Mojave Trail - Happy New Year 2024!

[DVD]

It's good to have been doing an activity long enough that you can just pick up and go--or change tack and take another route. We were planning on a warm'ish-weather trip in southern Arizona during the New Year's break, but socio/economic/governmental issues with legal and illegal border crossings led us to scrap plans for El Camino del Diablo trail, which runs right alongside the US/MX border. Some friends camped near the border at Organ Pipe National Monument just a couple weeks prior and reported a couple instances of hearing steps and seeing headlamps moving through brush nearby at night. We go on these trips to get away from stress, so we scrapped plans for a camping trip right on the border.

But the 10-day forecast for Mojave Wilderness called for mild weather and low winds. Plan B, Mojave Trail, turned out to be A+! Here are some highlights.

Awesome desert vistas



Native American history - the dog found pictographs


Settler history​

It was a great trip, and that was due in large part to the participants, who were willing to go with the flow to create a memorable trip. My wife and I kind of planned the trip--if you call switching locations 4 days before departure "planning." Our son John enjoys offroad adventures and drove his Tacoma. And our friend Glenn, who is always up for camping, completed our intrepid group, driving his Land Cruiser.

John and Glenn at the end of the trip (photo at Camp Cody)

Laurie and Obie


And me​

We ran the trail from east to west. Glenn had some work the morning we left, so he departed Phoenix a few hours after us. We made a plan to meet at Balancing Rock for the first night camp. As a portent for a spectacular trip, while chatting around the fire that evening, Laurie exclaimed, "look at that!" pointing to a shooting star/meteor that was big enough and long-lasting enough for us all to see, with sparks trailing off behind. After the trip, we confirmed the sighting with news reports of a "fireball" over the Mojave wilderness.

Balancing Rock



Morning coffee!​

John brought his gravel bike, and we took turns taking rides on the bike while others drove the vehicles, and to explore around camp in the mornings and evenings. It gave a different perspective to ride the Mojave Trail on bicycle with no motor noise. I was reminded of settlers, probably moving at a similar pace with horse and wagons.

Campsite with bike​

The entier Mojave Trail is approximately 150 miles of off-road fun, and we took our time enjoying the many points of interest and natural beauty. With frequent stops and cycling breaks, we had 4 camping nights on the trail, with great camp locations along the way.

Continued due to photo limitations...​

 

[DVD]

Post 2. Continued

In settler days, the Army set up forts at water sources, and we took a little detour to explore the remains of Fort Piute.

Fort Piute ruins


When you come to a monument about the role of the railroad in California settlement, you have to stop.


An interesting section through half-burned Joshua trees.


Beautiful sunset and campsite in Lanfair Valley​

Leaving the Lanfair Valley, we had another day of exploration and adventure.

Such a cool story about the "Rock House."


The house itself is pretty cool​

A fast-moving weather front moved through in the afternoon, bringing rain and cooler weather. We had done some pre-trip research and saved coordinates for a few cabins available on a first-come, first-served basis. We made a fairly significant detour to try to find a cabin on a cold, rainy night and got lucky.

A woodburner and solid roof on a chilly evening


The cabin even had a working propane stove


Morning coffee! (sensing a theme?)


The morning dawned with clear skies and beautiful vistas​

Continued, one more post should do it.​

T

 

[DVD]

The final full-day on the trail had more interesting sites.

Lava tubes


Beautiful skies enhance the huge vistas on Soda Lake and the Traveler's Monument (ad hoc rock pile).


Nearing the Afton end of the trail, as we went under a railroad bridge, we posed the vehicles beneath the bridge, and on cue a train went over.

Interesting canyon walls, as the trail follows the river bed​

The Land Rover clubs are close knit, and we knew that a group from the Northern California club was on the trail, and we crossed paths with them a few times. We had an impromptu meetup toward the end of the third day and decided to try to find a group site at Afton Canyon for New Year's Eve. It was fun to celebrate with new and old friends.

Nice rigs for our Northern California friends


Afton Canyon group site


Nice view from camp, looking down Afton Canyon​

Afton Canyon is typically the end of the trail, but Glenn had done the trail a couple time previously and had an itch to continue the offroad trip all the way to Camp Cody. We were game and one of our friends from the NCLRC joined us for this final-day adventure.

The trail mostly continued through the river bed


And we officially ended the trip at the Camp Cody monument​

We're thinking of updating our adventure vehicle. If this was the last hurrah for us in the LR3, it has been a great platform for many adventures. I'm always amazed at how it can morph from a rough-and-ready, extremely capable trail rig to a comfortable highway cruiser for the 5-hour trip home.

​

 

[Ace Brown]

I did the Mojave Road several years back but we didn’t see the highlites y’all did. Next time slower with more exploring.

Nice report as usual. Whats next for a new rig?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DVD]

Hi Ace, good to hear from you and look forward to seeing you on a trail again! We got a Discovery 5 - 7rs old, 90K miles, ready to start its life of adventure!