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Western Mojave

Coso Ghost Camp

We were lucky enough to be invited to China Lake Naval Weapon Center to do some volunteer restoration work on the historic Coso ghost town site. After work, we checked out several other sites and spent the night on base. We had a fantastic time!

Please enjoy my photos of the rarely-seen remains of Coso.

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Surprise Tank Petroglyphs

Surprise Tank Petroglyphs

We first visited the Surprise Tank Petroglyphs out in the Mojave Desert in 1998. We’ve stopped by a few times since then but didn’t really photograph the site again until 2009. We re-visited the site in 2013, 2018, and 2020. I wanted to get a few more photos

U2 Joshua Tree

U2 Joshua Tree

I found what I was looking for... The famous U2 Joshua Tree. It fell over many years ago and now is a shrine to the band and the album. It is surprisingly easy to reach and not in Joshua Tree National Park. Directions

Willis Well Petroglyphs

Willis Well Petroglyphs

Willis Well is an interesting place. For centuries, Native Americans camped in the spring (really just a seep). Numerous Desert Archaic petroglyphs cover the boulders near the spring. They are mostly abstract designs. Their meanings were lost in antiquity. George and Mildred Willis settled on this land in 1915. George