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Great trip you took everyone on. Is that a Subaru Forester in your group? How did it do on the Calcite Mine road?

Nature caused.

Hey John,
Would love to see some pics after the event, especially from the trail runs.
Unfortunately our schedule didn't workout this time.

Bob

Borregolinda wrote:

dsefcik wrote:

Looks like fun....I will be heading out Thursday for a 4 day backpack trip thru Rockhouse Cyn / Valley so I will miss it. Please let us know how it goes!

Which Rockhouse Canyon?

The north cyn/valley. I just got back last night so I have some catch up to do on emails and go thru my photos so I will post something soon. All in all a good trip, 1/2 day in Butler Cyn and then 4 days / 3 nights in RH Valley and lower Santa Rosa Mtn areas.

Daren

Nice photos, I have never been to the pumpkins...yet!

How is Oriflamme holding up? Is the Cottonwood still strong?

Have had the same thing at the S2 checkpoint and I agree it is a drag

I talk about it in this post.

anutami wrote:

Yeah it is pretty lame how they make you feel like you are doing something wrong. I got questioned pretty hard on the checkpoint on S-2 right before the mortero wash turnout, the guy even freaked the kids out a little bit by his tone and multiple questions.

BorregoWrangler wrote:

The Cottonwood?

The classic photo Cottonwood that is bent over the stream...or at least I thought is was a Cottonwood....
edited by dsefcik on 10/24/2012

It's an easy drive out there if you have a gate key to Davies Valley.

surfponto wrote:

The powder keg wall was noticeably smaller the last time we were there

Seems like every picture I see of the wall it gets smaller and smaller...

Great TR, I have never done that route. Looks like you got a hawk(?) in your tunnel photo....
That photo of the barrel wall is awful, Bob and I went out there last year and there was much,much more left of it. Your photo makes it look like it is almost gone.

Looks like a great day BorregoWrangler
Have done that route up from Mortero Palms to the Goat Canyon Trestle a couple times.
Never have done a loop like that out to the tracks though.


How long did that take?

Like Daren says, I can't believe how much smaller the wall at the Railroad camp is?
Are people removing parts of the wall?

Bob

Quick question.
Did you follow the tracks all the way back through the last tunnel (green line in picture) and then hike over to the railroad camp or did you take that trail off to the south that intersects the railroad tracks for a more direct route?
the reason I ask is because we were thinking of hiking from the RR camp to the tracks by way of a trail I saw last time we were out. (red line in picture)

Thanks,
Bob

John,

That is a nice route to Sombrero. There is a great (I hope it is still there) gnarled, bonsai-like specimen of mountain mahogany growing out of a crack in a boulder almost at the summit. It's my favorite individual plant in the whole of ABDSP. Please pay my respects to it if you see it. It is likely over 100 years old. - Jim

edited by ziphius on 11/27/2012

Yeah...you made it! Who took the registry???? Was the chain there?
Geez, I still need to to post my Thanksgiving trip.

BorregoWrangler wrote:

Can I get one of those railroad attachments on my Jeep? :-D

Just drive your Jeep out there, Bob and I saw 2 vehicles driving on the tracks from Dos Cabezas to the trestle. They did not cross the trestle since there was not enough solid surface on either side. They basically drove out there with with one set of wheels on the side dirt and the other set on the tracks.

I would be up for that, I have never been down Pepperwood but I know the rest of the route well. When you wanna go? 1 day or 2 day? Do you know anybody that could drop us off at Cottonwood so we wouldn't have to drive back there?

With a 2 day trip you could explore more of Inner Pasture and head out over Moonlight Canyon, maybe have someone drop us off at Cottonwood and meet us at Agua Caliente for a camp fire and camp out and cold beer.

A Border Patrol agent said the area around the spring on the way down Pepperwood looks like a clothing aisle at Walmart.

That looks like a cool loop. (I assume you did the blue highlighted route) Do you think my F350 and camper could make it through?

Daren Sefcik wrote:

Jim (ziphius) wrote:

That first photo is ethereal and I'd be tempted to do some Photoshop magic to 'erase' the vehicles. Nice spot!

Jim (ziphius) wrote:

Did you approach Carrizo Mtn. through the jeep trail in Painted Gorge?

Yep, That's the route I usually take up there.


tommy750 wrote:

Nice. Am guessing your campsite was on the long ridge NE of Carrizo Mt? Have hiked the ridge twice and think it's harder than Carrizo Mt itself (14 miles rt vs 9 miles from the Painted Gorge gate) but love the view of the Carrizo Badlands from both especially in the late afternoon. Looking forward to your other pics. Tom

I think so. Our site was just east of Carrizo Mtn summit, which you can see in the first photo. From where we were camped, it only takes a few minutes to drive to the highest road just below the summit. You're right about the views up there. Amazing.

Apologies for the unauthorized use of this lovely pic


Lasso Backspace Content Aware by tomteske, on Flickr

No worries, looks good! It had cleared up a lot once we had made it out to Ocotillo but on our way up the mountain we could see that the upper reaches were still enveloped in fog and rain.
edited by BorregoWrangler on 12/17/2012

Not finding the above link valid Tom

Thought I would piggy back on your thread and add photos of the Store. The guy that runs the place is way cool, and he has some pretty sweet stuff in there. I ended up running out of propane over the weekend and had to stop in and fill up! It is sweet that he sells propane!!!!! It is also sweet that he accepts debit/credit cards!

Gorgeous photos Tom and it looks like a great trip. I've come home with ticks that I find 2 days later, eeeeeek! I've found that storing your camp clothing in the freezer overnight DOES kill them.

The jalapenos look good...!

I see the trail sign says "no dogs" does that mean they allow them in the campground now?

We almost headed out there but the campground was completely full. Your tent looks nice and cozy How is the large outdoor pool and water temp?

Nice TR! love the dos picos pics, thats pretty much my backyard Man it must have been hot out there! What do you think the temps were? We camped out at laguna and it was in the low 80's.

Thanks to you and Nolan and DeseretWrx for giving me the courage to drive up the bypass...worked out fine and I am just glad I did not run into oncoming traffic either way, that would have sucked!!

Both days we loaded up our packs with 7 liters of water and food (and my 20lbs of camera crap) and started out around 7:30am and got back to the trucks around 6:30-7pm...long days.

@Borrego: That looks like you were right in the middle of it, did you take that from the highway?

Here's a video of Ocotillo activist Jim Pelley driving some Ocotillo Wind access roads during the recent storm. Pretty amazing footage. Tom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gtEdOm9d38

Nice trip! Did you see anything at Harpers Well or Kane Spring? Tom

BorregoWrangler wrote:

tommy750 wrote:

Nice trip! Did you see anything at Harpers Well or Kane Spring? Tom

I don't think I traveled that part of Old Kane Springs Road. Harpers Well and Kane Spring are east of Split Mountain Road, right?

Yes, you're right. Have never been on it. Looks like the part east of Split Mt. Rd is pretty sketchy or nonexistent when looking at GE. Not sure of the boundaries of San Sebastian Marsh/San Felipe Creek ACEC (BLM website down) but they probably preclude anything but a walk through that portion. Looks like you can catch the far east part off 86, though. Tom


Kane Spring Road by tomteske, on Flickr