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Wait a minute... is that an antique UNOPENED can of sardines? Yum. 13 mylars for a single overnight is pretty darn good, must not be too many collectors in that area.

Aaannd Daren's life insurance premiums just doubled

Looks like an interesting area. Could you see the bottom of that shaft?

FYI: I tried to picked appropriate photos to post of this trip. I've seen other photos from this cave that show much better views of the surrounding landscapes in clear weather... something that I wanted to avoid. I was very careful in selecting the photos I posted and even double checked with others who wouldn't want too much info on the cave accessible to the public. The weather was very stormy and views out from the cave were limited.

Believe me, I would not want to disclose any information that would make it easy for others (who would not respect it) to find such a special place. So feel free to let me know if there are still any measures I could take in this regard. Thanks.

Nice, you guys got pretty far back in there. Daren, your maps look sweet and have great detail. Where did you get those?

What is the deal with the carrizo impact area anyway? Are they still doing bombing drops out there, and why can't you venture in there?

Thanks, found this sd reader article although it is pretty old http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2001/sep/06/risky-wasteland/#

My next hike will either be Eagle Peak, between Descanso and Julian, or Sweetwater River Trail to Mother Miguel Mountain.

Did you folks ever find this plane?
http://joeidoni.smugmug.com/Aircraft-Crash-Sites/A/11558268_JnGUE#818002961_s9gHV

I hiked to it last week--its near Agua Cailente.

Thanks for the pictures, Daren. And, congratulations on being the lucky recipient of my 500th post!

Cool man. How far was the wreckage from the ejection seat, roughly? (if that doesn't give away too much info).

The lighting on that first glimpse into IP is awesome. I've poked around that rim of IP up a particular drainage, but don't think I got as far into "no man's land" as you appear to have gone. Did you venture to the 'spring' area just about due N of Red Top that you checked out on a previous trip?

Again, that light is amazing. Bummer that the quiet of IP gets interrrupted by BP. I gotta find a more remote hangout. (oh yeah, any evidence of water near the spring?)

dsefcik wrote:

Jim (ziphius) wrote:

Cool man. How far was the wreckage from the ejection seat, roughly? (if that doesn't give away too much info).

If you were up in a plane high enough you could probably see both....

Jim (ziphius) wrote:

The lighting on that first glimpse into IP is awesome. I've poked around that rim of IP up a particular drainage, but don't think I got as far into "no man's land" as you appear to have gone. Did you venture to the 'spring' area just about due N of Red Top that you checked out on a previous trip?

That was early morning after the sunrise photos and yes, it did look that cool in person also, I liked that view a lot! I did go near the spring, that is where I saw all the foot prints going up/down to red top and back thru inner pasture. The BP was crusing the whole valley on Saturday quite intensely via helicopter, I watched them for about 30 minutes from up on the ridge line as they hovered around the valley floor searching every boulder pile.

edited by ziphius on 1/20/2015

dsefcik wrote:

...but I know why you were looking at a water trough to begin with....

Nothing more fun than 'connecting blue dots' on the map to plan a long trip. Might require some caching. Of course, you're invited.

I host my photos on Photobucket then post the link here. You might try that too. (You'll have to edit and the update the post again for it to show up.)

dsefcik wrote:

BorregoWrangler wrote:

I host my photos on Photobucket then post the link here. You might try that too. (You'll have to edit and the update the post again for it to show up.)

BW, what I do is after I write mt Blogger post I just select all the text and photos with the mouse, copy and then paste into the forum post and it all shows up!

Do you use the "direct" link from photobucket?

Another great trip! Nice pics! You think those big tracks were mountain lion?

Nice to hear you were able to cover over 20 miles with the short days. Great trail report and photos.
That jet crash site looks like they didn't salvage much.

Thanks. Those are not from the GoPro though. I just use my normal camera Canon G15 ( until I can get something nicer) and use overlapping portrait shots, take them into Photoshop to stich them together and then play around with lighting and color in lightroom. I find I get much more information this way then using the pano on my phone. Sometimes I'll make several panos and them stich them all together vertically to get a much bigger image then I could do otherwise.

That canteen draped across your chest looks like it weighs more than the water/booze it was carrying

I stumbled on that cabin in 2005 heading out to Myers Valley. Stopped by last December and it looked about the same. If you have a copy of Chris Wray's "The Historic Backcountry," it has a blurb on this cabin and mentions another a little way down I-8, one I've never seen. It's listed as being at 32 40.39, -116 04.40. On Google Earth, looks like it's on a little rise near where a dirt road peels off the eastbound lanes.

Were there still coins on the edge of the triple trough?

Now when I see something, I don't report it.

When is your spring break?

I may try and head out next weekend around our baseball schedule....I would leave around 1-2pm on sat and drive home monday around 12pm . If you need a pickup/shuttle let me know.

Nolan

Men were more 'feral' back in the day - envious.

We are going to ditch practice on Saturday and head out to go check out some of the jet crash sites in Blair

Does anybody have a map to get to Indian Hill. I was there years ago and have lost my map and wanted to take my 10 and 12 year old sons there this weekend.
Help I'm lost

Hey Daren,
Mary and I will be out Saturday and Sunday but most likely will have the dogs.
If we are camping in the area we will look for you

Bob

I'll be heading to Death Valley for 4 nights. Can't wait.

After reading this book about The Impossible Railroad I now understand a bit better some of the things I have seen in Carrizo Gorge and on the railway tracks.


About a mile and a half north of the De Anza Resort there are some wheel and axle debris on the side of the Gorge and down in the bottom. I always thought this was from the railway efforts, turns out to be from a 1928 movie called Beggars of Life (the train wrecks at the end but watch the whole movie anyway)


The Coors Beer car you see in the distance was an accident from a junior engineer that over throttled the train on his first run. Two Coors Beer trailers derailed.

Nice trip. Like the Huell Howser memorial. The rooms / caves are kinda cool too, now you have a place to go to when the SHTF. Those showy pink flowers are a species of Penstemon.

Nice trip report, Daren. So, they just drug the rail cars at Dubber's onto the main track and derailed them?? Would think blocking a bridge or tunnel would make more sense. At least no railroad police in pickups to worry about. Wonder if some barrier was erected on the far side of the gorge. Lots of nice artifact piles or did you make those? Need to check out the book.

Nice trip there, Daren! I'm gonna try to get out there this weekend and camp somewhere in the gorge.

Nice addition to the thread Daren! Some of the best photos by far. We drove all the way to the end of the canyon in hopes of seeing your truck but looks like you started from the opposite end. We checked out the crash sites, thanks for the heads up. We also camped in oriflamme and it was very disturbing to find it bone dry. Can't believe this drought, hope the bighorns are hanging in there.

Thanks. I'll probably come in from the north, drive down as far as I can and then hike in. Maybe use one of the campsites that the workers had in there recently. I doubt that I'll go much further south than Goat Canyon.

Do you know any history about those crash sites?

Nice pictures and report Daren. Those railroad builders were tough! Bringing a rail line into San Diego when they said it couldn't be done was like putting a man on the moon back then.. Looks like they are permanently damaging the line for good on purpose :-o

Nice trip Daren,
It is amazing that there is still "new" stuff to discover in Carrizo Gorge.
So the CCC guys are below the trestle working now? Guessing it is easier to hike in from the North now.

Did a little wine research on Ellena Brothers

Ellena Brothers, Etiwanda
It was soon after the turn of the century that Claudio Ellena came to the United states from Australia, seeking the right location and climate to establish his vineyards. He chose the Cucamonga district c on the warm and sunny slopes of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Here he felt that wine could be produced comparable to the finer ones of southern Europe, where the Ellenas originated and had been wanegrowers for many generations. He founded his winery at Etiwanda, a few miles northeast of the town of Cucamonga, where his sons John B. and Frank Ellena carry on the family tradition,, producing some of the finest wines of Southern California.
John B. Ellena, the president of the company, and Frank Ellena, the vice-president, own the family enterprise. Two other brothers are active in the winery, Arnold Ellena, the wine maker, chemist, and secretary of the concern, and Louis Ellena, the master distiller. The featured brand is Regina Cucamonga Wine with Ellena Brothers a secondary label. Table wines, sparkling wines, and aperitif and dessert wines of fine quality are produced, available mainly in the Western states. They are marketed in distinctive and original squat or long-necked bottles, trade-marks of the house.


Full article
edited by surfponto on 2/23/2015

dsefcik wrote:

BorregoWrangler wrote:

Oh by the way, on our way back from the trestle on our recent hike, we could see the worker's camp down in the gorge and hear the chainsaws going. I wonder how long they'll be working in there?

There were 2 camps, one below Goat Canyon and a second further south, Coyote Spike Camp. They have been out there almost 2 years so far it seems like and doesn't look like they are done. We could see chainsaw blood on the boulders and such, but overall they are doing a really good job keeping things cleaned up while they work.

There is also a base camp at the end of Carrizo Gorge Road.







I have also noticed an alarming rate of disrespect out there as well and people seem to think it is Ocotillo wells recreation area. Alot of jeep tracks heading off trail into where ever they want.
Many illegal fire pits

and this was nice to see when getting to the end of the gorge, Luckily my kids didn't see it. I guess they were pissed they couldn't continue with their jeep further up the gorge?

edited by anutami on 2/23/2015

More on the recent legal proceedings involving the railroad: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/feb/21/pacific-imperial-new-investors-kinsell-victorville/
edited by tommy750 on 2/23/2015

After driving nearly seven miles through the beautiful Carrizo Canyon and then being denied VEHICULAR access to the last 500 yards of dirt road. How tragic!

So the CCC guys are below the trestle working now? Guessing it is easier to hike in from the North now.

Find it hard to believe someone would abandon all their gear! Any thoughts on why you would "dump" your pack?

I've been carrying a sat phone on every hike for the past five years so I haven't needed to dump my pack looking for cell service. Have never needed it to make "that one call" but glad to have it along. It's basically another form of health/accident insurance and prices have come down considerably. Inmarsat now has US coverage. Their Isatphone 2 is now about $800 on amazon and you can even buy six month prepaid SIM cards for about $100. Just throwing this out there as a safety/backup option.

Hope the hiker makes it out okay.

I'm a single guy with no kids. You solo hikers with wives and kids and mortgages don't get heat to get one of these?? Just wondering.

I want to add that except along the road shoulders there didn't see to be much Sahara mustard out in the open areas. Happy for that.

Nice point Daren, ornate. Good eyes to spot one that small. I like the lizard. I like the water. Jim

The lizard is with your 400mm?

I think we took a pic of the exact same plant! Mine was on 3/14/15 and is a lot smaller without the color

Welcome to the forum. Inner Pasture is awful and dangerous, no water, too many cholla, no trails, and occasionally inhabited by bearded, surly misanthropes that camp without clothes because they can, seeing as no one else ever goes there. You won't enjoy it.

Amazing circular bokeh is Daren's photographic signature

Jim (ziphius) wrote:

tommy750 wrote:

My favorite is the crow. Amazing circular bokeh is Daren's photographic signature

Raven, gotta be a raven, bill is too big. I like how the clouds managed to just clear out above the mountains in your shot Tom, great vertical symmetry going on in that photo. Bokeh. Thanks for the new vocabulary word.

Just reading up on ravens and crows( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/id#similar ). The guy was not in a group, looks like he has ruffled neck feathers and was pretty big with a big beak. Thanks for pointing out the now obvious, Jim! Wasn't really paying attention but now I will.