Wall Street Gold Stamp Mill

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The hike into the mill was fun. This was an area where gold miners would bring their ore to be processed and stamped. The mill was very well preserved and we enjoyed role playing while exploring the many relics still present. We met Joey and Justin, who had been Eagle Scouts in the past and friends forever when we arrived at the mill site. They were both very familiar with the history of this area, as they both helped build the “Boy Scout” trail in the park which is 13 miles (roundtrip).

CLICK HERE to see the pictures we took of the Wall Street Gold Stamp Mill. Go with us through time and meet Joey and Justin.

Keys View and Barker Dam

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From an elevation of 5,185’, you overlook a stunning and expansive view of the Palm Springs area, the San Andreas Fault, and the Salton Sea to the southeast. The view is spectacular and you can even see the wind power mills in the valley. Barker Dam and lake were built around 1900 to hold water for cattle and mining use in the area. The dam today forms a small rain-fed reservoir used by wildlife and birds. This was really an amazing area to hike. We saw petroglyphs in a rock cave dating back many years ago by native american people which told a story of the past.

We took a very short hike through a Joshua Tree forest which was very interesting on our way to Barker Dam. The trees are spread very far apart because they need to survive in the desert and there is only so much moisture and nutrients in the soil.

CLICK HERE to see the pictures we took of Keys View and the Barker Dam area. The lake was a very special place and you would never have know it was there unless you saw it for yourself.

Joshua Tree National Park

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Joshua Tree National Park is a completely separate eco-system between the Mojave Desert (3,000’ or higher) to the north and the Colorado Plateau (3,000’ and lower) to the south. The San Andreas Fault, Palm Springs Desert strip, and the Salton Sea can be viewed from the mountain tops in Joshua Tree National Park. The Joshua tree is neither a tree nor a cactus and received its name from the Mormon people that discover this unique environment. They named the tree after the prophet Joshua because it resembled his outstretched arms to those who believed in God. They say that ½ inch represents one year of the trees lifecycle. Many of these trees are extremely tall. They survive in the desert and grow quite a distance apart from each other because of the lack of moisture and nutrients in the ground. We have heard that this is the only place in the country where the Joshua Tree exists.

The geologic landscape of Joshus Tree is spectacular. How did the rocks take on these fantastic shapes? What forces sculpted them?

Geologists believe that these granite rock formations were formed more than 100 million years ago. Molten liquid, heated by the continuous movement of the Earth's crust, oozed upward and cooled while still below the surface of the overlying rocks. These plutonic intrusions are a granitic rock called monzogranite.

We stayed at the Jumbo Rocks campground (4,400’) for two nights. We paid $5.00 a night for our campsite. We had a fire ring, table, and very clean pit toilet’s available to us. The nights were very clear, beautiful, and cold (30 degrees). We were able to see many different constellations in the dark sky. Here we hiked the Skull Rock, Keys View, Barker Dam, and the Wall Street Gold Stamp mill trails which take you through the many magnificent rock outcroppings. We spend a lot of time just wondering around among the Joshua Trees enjoying the weather and looking at cactus, birds, rock formations, and wildlife. It was very difficult to leave this area, but we needed to move on to the Cottonwood campground (3,000’) located in the park and see the Fan Palm Oasis area. While we were staying at Jumbo Rocks, we met our new friends Bill, Anne, and Sara (sheltie) from Victoria, BC. They are both very nice people and we have shared some very memorable experiences with them so far.

We saw so many beautiful sites and took so many pictures that we have separated our three days at Josuha Tree National Park into three picture albums: 1) Jumbo Rocks, 2) Keys View, Barker Dam, Wall Street Mill, and (3) Fan Palm Oasis (Cottonwood Canyon).

CLICK HERE to see the pictures we took of Jumbo Rocks. Look for the many different images in the rocks as you view the pictures. You may need to go through them a couple of times.

Buckskin Mountains - Colorado River

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February 25th to March 1st

On Wednesday morning (Feb. 25th) we decided to head north to Bullhead City, AZ. We have never been to this area which is right across the Colorado River from Laughlin, NV. Some people that we met at the Avi Casino told us about an opportunity to stay at the Sunrise Resort RV Park in Bullhead City for two nights at a total cost of only $19.95 with full hook-ups. Yes, the catch was a one hour presentation about their national campground network. We met a very nice salesman named Bob Smith, but as many of you know we are both a very hard sale at this time in our lives and headed south with just our memories. We were not really impressed with Laughlin, NV because it is primarily a gambling area.

We headed towards Lake Havasu and along the Colorado River. South of Lake Havasu City, AZ there are three very scenic Arizona State campgrounds. We decided to spend two nights on the Colorado River at the River Island State Park. The park is located at the base of the Buckskin Mountain Range in AZ. This is a very beautiful spot that is tucked away in a small cove on the river. This particular area seems to be a very popular hangout for RV’er who like to spend a few months at a time on the river. There is a lot of hiking in the area and we scrambled around in the Buckskin Mountains for a day. We hiked into the Skinner copper pit mines and got to see some of the cactus just starting to bloom.

We left the campground and headed south to Parker, AZ so we could find an internet connection and pay our bills online. We found a hot spot and will be able to keep the “wolves” away for another month. Our plan was to head west again into CA and spend the night at 29 Palms, CA which is the gateway to Joshua Tree National Park. We needed to do some laundry, grocery shopping, and reorganized ourselves. We ended up spending two days in 29 Palms before heading into the national park.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of pictures taken during this portion of our trip. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow. You can also click on the pictures above to enlarge them.

Week 1 - Southwest TREK 2010

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Week 1 – Feb. 17th to Feb. 25th

We left Fox Island and headed south to Champoeg State Park, just south of Portland for our first night. This is a very historic and scenic campground on the Willamette River. There are over 5 miles of bike paths in the park so we decided to go bike riding and hunt down some caches that were close to the park. It was a very beautiful day and we would highly recommend this area for overnight camping. One of our goals was to take advantage of any opportunity to have a seafood buffet. The next day we headed south to Canyonville and the Seven Feathers Casino and RV Park. We arrived early enough to really enjoy ourselves and took a swim in the indoor pool and soak in the spa at the RV Park before heading over to the casino to enjoy their famous buffet. Yes, we stuffed ourselves full of king crab, shrimp, prime rib, and all of the trimmings that go along with a buffet. We both received our “players club” cards when we arrived at the casino. They gave us each $5 to play with and we both decided to go home early as Nancy won $40 and myself $15 – not a bad night for the two of us gambling on their money.

The next day we headed south of Eureka, CA to a little town called Fortuna, CA. We traveled by “Trees of Mystery” on HWY 101 where “Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox” still reside. I last visited this area when I was a very little boy with my family. Obviously these huge statues have had a few coats of paint since then, but look the same as I remembered them to be. Located just outside of Fortuna is the Bear River Casino, which is small and very nice. We again indulged ourselves in another seafood buffet, which had lobster, crab, shrimp, prime rib and all of the trimmings. We got our “players card” and were given $10 credit each this time. We did not break the bank, but Nancy again was the winner going home with $25 and myself with $10. What a good time with an abundance of good food and would recommend both of these casino stops for travelers.

We woke up early Saturday morning and headed to Indio, CA and spent the night at a place called French Camp which was very nice and quiet. Our next stop was in Barstow, CA where we prepared to spend our first real “boondocking” (dry camping) adventure on the desert in Mojave National Preserve. We woke up to light snow and howling winds. We headed to the preserve and an old historic town called Kelso where the train still rolls through every now and then. We toured the old train station and then head south to the Kelso Sand Dunes hoping to find a spot to dry camp. When we got to the sand dunes the wind was blowing very hard and it looked like rain. We had lunch and after discussing the weather and not wanting TREK to get sand blasted decided to head to Needles, CA. Here we stayed for two nights at the Avi Casino which is south of Laughlin, NV on the Colorado River. There is a KOA campground at the casino and we had so much fun here we decided to stay for two days. This casino is south of Laughlin, NV and located on the Mohave Indian Reservation all by itself on the river. As you can see from the pictures, there are many amenities and fun things to do. We were not as lucky with our rookie gambling skills, but lost only a small portion of our previous gambling winnings so we are still ahead.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of pictures taken during this portion of our trip. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow. You can also click on the pictures above to enlarge them.

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Cape Blanco and Depoe Bay

On Sept. 9, 2009 we left Sunriver, OR and headed west to the Oregon coast and Cape Blanco. We traveled to the Umpqua River and the Steamboat Springs Lodge to have breakfast. Here, there is a 90 mile stretch of the Umpqua that is only open to fly-fishing. A big highlight was to visit the steelhead pool on Steamboat Creek, 11 miles from the lodge, and see the many fish that had fought their way up to this point. From there we traveled to Cape Blanco which is on the Oregon coast about 25 miles south of Bandon, OR.

Cape Blanco is the most western point on the Oregon coast. The Cape Blanco lighthouse is the most southern on the Oregon coast. This lighthouse was proposed in 1864 and had it's first lense in 1870. We stayed at Cape Blanco State Park for two nights and had beautiful weather. We hiked, geocached, and enjoyed the remoteness of this area.

We left Cape Blanco and headed north to Depoe Bay, OR. Our friends Gene and Josie Whisnant have a cozy condo just back from the ocean where we stayed 2 nights in TREK. We had a great time visiting the area with Dorothy Blanchard and our friends. We saw the spectacular coastline and introduced our friends to geocaching. We enjoyed a cup of hot clam chowder at Mo's and a great dinner at the famous Tidal Raves restaurant.

Depoe Bay is the world's smallest navigable harbor. It has been carved and shaped by powerful natural forces. Waves run beneath lava beds creating spouting geyers that spray 60 feet into the air. Depoe Bay is also known as "The Whale Watching Capital of The Oregon Coast". We saw many whales in our short stay. Depoe Bay is also home for many different types of sport and commercial fishing.

Upon leaving Depoe Bay we continued north to Astoria, OR and crossed the Columbia River into Washington. We traveled to Long Beach, WA and found ourselves in a parade of antique cars. After exiting from the parade, we decided to head to Bay Center, WA which is at the mouth of Willapa Harbor. We spent the night at the KOA campground and had a cold beer at the local tavern and some delicious oyster dressing.

CLICK HERE to watch the slideshow of several pictures taken in this area. You can change the viewing time by increasing the seconds once you launch the slideshow. You can also click on the pictures above to enlarge them.