Being that the 2016 WAYALIFE New Year Kick Off Run was going to take place out in the Mojave Desert, Cindy and I decided to make our way down to SoCal a couple of days before hand and do some exploring. Even though we have covered vast sections of the Mojave over the last 25 years, there were still places we had yet to see and some of them were out in an area known a the Shadow Valley and Turquoise Mountain. Fortunately for us, a few of our close friends were willing to join us out in Barstow on New Year's Eve and join us out on the trail the following morning. Here are some pics highlighting the things we saw and all the fun we had. I hope you enjoy.
Moby all packed up and ready to head south on a cold and snowy morning.
Fortunately for us, the drive down the 395 was a gorgeous one.
Of course, when it's this pretty out, how can you not stop to take a photo or two.
Home for the rest of 2015 and the beginning of 2016.
How lucky we are to be able to spend our final night in 2015 with good friends - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Bright and early on the first day of 2016.
Our first stop of the day was over at the Old Copper World Smelter and Valley Wells town site.
Looking across the slag left behind from the smelter.
The molten slag left behind has a lot of cool looking patterns.
Pieces of the slag almost look like obsidian.
Scattered throughout the area were small blueish green rocks, a clear sign that a lot of copper ore made its way out here.
Looking across large concrete structures that were used in the processing of copper. Beyond, you can see the Clark Mountains, the source of the copper ore that was brought to this smelter.
You would never know it unless you knew to look for it but, this was once a town. The people who lived in this area found an ingenious way to survive the blistering heat of summer, freezing cold of winter and the powerful winds that often blow through the area - they built their homes underground.
The hills in this area are blanketed by a hardened layer of rock, maybe volcanic ash and the earth under it is soft and the residents of this community simply dug away the soft dirt and used the hard layer above as a roof.
Taking a look inside.
Some of the homes had portholes that allowed you to see into the rooms next to it.
A close up look at a support beam.
View of the desert from inside one of the homes.
Not all the homes had a natural roof and the guy who lived here needed to improvise.
On the move again, we made our way up to the north a bit to pay our respects to some of the old residents that once lived in this town.
Clearly, the mining life was a hard life and for Joseph Riser, it came to an end at the ripe old age of 21 years.
A final poem left by his wife "The voice I loved is forever stilled. A place is vacant in my heart which never can be filled."
On the move again, we made our way across the Shadow Valley to check out something I have known about for years but have never seen in person.
The only name I have ever found for this unusual location that has an enormous round and conical steel structure is - The Saucer.
What's amazing about this place is that from space, you can see how small the steel saucer is compared to how large the concentric circles of earthen berms surrounding it are.
Taking a peek inside.
Pieces of the saucer.
Some kind of pump next to it.
And finally, some kind of large concrete foundation out on the outer ring.
Moby all packed up and ready to head south on a cold and snowy morning.
Fortunately for us, the drive down the 395 was a gorgeous one.
Of course, when it's this pretty out, how can you not stop to take a photo or two.
Home for the rest of 2015 and the beginning of 2016.
How lucky we are to be able to spend our final night in 2015 with good friends - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Bright and early on the first day of 2016.
Our first stop of the day was over at the Old Copper World Smelter and Valley Wells town site.
Looking across the slag left behind from the smelter.
The molten slag left behind has a lot of cool looking patterns.
Pieces of the slag almost look like obsidian.
Scattered throughout the area were small blueish green rocks, a clear sign that a lot of copper ore made its way out here.
Looking across large concrete structures that were used in the processing of copper. Beyond, you can see the Clark Mountains, the source of the copper ore that was brought to this smelter.
You would never know it unless you knew to look for it but, this was once a town. The people who lived in this area found an ingenious way to survive the blistering heat of summer, freezing cold of winter and the powerful winds that often blow through the area - they built their homes underground.
The hills in this area are blanketed by a hardened layer of rock, maybe volcanic ash and the earth under it is soft and the residents of this community simply dug away the soft dirt and used the hard layer above as a roof.
Taking a look inside.
Some of the homes had portholes that allowed you to see into the rooms next to it.
A close up look at a support beam.
View of the desert from inside one of the homes.
Not all the homes had a natural roof and the guy who lived here needed to improvise.
On the move again, we made our way up to the north a bit to pay our respects to some of the old residents that once lived in this town.
Clearly, the mining life was a hard life and for Joseph Riser, it came to an end at the ripe old age of 21 years.
A final poem left by his wife "The voice I loved is forever stilled. A place is vacant in my heart which never can be filled."
On the move again, we made our way across the Shadow Valley to check out something I have known about for years but have never seen in person.
The only name I have ever found for this unusual location that has an enormous round and conical steel structure is - The Saucer.
What's amazing about this place is that from space, you can see how small the steel saucer is compared to how large the concentric circles of earthen berms surrounding it are.
Taking a peek inside.
Pieces of the saucer.
Some kind of pump next to it.
And finally, some kind of large concrete foundation out on the outer ring.
