KELSO SAND DUNES KELSO, CA.

It has a silence that is richer than the finest man-made “Surround-Sound, speaks with more eloquence than twenty tenured professors and will always tell you the truth.  Death Valley, I’ll be back…..

We wound our way out the south end of Death Valley, CA. and spent the night in Baker, CA in the set-aside area of a Valero Gas and Convenience Store. There were no amenities but we didn’t want to stack another 60 miles on our already long driving day, so we settled-in. A few 18 wheeler semis pulled next to us during the night bringing us full awake. Soon though, the initial jarring and unremitting rattling of their diesel engines became white-noise allowing sleep and dreams to return.

Kelso, CA Sand Dunes

We rattled down the narrow, bumpy, seldom-maintained blacktop road south out of Baker, into the Mojave Desert and past Kelso, CA. by 10 miles. A dirt road led off to the west that was signed, “Kelso Dunes.”  Since it was past time to pull-off for cocktail hour, the unanimous decision was to bounce along the dusty washboard road with hopes of finding a place to hang our hat for the evening.  After 5 miles of choking dust we found a quiet, albeit windy and somewhat level spot next to the only clump of trees on the back side of the sand dunes. It’s dry camping but we have enough fresh water to last us another couple of days.

SALT CEDAR  properly "TAMERISK"

One of the half dozen clustered around our campsite.  Within, at least, 50 sq. miles, these trees, indigenous to Eurasia are the only ones to be seen and they were growing just outside of the rig.  The trees are all that is left of the Art Parker gold scam. 

Seems this fellow, Art, romanced a bunch of investors into believing he could extract minerals from the sand dunes that contained gold and silver using a giant magnet.  One born every minute, eh?

Rounded rock formations along Old Route 66, "The Mother Road" east of Amboy, CA 

Jackie the "shooter" taking a picture of  a Shrike....

SHRIKE

aka "Butcher Bird" so named for their feeding habits.

The wind rocked the rig all night and hadn't let up by the time we left in the morning.  This is what a sand cloud/storm looks like from 5 miles distant.  Old Route 66 west of Essex, CA.

MOUNTAIN WASH

 During a big rain storm this wash will fill to a depth of 15 foot and rush along at 20 miles an hour, carrying rock, mud and tree stumps.

All's well that ends well.