Saturday, April 27, 2019

Beauty in the Cajon Pass...

The Cajon Pass is practically in my back yard.  So, on Easter Sunday, I took a drive up the 15 Freeway, and I exited at Cleghorn Road.  Engaging my four-wheel-drive, I took the dirt trail that parallels the 15 Freeway on the east side of the highway.  The wildflowers were still in bloom, here.
                                               Photo by Scott Schwartz.
                                               All rights reserved.



Thursday, April 18, 2019

Three Days In Joshua Tree, Part III...

After breaking camp on Friday, we drove out to the site of the Virginia Dale Mine.  The mine is located well outside the park boundaries, on lands administered by  Bureau Of Land Management.

Although it is not known exactly when mining first started in the general vicinity, the Dale mining district came to life in 1881 after gold was found in the nearby Pinto Mountains.

Mining activity here continued sporadically until the beginning of World War  Two, and today, a few rusting relics maintain a silent vigil over the site.


Rusty remains of tanks, at the mine site.
Photo by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved.


                                One of the old shaft entrances.  Note the person walking along 
                                ridge.  Prospectors and explorers can still be found here; this gentle-
                                man was not in our party.  Photo by Scott Schwartz.  All rights reserved.

                               The Virginia Dale Mine sits in the heart of the Pinto Mountains.
                               In this view, the drone was facing west, toward Joshua Tree 
                               National Park.  Photo by Scott Schwartz.  All rights reserved. 



Monday, April 15, 2019

Three Days In Joshua Tree: Part II: Ryan Ranch...

Our next stop was a visit to the crumbling remains of the Ryan Ranch homestead.  Jepp and Tom Ryan settled here in 1896, due to the sites proximity to an active spring.  The two men pumped water from this spring to the Lost Horse Mine, which was three and a half miles away.

At one point, more than sixty people lived and worked at this ranch, raising cattle, and working the Lost Horse Mine.

Today, only the shells of a couple of adobe structures still stand, and some rusty machinery sits forlornly in the desert sand.

The hike to the old site is fairly easy- and is only about a mile round trip to and from the parking area.

One of the adobe buildings.
Photo by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved.


Another view of the same building; I wonder if the people who lived and worked here had time and energy to appreciate the view.  Photo by Scott Schwartz.  All rights reserved.

Close-up of the brick-work.  The bricks were made from Lost Horse Mine tailings, and are said to contain gold.  The layer of stucco was applied by archaeologists in the early part of the 21st century, in an attempt to preserve the structure.  Photo by Scott Schwartz.  All Rights reserved.


An old engine; perhaps used to run pumping machinery, slowly rusting away.  Photo by Scott Schwartz.  All rights reserved.


The desert sand is slowly reclaiming this windmill blade assembly.  For some reason, this image strikes me as being particularly poignant.  Photo by Scott Schwartz.  All rights reserved. 












Saturday, April 13, 2019

Three Days In Joshua Tree National Park...

Photo by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved.

The photo in this post was taken during our first full day in the park.  We'd arrived at the Indian Cove campground late in the afternoon on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.  Thursday was to be our first full day of exploring the park on this trip.

Besides Joshua Trees, Joshua Tree National Park is known for its fascinating rock formations, and it is considered to be a training ground for expert rock-climbers.  One of these formations is "Skull Rock," which was our first excursion on Thursday.  A look at the photo below gives a clue as to how this formations got its name:

Photo by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved.

And here is another example of the fascinating rock formations that can be found in the park:

Photo by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved.

More to come, about our next stop...










Monday, April 8, 2019

Drone photo of the El Paso Mountains...can you spot the old miner's cabin?

Photo by Scott Schwartz
All rights reserved. 

This image was taken with the drone facing north, hovering over its launching point near Garlock Road.  If you look closely, you can see an old cabin in the distance, along with trails that disappear into the mountains. 

If you love desert lore and exploring off road, the El Paso Mountains are a great place to be!

Monday, April 1, 2019

An evening in the Cajon Pass...


I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take a ride up into the Cajon Pass on Saturday.  A legacy of the recent rains, there is still some greenery in the Cajon Pass.







This drone footage was filmed on the east side of the 15 Freeway, near Cleghorn Rd.

Timing is everything, I guess.
I happened to see these two trains passing each other in opposite directions.