing up for this trip, please advise how many people are in your party, and please be considerate of the headcount. As with all trips, people can/do back out at the last minute for reasons beyond their control. Therefore, even though this trip is only 2 weeks away, don't hesitate to put your name in for the standby list if we reach capacity quickly.
Participants:
1) JFanaselle + Wife
2) JFanaselle's Cousin + Wife
3) Motorpig77 + 3
4) Alex
5) Scott307
6)
Standby List:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Food:
With this small of a group, we are doing an "every individual for themselves" meal setup. Bring whatever you need to cook/eat on the trail. This includes lunches and breakfasts. Please have already eaten breakfast before our 10:00 am departure from Baker. We'll have lunch on the trail on Saturday and dinner at camp. Sunday morning, we'll have breakfast in camp and lunch on the trail if we are out and about long enough.
Other trip preparedness:
1) If you plan to air down, please be prepared to air back up (aka - have a compressor with you)
2) The forecast is calling for rain on Thursday and into Friday. If the storm system slows down, we could have a rainy day on Saturday. The rain will keep the dust down and could keep the temperatures tolerable for us. That being said, remember that this is the desert and things change fast. Please be prepared for everything from extreme heat down to nearly freezing nights. We are not camping at high elevation, but it really could go either way.
3) Be sure to bring plenty of water. The general survival rule is that you should have one gallon per person per day of trip. For example - 3 people in your vehicle on a this two day trip means you should bring 6 gallons at a minimum.
4) As already stated, this trip is more about the stops than it is the journey itself. Please bring good shoes (boots, if you have them), a walking stick if you desire, and anything else you feel you may need. We will be stopping at several old mining sites that included old buildings, vehicles, construction equipment, etc. Also, it is prime season for snakes in this area. We won't be doing much "hiking," but will probably spend a good deal of time exploring around these old sites and snakes are a real threat, so be prepared and take the necessary precautions.
I will PM everyone who signed up to swap phone numbers, just in case we have issues meeting up on Saturday morning.
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in since i missed mojave.
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Would love to, but I need my new suspension first
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in since i missed mojave.
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Would love to, but I need my new suspension first
Are you sure? It won't be nearly as long distance driving on dirt as the last trip, and the parts we're driving are the better areas. None of the whoops. :)
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I'm tentative. I may be getting sent out of town for work that weekend.
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Permits needed for groups of 7+.
http://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/permits.htm
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Permits needed for groups of 7+.
http://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/permits.htm
Understood. Trip is capped at 7 rigs for this reason. I am guessing it's far too short of a notice to get a permit at this point, especially with they way they processed your application for the last run.
I was hoping to sneak by the 15 person limit. As long as we don't have too many vehicles, I would hope a ranger wouldn't come up on us and start counting people inside cars.
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I'm tentative. I may be getting sent out of town for work that weekend.
I put you into one of the slots for now. If we get to the point that we have a waiting list, you can re-evaluate your situation and determine if you need to back out or not. Hope to see you out there!
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Hey Joe, If I understand Toro's math, 1-6 trucks=good, 7 or more=bad.
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Haha, sometimes all it takes is a website and two very smart people telling me the same thing before I get it. ;D
Ok, OP has been updated accordingly. We are capped out at 6 rigs and 14ish people.
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Would this be a 2WD friendly trip? If so, I'm in.
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To be honest Alex, I'm not 100% sure. We'll be going into several areas that I haven't been before. There won't be any significant hill climbing or anything, but soft sand MIGHT be an issue. Unfortunately, the preserve website simply advises that you should have 4 wheel drive to travel any dirt road wtihin the preserve - they don't do a good job of breaking down the areas where you really need it.
I would think you'd be ok, and I'm perfectly fine with you giving it a shot. We'll just be extra cautious of sandy areas.
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Newer folks stepping up...way to go Joe and Erik! :)
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using Tapatalk
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Ahhhhhh, Board members in the making!
No good deed goes unpunished ;D
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I understand that in order to be a board member, I need to have complete understanding of how to use the delete key, and how to insert my comments into someone else's thread?
Posts Joe...insert comments into post.
edit: GeoTaco ;D
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No, comments need to be inserted into other members posts to qualify.
I understand that in order to be a board member, I need to have complete understanding of how to use the delete key, and how to insert my comments into someone else's thread?
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See above.
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Ahhhhhh, Board members in the making!
No good deed goes unpunished ;D
Isn't that like giving the inmates the keys to the asylum???...????
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^^^^^^^^^^BINGO^^^^^^^^^^
How do you think I got the job ???
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To be honest Alex, I'm not 100% sure. We'll be going into several areas that I haven't been before. There won't be any significant hill climbing or anything, but soft sand MIGHT be an issue. Unfortunately, the preserve website simply advises that you should have 4 wheel drive to travel any dirt road wtihin the preserve - they don't do a good job of breaking down the areas where you really need it.
I would think you'd be ok, and I'm perfectly fine with you giving it a shot. We'll just be extra cautious of sandy areas.
Got it: I'll be reading up on what I can find on the route condition and difficulty
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I think adding a 2WD vehicle to the mix will make for a fun trip! Maybe if we are lucky, we will all get to practice our "recovery" plans!!! :)
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I think adding a 2WD vehicle to the mix will make for a fun trip! Maybe if we are lucky, we will all get to practice our "recovery" plans!!! :)
Aha, hopefully not! I will have a tow strap and a rear hitch shackle just in case things go south.
I could handle the sand in Brashaw and Red Canyon just fine, maybe slightly deeper as well.
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Aha, hopefully not! I will have a tow strap and a rear hitch shackle just in case things go south.
I could handle the sand in Brashaw and Red Canyon just fine, maybe slightly deeper as well.
If it helps any, I did the entire Mojave Rd. in 2wd no need to activate 4wd at anytime.
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If it helps any, I did the entire Mojave Rd. in 2wd no need to activate 4wd at anytime.
Same.
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I only activated 4WD when we were driving through the sand on the way to the old copper mine. And even then, I PROBABLY could have gotten by without it, but didn't want to risk it.
I believe that is waaaaay more sand than we will see on this trip, so we should be good Alex.
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Hey Motorpig77 - we need to figure out the firewood situation. Do you have enough in "storage," or should we put out the call for everyone to bring some? I can haul some on my roof, and I'm sure we could fit a good amount in the bed of my cousin's F-150. It's only one night, but I'm sure we'd like a nice fire. :)
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Always better to have too much than not enough. And better to have everyone chip in.
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I have three bundles leftover from Bradshaw that I'm bringing.
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Good advice Jordan. That being said, if everyone can please bring a bundle or two, that'd be spectacular. I'll bring a few myself, and thank you Alex for bringing three as well!
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I've got quite a bit left, but I'll have the whole family on this trip, with that said, I'll load as much as I can! A raging fire is the goal!
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Ok guys, we're less than a week away from departure for this trip, and we need to figure out the food situation.
I have a big two pound pack of applewood smoked bacon left over from the Mojave Road trip that I can bring for Saturday morning breakfast. Unfortunately, I have a very small griddle that can only cook a few pieces at a time.
We basically need to figure out the Saturday night dinner situation, and Sunday morning breakfast situation. All other meals will be up to everyone as individuals to provide for themselves on the trail or before/after the trip. If everyone wants to do their own individual meals for Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast too, that's fine. But we need to make some decisions quick, as this trip is rapidly approaching.
I suggest we start by finding out what everyone has for cooking equipment so we can decide what type of food we could/should cook. I have a Primus combination camp grill/one burner camp stove. It's capable of cooking about 6 burgers at a time, and can have a pot of beans or something on the burner side, as an example. For breakfasts, I have a skillet for the burner side and a small griddle for the grill side, which is capable of cooking a pancake or two at a time, or a few strips of bacon at a time.
I'm open for meal suggestions, but since we have such a small group, I think we need to really coordinate who is bringing what, so we make sure we have some good eats between all of us. ;D
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You can use my cast iron griddle if you want for this trip. All you would need is a few flat rocks to set it up on and some coals below or a small backpacking stove. The griddle is big enough to handle that bacon or 6 large burgers.
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Thanks for the offer Celt. I hit you up via text, but I think we're going to pass.
Based on lack of enthusiasm (lol), I think I'm going to make the decision that this trip is an "every individual for themselves" type eating session. My cousin and I will go in on a little something for ourselves and our wives, and I know Motorpig77 is bringing the whole fam (and was originally thinking of doing this trip with just them), so he's probably got something worked out for all of them as well.
So it's official - everyone be prepared to make your own meals, breakfast lunch and dinner. As a reminder, we'll hit the road late Saturday morning and be back at the Interstate by mid-afternoon Sunday, so you're looking at two lunches, a dinner and a breakfast on the trail/in camp.
Additionally, I'll use this post to remind everyone coming along on this trip that you must have at least CB comms to participate. Be prepared to air your tires back up if you choose to air down (have a compressor with you), and be sure to bring plenty of water (one gallon per person in your vehicle per day. Me + Wife + Son x 2 days = 6 gallons for us minimum).
At this point, the forecast is calling for light rain showers in the area on Thursday and into Friday, so we could see a relief from the dust. Temperatures will be moderate to warm, and we will not be camping at a high elevation so I would expect to be trying to stay cool more than trying to stay warm. That being said, as has been said on other desert trips, it's the desert and conditions vary widely and change fast, so please be prepared for anything from rain to cold to extreme heat, and pack accordingly.
As a little teaser - here's a sneak peek at a few of the places we're going to visit on this trip:
(http://digital-desert.com/evening-star-mine/480-evening-star-j1007-v2.jpg)
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd72/inspiredvisionsphotography/Locations/Evening%20Star%)
(http://digital-desert.com/death-valley-mine/599-death-valley-mine-j1018.jpg)
(http://digital-desert.com/mojave-preserve/400-death-valley-mine1024.jpg)
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Looks like I won't be able to make this, I have to go up to LA this Saturday for mandatory training. :( 2 epic Mojave trips I'm going to miss.
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I think you had the best idea for the food situation Joe. We're only going to have to worry about three, maybe four meals on the trail.
What time do you expect to be off trail and back in the inland empire area Sunday? Trying to decide if I should plan to go to work late that night or if we'll be back in time. Thanks!
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Looks like I won't be able to make this, I have to go up to LA this Saturday for mandatory training. :( 2 epic Mojave trips I'm going to miss.
Sucks man. Work sucks, but I guess that's why they have to pay us to go, right?! OP updated to reflect one open spot.
What time do you expect to be off trail and back in the inland empire area Sunday? Trying to decide if I should plan to go to work late that night or if we'll be back in time.
To be honest Clint, you're the one I was worried about since I know you're supposed to work on Sunday evening. We can spend as little or as much time as we want out there on Sunday based on when you need to get back. If we break camp around 8:00 am or so, we'll have plenty of time to go check out the evening star mine and see at least one or two of the abandoned sites beyoned. I was planning on getting back to the pavement and aired back up between about noon and 13:00. It's probably about a 3 to 3.5 hour drive home from there, so that's cutting it close for you. We can do a few different things... we can break the group into two from the evening star mine - one group can head back to the pavement from there and head home and the other can head further east into the mining district (I know at least my cousin would stay with me if everyone else wanted to go home), or we can just check out a couple of sites and depart as a group nice and early in the day still, or (if you manage to get the night off) we can spend more time out there checking everything out and leave whenever we want. It's up to you buddy, just let me know what works best.
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I might have to be home by Sunday afternoon sometime as well, so I could join the early group.
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I don't have to be at work till 9pm so that schedule works great! Perfect!
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Looks like there will not likely be an opening, but can you put me on the stand-by list?
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my spot opened up so your good
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I don't have to be at work till 9pm so that schedule works great! Perfect!
Great!
Looks like there will not likely be an opening, but can you put me on the stand-by list?
Yes, knightrider won't be able to make it so you just filled his spot. :) OP has been updated to reflect this change. Do you have at least a CB for communications? Also, please PM me your phone number and I'll add it to my phone. I'll shoot you a text with mine as well. Thanks!
Edit - just checked out your build thread in the Display Case and saw that you're running a Cobra 29, so you're good to go!
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Alright group, here's some more info regarding meet-up and what to expect on the trip:
We will meet up as a group in the dirt RV/Truck parking lot across the street from the World's Tallest Thermometer located at 72155 Baker Blvd, Baker, CA 92309. The meet-up time will be at 9:30 am at the latest, please don't be late! Please arrive in Baker early enough to gas up and get whatever else you need before we meet. There are many gas stations with small markets, but no grocery stores or department stores. Ice, beer, gas, etc shouldn't be a problem. My family and I will arrive in town a little early and will probably have breakfast at the Bob's Big Boy restaurant next to the thermometer before we all meet up.
According to my calculations, our total mileage from Baker through the preserve and back to Baker again should be just over 100 miles. Therefore, we should be more than ok with a single tank of fuel. That being said, I will still be bringing some emergency fuel just in case.
As previously stated, we will take Kelbaker Road into the preserve, stopping at some petroglyphs and then on to the Lava Tubes. We'll air down at Kelbaker Road and Aiken Mine Road just before hitting the dirt, and will be driving mostly dirt for the remainder of the day with a few small bursts of pavement. We'll take (paved) Cima Road back up to our camp site for the night, which will be our longest drive on the pavement while aired down (about 6 miles on pavement).
On day two, I'd like to break camp by 8:30 or so and hit the road. We won't cover nearly as much ground, but will spend a good amount of time stopping at various old building sites to explore. We'll likely be back at the pavement and airing back up before 1:00 pm at the latest, and it's about a 40 minute drive back into Baker from there to fuel back up. My goal is to be back home to the Temecula area between 4:00 and 5:00 pm.
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I'm out. I have to leave town for work.
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I'm out. I have to leave town for work.
OP updated. We have an opening if anyone else is interested in coming out.
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I was able to get all my work duties covered for Sunday, so I'm free to stay all weekend! :)
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Good to hear ... Did you get the shackles installed?
It looks like we have plenty of firewood ... Is there anything I can bring for the group? Do we need more firewood?
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Great news Alex! I still anticipate that we'll be back on the pavement around 1:00 or maybe a little later, and you should be home by 5:00 or so (depending on that Sunday Vegan traffic :-\)
Scott - A bundle or two of firewood would be great. I am bringing a couple of bundles and Alex is too. Plus Motorpig is going to bring as much as he can. We typically have large fires that burn for hours and hours. :)
We still have one more spot available if someone wants to jump in last minute on this trip. It's going to be pretty epic, with some really cool history and sites to visit. I've done a ton of research and promise to be a great tour guide. :D
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Scott I'll install them tomorrow morning and make sure everything works.
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For the record, it's 2:12 am and I can't sleep because I am so damn excited about this trip! Can't wait to get on the road in a few hours. ;D
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For the record, it's 2:12 am and I can't sleep because I am so damn excited about this trip! Can't wait to get on the road in a few hours. ;D
Lol...cool. :)
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Great times were had out on the "Mojave Reloaded"!!!! Joe was an awesome Trail Guide and his research and knowledge was amazing! I am glad we all made the trip and am looking forward to the next one! As always with this group, the people make the trip memorable!!!
We also welcomed a new member on this trip. Scott307 joined us for his first group run! Looking forward to many more!
Great Job again Joe! Talk to you soon buddy!
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I would call the trip nothing short of EPIC! :o
As you said Motorpig77, the people definately make the trip and this was no exception. This was a teriffic group of people and we all had an absolute blast! We visited some amazing sites, and we clearly only knicked the surface of everything there is to do out there.
Also, we couldn't have had any better luck when it came to the weather. They got light rain out there on Thursday and Friday, which kept the dust down for the whole trip. High emperatures were in the low 80's on Saturday and mid 70's today. Winds weren't terrible at camp last night, but we did almost get eaten alive by the nastiest "camel spiders" ever.
Photos to follow in a new thread. Just need my usual time to recover and go through them.
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Well said gents!! .. That was a blast ... I'm looking forward to the next one, but I'm hoping not to be eaten by an angry mob of camel spiders.
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Oh yeah .... I almost forgot ... How's that cough, Clint??
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Lol... It took a turn for the worse! I'm sure I'll feel better by tomorrow though !
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Awesome...can't wait for the pics.
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A fantastic trip! Many many thanks to Joe for being our tour guide of the preserve explaining so much great stuff of what all happened out there, and to everyone for the great time! :)
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It was a blast having you Alex! Thanks for coming along and enjoying the trip! :)