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blueskymut Posts: 1
4/11/2010
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Does anyone know any details about Mark Piepkorn of Piepkorn slot? Such as, How did he die?,Where was he from?, How old was he and where is he buried? Thank you for the great site.
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1366
4/12/2010
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Hi and welcome,
Have not heard of him. I will see if I can find out some information though.
Bob
blueskymut wrote:
Does anyone know any details about Mark Piepkorn of Piepkorn slot? Such as, How did he die?,Where was he from?, How old was he and where is he buried? Thank you for the great site.
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https://www.anzaborrego.net/
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1366
4/12/2010
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Hey again,
I am just realizing that I have been over there and have seen some sort of memorial.
Now I am intrigued.
I will see what I can find out.
Bob
blueskymut wrote:
Does anyone know any details about Mark Piepkorn of Piepkorn slot? Such as, How did he die?,Where was he from?, How old was he and where is he buried? Thank you for the great site.
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https://www.anzaborrego.net/
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2624
4/2/2011
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Any updates on this? I wouldn't mind stopping by there and have a look at it.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1366
4/3/2011
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You can access it from a turn before the border patrol checkpoint in Mortero Wash.
If I remember correctly the slot itself is narrow so oyur truck could not go through it.
There is a bypass though.
dsefcik wrote:
Any updates on this? I wouldn't mind stopping by there and have a look at it.
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https://www.anzaborrego.net/
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wintyfresh Posts: 21
10/30/2013
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Resurrecting this old thread since I wondered the same and found some info from StevesKJ over on the Outdoor Adventures forums, thanks to BorregoWrangler's help.
I knew Mark since the early nineties. He wasn't very old and seemed in good health. A little wild sometimes - he drove a full-sized lifted F-250 through the "Squeeze". It wasn't a pretty sight!!! I wasn't out with them when he expired. I think I would have really freaked out. We did put the marker out there a short time later in his memory.
He was 39 and died of a heart attack on the trail from the sound of things.
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
10/30/2013
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The plaque is on a boulder near the "one-way" route through the Volcanic Hills on the ABDSP pdf map (http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/638/files/ABDSPmap.pdf). My torn up sidewalls and chunks of missing tread on both front tires are a result of foolishly driving my Tundra through there---twice  Seemed like a perfectly acceptable short cut from Indian Hill to S2 except it's not unless you're driving a short wheelbase 4x4. Tom
Here's a pic of one part of the road:
volcanic hills by tomteske, on Flickr
edited by tommy750 on 10/30/2013
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Carrizo Posts: 2
11/10/2013
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I believe he was a man who worked for Solar Turbines, or one of the big companies in San Diego, and was active in their 4x4 group. I think I remember he had a heart attack while trying to help someone out there in that canyon. They made the memorial for him.
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Britain Posts: 606
5/18/2018
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I've been following the plaque for near 20 years. Used to have a plaster lighthouse next to it. People would pay their tokens, most likely ended up a geocache. About 5 years ago the weekend warriors found it and destroyed the lighthouse and tried prying off the plaque. It was still there this year a bit more destroyed.
  There used to be some black rock designs in the earth above it and a ways away. Spirals and a sun with rays. Those also have been destroyed by weekend wheelers.
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Cant drive 55
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http://icorva.com
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1366
5/18/2018
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Really don't understand the mentality of some people. :-(
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Britain Posts: 606
12/28/2019
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The Memorial is now gone.
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Cant drive 55
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http://icorva.com
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1366
12/29/2019
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We saw it last week although like I mentioned it looked pretty bad like someone had tried to pull it off the rock.
Britain wrote:
The Memorial is now gone.
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Britain Posts: 606
12/29/2019
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Interesting 2 weeks ago took my daughter to it it was gone except for a bunch of boulders tossed on the rock where it was. Need to go back and check again. Perhaps it was buried?
edited by Britain on 12/29/2019
edited by Britain on 12/29/2019
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Cant drive 55
Britain
http://icorva.com
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1366
12/29/2019
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Yep it was there. I will be out tomorrow and will check again
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Britain Posts: 606
12/29/2019
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Must have been standing right next to it. Video clipping the daughter driving the jeep through the canyon. We looked for it.
Wait for your report.
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Cant drive 55
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http://icorva.com
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1366
12/30/2019
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We kind of stumbled on it this time while we were hiking.
We drove up Jojoba Wash and then did a short hike past the big hill that has a bunch of offload tracks on it.
Jojoba wash is the most southern place where I can camp without seeing the Ocotillo Wind farm.
In the past we loved to camp up in Mortero Canyon etc. but now with all the towers it is obviously not the same. :-(
Britain wrote:
Must have been standing right next to it. Video clipping the daughter driving the jeep through the canyon. We looked for it.
Wait for your report.
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1366
1/2/2020
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Spent 3 days camping and exploring Jojoba Wash.
I can confirm the Piepkorn memorial is still there
http://www.anzaborrego.net/2020/01/02/new-years-in-jojoba-wash/
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JBHogan Posts: 6
4/6/2022
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Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I thought I'd give an update on the current condition of the slot, as of April '22, so anyone searching on the area will have more info.
Last week we traveled northbound from the Dos Cabezas area along the road ending at Jojoba Wash. The damaged memorial is still there, with only a few tokens and coins left.
In our short wheelbase 4x4 Tacoma were able to navigate the slot (which had only one set of faint tire tracks), and thought we were home free, right until the end of the road...
From the plateau above the wash there are three routes down, all sandy descents similar to the one in Canyon Sin Nombre. Unfortunately, the wheelers have destroyed two of the three completely. I'm assuming they head southbound up the slopes with rock-crawler-type jeeps; there are 3 foot vertical drops in several places, some of which have been augmented with large rocks in an attempt to fill the holes. Total suicide.
The third way down is a steep, sandy slope featuring a 90-degree turn halfway down with some large ruts. If one were equipped with lots of technical 4x4 experience and a high clearance, wide-tired Jeep they could probably make it, but we were a little leery of taking the chance, since it was mid-week with no one around to help us right the truck if we rolled it during the turn. After some cussing, we reversed our course and went back the way we came. We made it through the slot "uphill" and continued south.
When we got home, I looked at Google Earth and found there was a "pin" on the slot, listing it as closed...
In a way, turning around was a good thing: we spent the night at Hayden Spring, and in the morning had the good fortune to witness a group of four Bighorn rams grazing in the wash, about 50 meters away. They didn't seem bothered by us and stuck around for about 30 minutes, before casually heading up the rocks and out of sight.
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Britain Posts: 606
4/20/2022
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JBHogan wrote:
Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I thought I'd give an update on the current condition of the slot, as of April '22, so anyone searching on the area will have more info.
Last week we traveled northbound from the Dos Cabezas area along the road ending at Jojoba Wash. The damaged memorial is still there, with only a few tokens and coins left.
In our short wheelbase 4x4 Tacoma were able to navigate the slot (which had only one set of faint tire tracks), and thought we were home free, right until the end of the road...
From the plateau above the wash there are three routes down, all sandy descents similar to the one in Canyon Sin Nombre. Unfortunately, the wheelers have destroyed two of the three completely. I'm assuming they head southbound up the slopes with rock-crawler-type jeeps; there are 3 foot vertical drops in several places, some of which have been augmented with large rocks in an attempt to fill the holes. Total suicide.
The third way down is a steep, sandy slope featuring a 90-degree turn halfway down with some large ruts. If one were equipped with lots of technical 4x4 experience and a high clearance, wide-tired Jeep they could probably make it, but we were a little leery of taking the chance, since it was mid-week with no one around to help us right the truck if we rolled it during the turn. After some cussing, we reversed our course and went back the way we came. We made it through the slot "uphill" and continued south.
When we got home, I looked at Google Earth and found there was a "pin" on the slot, listing it as closed...
In a way, turning around was a good thing: we spent the night at Hayden Spring, and in the morning had the good fortune to witness a group of four Bighorn rams grazing in the wash, about 50 meters away. They didn't seem bothered by us and stuck around for about 30 minutes, before casually heading up the rocks and out of sight.
Yeah, those routes up to the top from the wash are a mess.
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Cant drive 55
Britain
http://icorva.com
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