It was truly a pleasure to traverse the Mojave Road over Memorial Weekend in 2010. I will always treasure this trip as one of my fondest off road memories. It combined isolated travel, rich history, and a sense of the adventure that must have been felt by the early pioneers.

Saturday, May 29, Day 1: We staged at the Avi Casino in Laughlin, Nevada to begin our trip. Our rigs consisted of Tom, David, and Lawana in their Jeep TJ Unlimited; Jason and Alli in their 4-door Jeep JK; Jeff, Julie, and Sarah in their Jeep YJ; Adam & Teresa in their Jeep TJ Unlimited pick-up; Kyle and Angie in their Jeep Cherokee; Sean and Levi in their Ford Expedition; and Randy and Tyler in their Ford Excursion. Loaded with gear, food, and fuel, we excitedly left the Avi and headed to the trailhead at Mile 3.5.

After airing down and resetting the odometer, David led the way in the TJ Unlimited. Tom navigated the trip using the Mojave Road Guide by Dennis Casebier. If you are even remotely considering this trip, this book is essential. It is amazingly accurate and gives rich historical detail on the entire route. Using our CB radios, we quoted many passages from Dennis’ guide to keep everyone informed on the highlights of the road. We were beginning to get a good feel for the terrain and using Dennis’ guide to navigate when we made our first “side trip” at Mile 10.1 to Balancing Rock.

Balancing Rock is a mile off the Mojave Road but is worth seeing. Large boulders are precariously perched upon a huge slab and it would be an excellent camp site if it wasn’t so close to the trailhead. Balancing Rock is along a cable service road that held an underground phone cable designed for use after a nuclear attack; part of the 1960’s nuclear war scare preparations.

We stopped for lunch at stone ruins known as Fort Piute at Mile 23.7. Fort Piute was a late 1867 bunker used to house U.S. Mail escorts. After lunch, we continued west, stopped at the abandoned school bus, and put our pennies in the Penny Can Tree at Mile 41.4. Despite it being springtime, all of us were amazed at how lush and alive the desert was. Heavy stands of vegetation were everywhere and most of it was in bloom.

As it was getting late, we only stopped briefly at Camp Rock Spring and Government Holes, both critical water stops for early settlers. We dropped off the Mojave Road at Mile 56.3 to head towards our first night’s camp at Mid Hills Campground. Mid Hills offers semi-improved campsites and is @5,000’ elevation. We arrived and set up camp around 7 pm; it was a long day on the trail but a great one.

Sunday, May 30, Day 2: We woke up, ate, broke camp, and headed back to the Mojave Road and westward. We soon reached a magnificent vista and could see cinder cones (dormant volcanoes), the Kelso sand dunes, and the back side of the snow-capped San Bernardino Mountains. A brief side trip to Bright Outlook mine provided the adventurous among us a chance to explore and do a little caving. We were steadily dropping elevation and took a lunch break at Marl Springs at Mile 70.6.

Marl Springs was named in 1854 and was a vital water stop along the Mojave Road. It was also the site of an Indian siege against the army outpost there in 1867. Lots of great history here and yes, water is still flowing from the spring. After Marl Springs, we came upon the Mojave Road Mailbox at Mile 74.0. We all signed in and took a lot of photos. From this point on, the Mojave Road passes through a volcanic area and we stopped at Mile 80.9 where the lava flow formed a 20’ wall. The formations were spectacular; another great photo opportunity.

We soon rounded Seventeenmile Point and headed towards Soda Lake. Of course, we had all gathered up our rocks for Traveler’s Monument. Soon we arrived, placed our rocks, and vowed to keep the secret message of the brass plaque mounted at the monument. Before long, we reached Rasor Road and went off-trail to spend the night. A roaring campfire and good food topped off an outstanding Day 2.

Monday, May 31, Day 3: We woke up to a warm, sunny desert morning so we knew the temperature would be cooking by mid-day. We continued down the Mojave Road towards Shaw Pass, named in honor of Dr. Shaw who was killed in an Indian attack there in 1867. From Shaw Pass on we encountered a lot of loose sand, some of which practically covered the cairns we were following. We made a brief stop at Cave Canyon Iron Mine @Mile 116 and took a few photos. We were now at the beginning of Afton Canyon and crossed under two railroad bridges. The water crossings were fun and were actually much deeper than anticipated. We also followed Adam to a cave he knew of and spent some time there exploring. As the trip was nearing its end, a sense of sadness yet accomplishment filled our group. We exited the Mojave Road at Mile 135.6 and aired up on Yermo Road. A Mojave Road trip is truly an adventure through time, capturing the spirit of the pioneers that makes America great. Next year, anyone?

Tom Armstrong (SuperCJ)