Part one of the trip...

                         "Grand Canyon-esque"  This is one of the stunning views that await

                          visitors to the El Paso Mountains, who have four-wheel-drive vehicles.

                                       Photo by Scott Schwartz  All rights reserved.

For over 130 years, people have been searching for gold in California's El Paso Mountain Range.  Deep within these mountains, towns were built, only to vanish after the mines played out.  Many of the hills here are pocked with old mine tunnels. 

Native Americans made their homes here, as well;  their rock drawings and grinding stones can still be found scattered throughout the area...

It had been nearly two months since I'd been able to get out to the Mojave Desert for a little escape.  A minor car accident and the demands of daily life had prevented me from getting out to the desert- a trip I usally make at least once per month. 

October 22, 2011 was a clear day in the desert.  There was a chill in the air when I left my "Inland Empire" home at 7 am.  An hour and forty five minutes later, I was having a breakfast of sausage and eggs (with coffee, of course) at the Road House restaurant.  The restaurant is at the intersection of Routes 395 and 58- an intersection that is known as "Kramer Junction". 

I ate while awaiting the arrival of my friend and his wife (my wife had to work on this day, so I was alone); I'd brought my ham radio walkie-talkie into the restaurant so that I could listen for my friend's call with his ETA.  No calls came on the radio, but I received a text message on my Blackberry from him; he was stuck in traffic due to road construction on Rte. 58. 

Still, he was only a few minutes late, and after we all had finished eating, we got into our vehicles and headed North on Route 395.  I in my Jeep Cherokee, and my friends in their Toyota Tacoma, stayed in touch via ham radio. 

Roughly 30 miles later, we turned left on to Garlock Rd.  Garlock Rd. is named for the old ghost town of Garlock- which sits several miles down the road. 

At any rate, another three and a half miles brought us to the turn off into the El Paso Mountains.  At this point, we had traveled about thirty six and a half miles since leaving Kramer Junction.

More to follow....