Best Viewed From A Distance: The Trona Pinnacles...

 It was a Friday afternoon at about 3 PM, during the middle of a cold, dry winter in southern California.  My Subaru Forester was packed with my camping gear, camera equipment, and my DJI Air 3 drone when I hit the 15 Freeway north bound.  My destination was the Ricardo Campground in Red Rock Canyon State Park.  Some friends and I would be camping there for two nights.  

Although I hit the usual Friday afternoon traffic on the 15 Freeway, I arrived in camp at 5:40 PM.  After clearing space in my vehicle's cargo area, I inflated my air mattress and made my "bed".  

I joined my friends for dinner around the campfire, and we made our plans for the next day.  Their plan was to explore the El Paso Mountains.  Having spent many years exploring the El Paso's, I planned to go my own way, and pay a visit to the Trona Pinnacles.

After a relatively comfortable sleep, despite the temperatures in the high 30's overnight, at the Forester Inn, I awoke at 6 AM.  My buddy Joe was already brewing coffee in a percolator that he'd brought along.  A short time later, the others arose, and we consumed a breakfast of pancakes (sans syrup - no one thought to bring any) and ham patties, we all made our preparations to depart for the day.

I left the campsite at around 9:30 AM, looking forward to my visit to the Pinnacles.  In my 35-plus years of exploring the Mojave Desert, I'd only been to the Pinnacles once, many years ago.

The route to the Pinnacles from Red Rock Canyon takes one through the large oasis that is the city of Ridgecrest.  Continuing past Ridgecrest, along Highway 178, I approached the outskirts of Trona. It was mandatory that I stop to look at those desert icons that are known as the "Fish Head Rocks."

                                                   The Fish Head Rocks.

Also referred to as the "Whale Head Rocks" the exact origin of this rock art is not clear, but it is generally thought to have been created during the 1930's.  Over the years, the mouths have been re-painted by Boy Scouts and various desert preservation group.  By the way, the Fish Head Rocks are located in an area that is known as Poison Canyon.

With a population of just under 2000 people Trona sits on the edge of Searles Lake - which, of course, is a dry lake in Searles Valley.  The main industry in the town is soda ash processing (soda ash is a main ingredient in cleaning products).  But, a tour of Trona was not on my agenda.

The entrance to the Pinnacles area- officially known as the "Trona Pinnacles National Landmark" as proclaimed by the sign, is a graded dirt road off Highway 178 that takes you another 5 miles to the Pinnacles themselves.  

Your author at the entrance.  The rock formations in the distance are the Pinnacles.

So, what, exactly, ARE the Trona Pinnacles?  They are tufa (essentially limestone) which formed underwater (when the dry lake wasn't, you know, dry)  when ground water that was full of calcium combined with the alkaline-rich lake water to form these calcium-carbonite spires.  The pinnacles formed at different times - they're not all the same age- between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago.  Like many of the ghost towns in the desert, they are slowly crumbling, and will eventually vanish.

A loose network of trails winds around and through the Pinnacles.  The trails that form a perimeter around the Pinnacles are just dirt roads, and offer numerous places to stop and take photos.  On the other hand, the trails that wind their way through the formations are best traversed with a high ground-clearance vehicle, preferably with all-wheel or four wheel drive.

Un-gated railroad crossing along the road to the Pinnacles. 

Notice how the tracks protrude from the dirt.  Higher than normal ground clearance helps, here.

The following images were taken while stopped at various points along the "perimeter" trail:

And from the "interior" trails:

Notice the rocky debris around the "crumbling" formation.

The "base" of a Pinnacle.

Short clip taken along the the interior trail. You can see why 

higher ground clearance and AWD or 4WD is helpful here.

Drone's-eye view of the Pinnacles.

                                               I shot this from outside the Landmark, as drone flight within 

                                              is illegal.  This was my last stop of the day.

After stopping to shoot some quick drone footage, I headed back toward the campsite.  It was getting close to dinner time, and my canned corned-beef hash was waiting for me.

Well, the hash is still waiting, because I was tasked with picking up extra firewood in Ridgecrest.  The thought of trying to cook in the dark, in the cold weather held little appeal, so I had dinner at Denny's.

The next morning, I snuck into the El Paso's on the way home, but that is another story...

Drone flight in the Calico Mountains...

 

It's over 100 Degrees, And I'm Going Out To The Desert?!

 It was a Saturday evening during a heat wave here in Southern California.  I'd been meaning to take a drive to the Calico Mountains in order to check out the colors at sunset.  A check of the weather in the area indicated that the forecasted "low" would 90 degrees by early evening.

So, after filling my 2 gallon water jug, brewing coffee for my thermos, and checking that all necessary batteries (drone, camera, amateur radio and GMRS handhelds) were charged, I headed out.

Heading north on the 15 Freeway from the Inland Empire on a Saturday at 5 PM, there was light traffic- despite this being Labor Day weekend.  I guess that most people were already hunkered over the Vegas gaming tables.

After exiting the 15 Freeway at Calico Rd. I turned left, and after roughly two miles, I turned right on to the Doran Scenic Drive.  

So, did I mention that it was still 103 degrees at 7:37 PM?  

But, it really didn't FEEL like 103 degrees.  I wasn't uncomfortable at all, as I stood outside my Subaru flying the drone.

There were other people here too, driving their sand vehicles.  I even heard gunshots(for those who don't know, this area is popular with recreational shooters.)

As the sun went down, I was struck by the beauty of these mountains.  The rich brownish and reddish hues on the hills all present a natural watercolor "painting."  No matter how many times I come here, I am awestruck.

     Drone image by the author.  All rights reserved. This image was taken shortly after I arrived. 7:17       PM.

Drone video, filmed by the author.

Another aerial "tour", filmed by the author during the evening visit.

                                  I continued a little further into the hills.

    ...and I shot the image below, of the Calico "ghost town" using the drone, before beginning the trip home:  

Checking Out The "Secret" Cajon Pass...

 The other morning I took a drive up to an area near Lytle Creek, that is known as "Sheep Canyon."  

Admittedly, my explorations of the Lytle Creek area, which is practically in my back yard, have been limited.  For some reason, this area is rarely on my radar.

But, on this day, I decided to check out an area closer to home.

Finding the trailhead is very easy- you just take Sierra Ave. in Fontana to Lytle Creek Road.  I continued a few miles on Lytle Creek Road.  A short distance past the Applewhite Campground, I turned right on to trail 2N56.

The photo above was taken at the beginning of the trail.  The trail climbs up into the mountains, and consists of a well-maintained gravelly-dirt road.  I had no trouble negotiating this trail in my stock Subaru Forester.  There were a couple of places where the gravel was loose, and the Forester's all-wheel-drive came in handy.  I'm not sure that I would drive this trail in a 2WD vehicle, especially one with low ground clearance.

I drove about two miles before reaching the summit.  There is plenty of room to park and enjoy the view.  The trail continues down into another canyon, but, being alone,  I didn't want to risk it.

Below, are two views from the summit:

Notice how green everything is, even during the summer!  I can't wait to see what it looks like after heavy rains!

I used my DJI Air 3 for an aerial "tour" of the area.

Aerial Tour of the Mormon Rocks...

 

Journey Into The Calico Mountains...

At the beginning of this month (June, 2024), here in Southern California, we seemed to be going through that "transitional  phase" between winter and summer.  Many people call this time "spring."  So, I wanted to spend a full day in the desert, before the summer heat limits my forays and exploration to the early mornings, or late afternoons.

So, here on this morning at the beginning of June, I set out to spend some time at the area in the Calico Mountains near Odessa Canyon. I say "near", because to proceed all the way into the canyon would involve negotiating a trail that would eat my Subaru Forester alive.

It was around 10 AM when I exited the 15 Freeway at Calico Rd.  Another 5 minutes took me to Mule Canyon Road.  About a mile up Mule Canyon Road, I turned left on to trail CM7600, which runs along the the base of the Calico Mountains.

The author's Subaru Forester on the trail.

A rather bumpy trail, with patches of deep sand, CM 7600 seems to connect with a confusing array of other trails, a few of which lead straight into the hills.  

About a quarter of a mile along CM7600, I decided to take one of these trails as far as I could comfortably go.

 

Above:  One of the trails leading into the hills.  I probably could have gone a little further, but it didn't look like there would be a spot for me to turn around, if necessary.   So, I decided to let my drone do some exploring for me.

A little aerial "tour" of the hills near my first stop.

I then drove a little further, and turned on to the "Doran Scenic Drive."  

Roger and Loris Mitchell, in their book ), Southern California SUV Trails Volume I, The Western Mojave Desert (one of an excellent series of books written by this couple), state that no one should enter Odessa Canyon if they are still making payments on their vehicle.

Entrance into Odessa Canyon is made via the Doran Scenic Drive.   The Mitchells state that this is one of the most difficult trails in the state, and that the circuit through the canyon cannot be driven with most four-wheel drive vehicles.  I assume that this means any vehicle that is not extensively modified.

Obviously, I wouldn't be testing the Mitchells' assertion with my Subaru.

Believe it, or not, the Doran Scenic Drive was once a paved road for tourists, during the 1930's.

I drove roughly a half a mile, and I decided to stop while the tail was "just" sandy and rocky.

  Above:  This is where I stopped.  As can be seen, the trail continues on, but I wanted to quit while I was ahead.

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The video above, taken with the drone, shows how rough the trail eventually becomes.  I'm glad I didn't push my luck!

Above:  While I was walking around I discovered these natural tunnels.  I was tempted to drive my Forester through them, but I don't think AAA will pick up a vehicle that is wedged into a tiny tunnel.  So, I walked through behind my drone.

Above:  This video shows the Doran Scenic Drive's level of difficulty - which wasn't much - for my stock 2020 Subaru Forester- for the first mile or so, anyway.

During my visit,  I encountered only one other vehicle - which was apparently be used to follow a drone being flown by one of the vehicle's occupants.  

Despite my being fairly close to Calico Road, and to the tourists on the other side of the hills at the Calico ghost town, the only sound was the breeze whispering among the rocks.

Getting Back To The El Paso Mountains....

 At one time, I would drive out to the El Paso Mountains once per month, either for the day, or in combination with camping at Red Rock Canyon State Park.  I came to know the area quite intimately, and I could not get enough of it.  The history and the varied geography of the El Paso Mountains entranced me, and I spent much of my free time during the early 2000's here.

But, as the years wore on, I began to feel the need to explore other parts of the Mojave Desert.  So, over the past 6-7 years my visits to the El Paso Mountains have been few and far between.  

However, earlier this month, my wife and I decided to spend the night at Red Rock Canyon's Ricardo Campground, so that we'd have some time to spend in the El Paso Mountains the next morning.

Our night in Red Rock Canyon was spent in the "Forester Hotel."  We've given up on tent-camping, finding that inflating our Luno air mattress, and "making the bed" takes much less time than putting up a tent.  Plus, the air mattress is much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground!

After a dinner of hot dogs roasted over the fire, we turned in.  With the temperature in the 40's, we kept the sunroof closed, but we were still able to see plenty of stars through the glass.

We were up at 8 AM the next morning.  The temperature was 56 degrees, and the winds were gusting up to about 20 mph.  Still, we sat at the picnic for a little while, enjoying hot coffee from the thermos, and munching on power bars.  

Afterward, we deflated the air mattress, re-organized the cargo areas in both vehicles, and headed out of the campsite.

I mentioned "both vehicles."  Both of our vehicles are relatively small- mine a Subaru Forester, and hers, a Suburu Crosstrek- so we use the Crosstrek as the storage vehicle, and the Forester as the sleeping quarters.  

After paying a short visit to the Visitor Center at the campground, where they were continuously running an old Huell Howser "California's Gold" episode about the park, we headed north on Hwy. 14 to the trail head- which is designated EP-15 by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  Incidentally, this is the trail that takes one to Burro Schmidt Tunnel, although we did not go to the tunnel on this day.

After pulling off the freeway, we traveled about 500 feet along EP-15 (which is just basically a sporadically-graded dirt road at this point) before pulling into semi-circular RV camping spot.  

Here, I decided to launch the drone in order to secure some photos and footage of Black Mountain which was approximately 5 miles distant.  

The stuff of legend in the El Paso Mountains, Black Mountain is rumored to have been the site of trading between Indian tribes ages ago, and there are supposed to be ruins at the top of the mountain.  Further, some 19th century prospectors were alleged to have seen strange lights at the top of Black Mountain. 

Whether these legends contain even a grain of truth or not, I've always wanted to see the top of Black Mountain.  However, the only way to do that is to hike, as there is no vehicular access to the mountain.

So, all I had to do then, was launch the drone, and fly it over the top of Black Mountain, right? 

Wrong.

There are rules governing the fight of drones.  One of those rules is that drones are prohibited from flying over designated Wilderness Areas.  Black Mountain lies within the Black Mountain Wilderness area, whose boundary was a little over 300 feet from where we were parked.  No problem; just fly the drone high enough to get an "overhead" view of the mountain.  Wrong again.  The regulations prohibit drone flight above 400 feet Above Ground Level ("AGL" in aviation parlance.)  

So, I was limited to flying 300 feet horizontally and 400 feet vertically from the launch point.

Here is the video that I shot from this location:

Above:  The mountains shown at the beginning of this  video are the distant Sierra Nevada's.

Black Mountain appears at 1:10 in the video.

Above:  Due to the limitations on drone-flying in this area, I had to rely on the DJI Air-3's telephoto lens in order to capture this footage of Black Mountain.  One day, I hope to hike to the top.

Unfortunately, the winds were making things very difficult.  Ironically, the drone handled the winds with no problem, but it was difficult for me to stand outside for too long.

So, we decided to shorten our trip by skipping our trip through the interior of the El Paso Mountains.

Instead, we decided to head over to Iron Canyon.  

Once the site of numerous gold-diggings, Iron Canyon largely deserted, with the sounds of the pick-axes having long been replaced with the sound of the wind whipping over the jagged rocks.

Iron Canyon is at the southern end of the El Paso Mountains, and is accessible via trail EP-11 off Garlock Road.  

We were parked near the mouth of Iron Canyon when I shot this drone footage.

This was our last stop on this trip.

But, we will be back.