2014 SoCal Mountain Rendevzous

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” 

― Edward Abbey

I was finally able to make it out to my first SoCal Mountain Rendezvous event, put on by the good folks at American Adventurist for the past four years. My daughter and I took our 2000 Jeep Wrangler into the San Bernardino National Forest, while my wife and son stayed home to relax. This event is held at Camp Tahquitz, a Boy Scout camp off Highway 18 just south of Big Bear in southern California.

Like it’s counterpart, Desert Rendezvous, the Mountain Rendezvous is a relatively loose gathering of overlanding and outdoor enthusiast who get together to share stories around camp, explore local off-highway trails and eat some of the amazing food cooked for the dutch oven competition. The 2014 SoCal Mountain Rendezvous was a huge success at all the above and also included a free t-shirt and raffle where lots of folks won some awesome gear from the sponsors of the event. 

I’ll let the pictures below show the rest of the story, but I suggest those who are interested sign up early next year, as these events fills up fast! A big thanks to the whole crew at American Adventurist for hosting another fun and successful gathering.

Packed and ready to go. There's a kid somewhere in there. All this gear stuffed into every nook and cranny of my Jeep fits easily into the back of our Tahoe, which is what we'll be taking to next year's event.

She keeps herself entertained for the most part.

She approves of our home away from home.

Enjoying our coffee and cereal to start off our morning in camp.

Photo by Brent Haywood

Check out these links for more Mountain Rendezvous photos:

The 2014 SoCal Mountain Rendezvous - A story in pictures courtesy of Brent Haywood Photography

All-Pro Offroad - 2014 SoCal Mountain Rendezvous Photographs

Upcoming Event - BorregoFest 2014

October is near and it's time to start planning for Outdoor Adventure USA's biggest annual event for October 10-12, 2014. Join us in the Anza-Borrego Desert for 3 days of camping, 4x4 trail runs, and hiking. We will also be offering Amateur Radio License testing on Sunday for all levels from 10:00 AM to noon. The "not to be missed" pot luck dinner and campfire will be on Saturday evening.

This is a family friendly event and an opportunity for us to meet the family members we never get to see on the trail and a chance to make new friends.

This year we will be located at the Butterfield Ranch Resort, located just outside the Park boundary. The Ranch is equipped with full hookups for RVs, plenty of tent camping, showers, and a well stocked store. For more information on all of the events, including, 4x4 trail runs, camp directions, Ham Radio testing and to sign up, click here. 

Flashback | Mojave Road, January 2009 - Part 3 of 3

Morning of our third and final day. Before heading out I was able to relight and enjoy the fire for a bit.

Ahead the trail passes between Cowhole Mountain and Little Cowhole Mountain before crossing Soda Dry Lake.

Soda Lake along with Silver Lake are what remains of the large, perennial, Holocene Lake Mojave. The waters of the lake, now with no outlet, evaporate and has left alkaline evaporites of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. Back near camp there were signs along the trail saying that Soda Lake was impassable. Everyone waited at the edge of the dry lake while another rig and myself made our way cautiously across the dry lake to check it out.

Soda Lake is located on the southern side of Interstate 15, and can be seen at the Zzyzx Road interchange and the Oat Ditch bridge, as well as the Soda Lake bridge (signed as the Mojave River) looking south from Baker.

Crossing the five mile wide Soda Dry Lake can be an adventure in itself. The monument it is a large pile of rocks that visitor's out of tradition add a rock to it on their way across the dry lake. There is a plaque in the center of the rock pile that makes up Traveler's Monument. It was formed as each new passerby added a rock. A plaque on the monument reveals a secret that only Mojave Road travelers are to know. I won't tell, so don't ask.

On the trail again and passing through the Rasor OHV Area.

Mandatory shoot of all the rigs under the Union Pacific trestle over the Mojave River wash.

There is always water in Afton Canyon, and it is one of three places along the Mojave River where there is year-round surface flow. The presence of this water in Afton Canyon is extremely important for wildlife.

Afton Canyon Natural Area

"Afton Canyon Natural Area is located 37 miles northeast of Barstow along Interstate 15 between the Afton Road and Basin Road exits. Afton Canyon is designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern to protect plant and wildlife habitat, and to preserve scenic values of the riparian area within the canyon. Early western explorers passing through this area included Jedediah Smith, Kit Carson and John Charles Fremont. The route following this road, known as the Mojave Road, is a rugged 4-wheel-drive scenic tour running from Fort Mojave on the Colorado River near Needles to Camp Cady near Harvard Road."

All too soon it seemed, our trip came to and end. Passing through Afton Canyon Campground and followed the graded dirt road to I-15 is where we aired up and said our goodbyes.

Flashback | Mojave Road, January 2009 - Part 2 of 3

Day 2:

After breaking camp we decided to check out the trail that meandered on up Caruthers Canyon a little ways. (See above photo.) The trail got rockier and narrow the further we went, so we eventually had to turn back and save it for another trip.

The next point of interest along the trail was Rock Spring. We were surprised to find it totally frozen!

I guess we should have brought along some ice skates.

This was the largest watering hole along the Mojave Road for weary desert travelers.

Here's a bit of history on this site.

The Government Holes, another water supply near Rock Spring, with an old concrete trough.

"The most famous incident in the history of Government Holes occurred on November 8, 1925, when two men, Matt Burts and J. W. "Bill" Robinson, shot it out in the cabin there. Both were killed. They were both gunfighters and hence vestiges of a chapter in western history that most thought had already passed."- Mojave Road Guide, Dennis Casebier

Soon we were on our way to the next point of interest along the old road. We had a pretty rapid descent back down to a lower elevation and then through some of the gnarliest whoop-te-doo's I've ever seen. 

 Coming upon another spring with a primitive concrete trough, named Marl Springs.

Shortly afterwards, we stopped at the Mail Box to sign our names.  This metal box, with its solitary flagpole was installed by the Friends of the Mojave Road in 1983, a conservation group and historical society who were looking to add a place for travelers to mark their passing on the old dirt road. In addition to the countless stickers and graffiti on the outside of the box, there is a book inside it where you can sign your name, leave any comments, and check out who else has braved this desert passage.

A field of cinder cones stands out dramatically from the surrounding Mojave Desert. Here we are parked near the lava tubes within the Cinder Cone Lava Beds Wilderness.

Within the lava field is a short trail leading to a tube formed long ago by molten lava. A ladder takes hikers down into the tube where skylights illuminate a subterranean world. 

After blasting down soft, sandy Willow Wash we crossed over Kelbaker Road and made camp near Seventeen Mile Point.

The conditions here were much nicer than at our previous camp. The moon was huge as it came over the horizon. We really did stumbled upon the "perfect" campsite. Just about the time everyone had strategically placed their vehicles to create the most effective windbreak, the wind died completely.

It was a beautiful night, perfect really. Steve whipped up a batch of his delicious tacos which we all wolfed down so fast that even the dogs didn't stand a chance. Those were followed with Ralphie's s'mores and of course, more beers. A perfect end to this day along the Mojave Road.

Part 3 of 3 coming soon!