Disco2Guy Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 All I can say is "Wow!". I had a great time driving the Mojave Road, even though we didn't get to run the entire length. I met up with 6 other rigs from the AZLRO (Arizona Land Rover Owners) Club in Phoenix. One of the guys was at the Pismo meet last August (Doug), so it was nice to have someone that I already knew. Two members drove bikes (a BMW and a Kawasaki) and their wives drove together in a D1. We traveled The Road based more on the trip leader's GPS waypoints than by the book, so there were certain points I think we should have stopped, but due to time constraints we didn't. As we approached Marl Springs I asked if we were meeting the two sport bikes at the mailbox, and the leader said "What's the mailbox?".:eek: I think if it was an NCLR trip we would have had a better daily plan as to what we were going to see. Day 1:12/30/08We met at a truck stop outside Phoenix around 8 am. This was the early group that consisted of 4 rigs and a minivan. The plan was to drive to Lake Havasu City, rent a Jeep (the leader's wasn't ready for the trip) and load it up from the minivan. We tooled around for a bit until the Jeep was ready then headed towards Needles and the trailhead. It took us a little bit to find and get on the trail, starting around mile 3 according to the book. By this time it was already close to 3 in the afternoon and we started looking for a campsite just a few miles from the start of the trail, not Fort Piute like we had hoped for. We planned for a leisurely route anyways because the second group was going to join us the next day. Day 2:12/31/08We made our way to Fort Piute, had lunch, and waited a good 3 hours for the sport bikes and the last two Rovers to catch up. At one point we took the AT&T Cable Road instead of the Mojave Road for a few miles and got further ahead of the bikes, so we spent some more time trying to figure out where they were. We started seeing more and more patches of snow in the shade as we climbed to higher elevations. Passing Rock Spring, there was a local we asked about where to camp and he pointed us to Mid Hills Campground.We were around 5000 ft. and it got down to 10* that night. Day 3:1/1/09We back tracked to Rock Spring, looked at the Hantavirus house and moved on. At this point we were trying to make up for lost time and passed a few monuments and the hanging beer can where you drop a penny in. In fact, I was the only person that saw the can and asked about stopping, but it seemed that wasn't in the plan and we continued on. We got to Marl Spring and came across a Pinzgauer. They were from Emeryville, and said they were past members of NCRC (Jason Pipes according to the mailbox). I gave them the update that a new club was formed. The only member I knew of they mentioned was Granny. Again time was short as we approached the lava beds, one of the places I really wanted to take a look at. We drove along the first section but took a "shortcut" along Kelbaker Rd. (paved) for a few miles and bypassed at lot of the lava wall that would have been right next to us. When we stopped to get back on the trail I said "That was cheating!". :mad: As we moved on the sun was directly in front of us and it was pretty dusty, making it slow going. We arrived at Soda Lake to find it was still wet (though it didn't look it) and impassable according to the posted sign. I got my tent setup just as the sun was going down at Little Cowhole Mountain. Day 4:1/2/09When I awoke my Tent-Cot looked like an ice box. The condensation froze inside the tent, and everything outside was covered in frost. At this point we had to start heading back so the Jeep could be returned. At least we didn't backtrack the same route. We drove through a good 5 miles of continuous washes with some good drop-ins and climb-outs. It was actually one of my favorite sections of the trip. We aired up and headed towards the Kelso Depot for lunch. The group was heading in 3 different directions, with myself and Doug heading West on I-40 towards Barstow. According to my GPS the trip to Hollister was going to take 7.5 hours and it was already ~2pm. I called the ranger station and explained the situation of my arrival and the MORG the next day, since there is no night driving in the park. They said there are people stationed at the entrance until 9pm, and I can go straight to a campsite upon arrival. I setup the tent, and crashed right away. I didn't even bother to make a fire that night. I awoke the next morning and met the guys for the MORG and headed home ~3pm. So that's my trip report. All in all it was a great time, and I'd love to go again with NCLR and hit some of the spots I didn't get to see this time. All of my pics have been uploaded all ready, and I'll slowly be adding descriptions to them. The vids will take a few days to get together and posted, but I will update this thread when I do. http://picasaweb.google.com/bcorns/MojaveRoad# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gotrovr Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 I'd love to go again with NCLR and hit some of the spots I didn't get to see this time. http://picasaweb.google.com/bcorns/MojaveRoad# becareful what you wish for, I believe we are looking for a trip leader for this year's trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco2Guy Posted January 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 Here are the tracks my iPhone recorded using GPS Kit for each day of the trip, and the night run. Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 3 Night Run Day 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMBRover Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 Welcome back Brenton! Glad you had a good time. Too bad you didn't get a look at some of the attractions but there's always next time. I think it would probably take 3 maybe 4 runs of that trail to fully absorb all it has to offer. Pictures? Duh, read the whole post, Brian! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCRover Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Nice report and photos Brenton! Mind if I pimp your adventure on the NCLR website? I am curious how the Tentcot did in the Mojave winds, or did you have calm nights? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco2Guy Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Feel free to post anything of mine Gary!! The winds were pretty calm, it was the temp that was bad. The inside of the tent was cold only on my head until the hoodie went on. This was during New Year's Eve when it was 10*. I was in a 20* sleeping bag, thermals, wool socks, and a fleece blanket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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