DVD
Adventurer
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...