In Search of Fire- Part Two...

So, let's see.  With no GPS coordinates, we'd have to rely on whatever information I could glean from my "smart" phone and my DeLorme Atlas.  This shouldn't have posed much of a problem.  After all, there was a time during which I managed to find things without a GPS receiver.

Using the Google Maps function on my phone seemed to be the logical first step.  And so it was, that I was able to find the turn-off on the "Maps" satellite view.  The problem was that we still somehow missed it, and we wound up in down-town Barstow.  It appeared to be a case of the dirt roads that we passed, not looking quite like the depiction in Google Maps.

Conveniently, our mistake took is right past the Mojave National Preserve information office, which is located on Route 247 on the outskirts of Barstow.  Upon seeing this, Ron and I decided that actually asking directions might yield results.

The young woman in the park ranger uniform was very sweet, but not especially knowledgeable about trails that are not traveled by the tourist crowd.  She referred us to the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") field office, which, to our surprise,was right next door.

Never having set foot inside a BLM office before, I was expecting it to resemble the Mojave National Preserve information office.  You know, helpful staff members, who could suggest the "right" maps to purchase for our trip, an exhibit or two on desert flora and fauna. etc.

Instead, we found ourselves inside an office, plain and simple.  There, we were "greeted" by the receptionist, who eyed us with curiosity that bordered on open hostility.  She asked us how she could help us, but the sub-text really was "what do you two want?"

At this point, I didn't think that we'd get any help here, and my suspicions were confirmed when the woman curtly referred us to the large map that was hanging on the wall in the waiting area.

Unable to located the trail turn-off on the BLM's hanging map, we thanked the receptionist - who seemed to warm up at this- and walked out to my Jeep.

To be continued.....