The final day of the trip began with the group breaking down camp before the sun got hot, and doing our own thing for breakfast:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
We got on the road and made our way down to "The Mailbox":
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
We also took a few moments to check out and add to the Frog Shrine, and to check out the nearby (newly discovered) Bobblehead Shrine, and Creepy Gnome Shrine. As a diehard blue-bleeding Dodgers Fan, I was happy to see the Barry Bonds bobble head rotting in the desert sun.
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
It was time to get back on the road, but not before we took care of one last "issue" that was noticed on Steve C's trip through the area a few months earlier:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Following a little "incident" with another group of individuals (that will not be elaborated upon), our fearless leader brought the group together and made the decision to skip the Lava Tubes:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
While stopped, we noticed some "ancient" petroglyphs of questionable authenticity. The giant 'robot' looking one on the top left is kind of a dead giveaway that these are pretty modern, as is the condition of them despite the fact that they were very exposed to the sun and other weather:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
From there, it was a quick little jaunt over to Soda Lake where we got to open up the trottles a little bit. I hauled @$$ ahead and used the opportunity to get some great shots of the group coming into Traveler's Monument:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
We lined up our rigs, checked out the Monument, and walked off a good distance to grab a really cool group shot:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
We had a great view of the old Zzyzx Mineral Springs from here, but you can't cross the dry lake bed to get there, as it's all wilderness area and vehicles are only allowed on the road:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
We got back on the road and made it off of the lake before we had our first (and really, our only) big issue of the trip - Christtian's "taco'd" skid plate:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
But, never fear! Our amazing trail leader Danny and Sir John of Fullerton made quick work of it, and we were back on the road in no time:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Soon after, we arrived at our lunch destination - the Mojave River Railroad Bridge #4. The spot provided some great shade, which was very welcomed as the 98 degree outside temperatures were by far the hottest we'd experienced on the entire trip thus far:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
As we all enjoyed our lunches, we heard a faint rumble. I looked and saw a northbound Union Pacific train snaking through the canyon to the south of us, rapidly approaching the bridge. I grabbed my camera and sprinted through the sand, giving me the perfect position to take these great group photos:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
With the train passed through, we were given an opportinity to do a little exploring of the bridge and surrounding area. The bridge is an impressive structure, built in 1938 according to the concrete that held it up:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
After lunch, we got ready to go explore an old open-pit mine that GeoTaco believed was nearby, but not before leaving our "impression" on the bridge:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
The mine turned out to be very close by, but did require a 4 wheel drive battle through some very soft sand. We arrived as a group a few minutes later, and took a look around:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
The site was very elaborate, with hand-made rock walls lining a small man-made canyon that once housed railroad tracks that ran deep into the mine operation area (notice the wooden railroad ties still in the ground), as well as several wooden gate stations where the workers would fill the railroad cars with ore:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
While most people went deep into the mining area, I took the opportunity to climb to the top of a massive hill that was surrounded with mine tailings. At the top, I found some really cool remnants of what was once a very elaborate mining operation. I even found the end of a narrow pair of ore cart tracks sticking out of a collapsed pile of tailings. I can only imagine what kind of amazing things must be buried around here! Who knows, there might even be ore carts and other awesome artifacts under all of those tailings:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
I thoroughly enjoyed the brief time we spent exploring this area, and would love to go back one day and check it out further. Aside from the really hot afternoon temperatures (nearly 100 degrees), and me tripping backwards over a massive rock while trying to get a photo (and acquiring a huge bruise on my @$$ and leg in the process), it was a really amazing experience.
From the mine, we moved south in the Mojave River, stopping to check out the buried box car. While we were all impressed that it was buried all the way to its roof and wondered how it got there, someone brought up the million dollar question of "I wonder if anything is inside it?"
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
From there, we continued down the riverbed through the very scenic Afton Canyon. I didn't take many photos in this area because I was trying not to get stuck in the sand, but it was a really beautiful stretch of the drive:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Within no time, we reached the first of two river crossings. According to those in the group that had done the trip before, this was the deepest they've ever seen the water, which is a real head-scratcher considering the low amount of rainfall we got this past year. Let's just say it was far deeper than the "hub-level" water I had been warned about.
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
We then came upon the second crossing, which turned out to be significantly deeper than the first. There were several dirt bike riders around who didn't dare try to cross, and most of them watched in awe as we practically boated our way to the other side. Most of us took a conservative approach, holding a steady throttle and maintaining a slow but consistent speed. Others chose to take the the "Moses" approach, parting the sea as they entered:
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
SteveC ended up with a rare conditon known as "river plate," while Motorpig77 ended up cleaning off his truck better than the carwash would have. Sir John of Fullerton also ended up dislodging his front bumper, which he said was already barely held on. A few zip ties fixed it in a hurry (sorry, don't have any photos of this).
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
Mojave Rd. 04.17.2015-04.19.2015
From here, we finished the route through the Afton Campground area and made our way back out to I-15. We aired up the tires and parted ways, with some of the group heading home and others moving on to explore the old community around Zzyzx.
I will conclude by saying that even though this was my first Mojave Road trip, it can be described as nothing short of EPIC!
