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The Lost Arch
No, there is another...
In 2022, while brainstorming for our annual Turkey Day Vacay, I recalled a saguaro that I’d seen in Vidal Valley and wondered if it was still there. The problem was that I’d never been to Vidal Valley, so I couldn’t possibly have seen
Lanfair Buttes Petroglyphs
The Lanfair Buttes Petroglyphs (also known as Indian Wells Petroglyphs) are one of the more extensive sets of petroglyphs in the Mojave National Preserve. There are hundreds of petroglyphs here on desert-varnished rhyolite boulders. Almost one whole hillside is covered with them.
Ancestral Mojave and Chemehuevi probably camped here for
June 2023 News
I've been doing a lot of work on the site since the last newsletter in March. I've brought back the Maps (for paid readers), and I've been going through, updating, and adding many old trips to the maps. It has been a big undertaking.
Barnwell Petroglyphs
In March of 2023, fellow explorers JP, Darthjenni, and W9JIM invited me on a trip to the Mojave National Preserve. The Mojave Preserve (and the East Mojave in general) is such a great place to off-road, camp, and explore. The park is crisscrossed by graded and 4WD dirt roads that
Bunker Hill Mine
The Bunker Hill Mine (also known as the Inyo Bunker Hill) was worked for lead, silver, and zinc in the early 20th century. The ore mined during the 1920s and '30s was particularly rich, containing 30% to 60% lead, 33 ounces of silver per ton, and 0.1 ounces
Inyo Copper Mine
Perched above the Lippincott Road in Saline Valley, unknown to most travelers below, is the nearly forgotten Inyo Copper Mine.
Once owned by the Inyo Copper Mines and Smelter Company in the early 1900s, ore ranging from 4% to 41% copper was discovered here. The rich ore must have been