Mojave Desert
Recently, during my tour of the Mojave Desert in Southern California, I was captivated by natural landscape of this mysterious desert. With its open vistas of rugged wilderness that gives you the privilege, to experience total freedom of space when camping or hiking. The authenticity of the Mojave’s landscape enhances the natural beauty of the Southern California terrain. I felt in Harmony with the Mojave Desert. I am an adventurous traveler, one that loves exploring the mystery of a place, and discovering the hidden treasures of a destination. During my travel to the Mojave Desert, I stumbled upon a rural desert city called Twentynine Palms. Twentynine Palms is a natural wonderland of desert wilderness, and rich in cultural history, which is vividly captured inh historical murals displayed throughout the city.
The city, I learned, is not only the host of the popular historical headquarters of Joshua Tree National Park, but is also an official gateway community into the Mojave Trails National Monument. To my delight it’s a short drive of about 49 minutes, north of Hwy 62 via Amboy Road. A key feature that I noted of the Mojave Trails National Monument is that it connects the Mojave National Preserve with Joshua Tree National Park. This ensures the biological connectivity of this landscape, while preserving traditional uses, such as hunting and off-highway vehicle recreation.
Route 66
The Mojave Trails National Monument was designated in 2016. Home to several significant natural treasures such as the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of the original and historic Route 66. Route 66 takes you to the old world, as you discover vintage road signs, iconic neon signs, historical highway motels, restaurants, and motor courts. Moreover, you will find in the city of Barstow (California), many street murals depicting and celebrating the iconic Route 66. Moving further down the highway takes you into the historical mining and ghost towns of Southern California, such as Calico and Amboy. Route 66 has been popularly referred to as the “mother road” because it was originally used by many Americans as a path of travel for vacations to California. It was at one time the link for the United States across the Rocky Mountain divide to the Pacific Ocean. It was also a travel path that was used by many to migrate to different parts of the US. Hence, it “celebrates the legacy and resilience of the American people, and more significantly connects you to the essence of the American spirit (www.bookmundi.com). Significantly, the romance and nostalgia of Route 66 is immortalized in popular culture, movies, and songs such as Bobby Troup’s 1946 hit, “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”, and the 1960s Route 66 television show.
Amboy Crater
The fascinating discovery for me on this tour was this national natural landmark, Amboy Crater. An adventure’s treat, a volcanic cinder cone in the middle of the Mojave Desert that resembles a lonely isolated mountain. Located 1.5 miles south of Route 66, and 55 minutes from the City of Twentynine Palms, Amboy Crater stands at 250 feet tall, 1,500 feet in diameter, and was formed by ash and cinders. Situated on one of the youngest volcanic fields in the United States, the volcano was last documented as erupting 10,000 years ago. Amboy Crater is truly a geological wonder.
Hiking the Crater
You can hike the trail on the west of the cinder cone. The trail will take you to an opening where it seems that at one time a violent volcanic eruption ruptured the crater wall. The inside of the crater is best described by (calwild.org) as “inside of the 250-foot-high crater contains two lava dams, which have formed small lava lakes. These are now flat in general appearance, covered with light colored clay, creating the impression of miniature dry lakes. Beyond the crater lies 24 square miles of lava flow, that has features of lava lakes, collapsed lava tubes and sinks, spatter cones, and massive flows of basalt”. If you hike the trail and make it up to the 1,508 foot tall center rim, you will be rewarded with an awesome view that reveals an epic desert landscape. I recommend hiking the Amboy Crater trail in spring or early fall, when temperatures are cooler.
Mojave National Preserve
My partner, being the romantic he is, planned the last part of the tour towards the end of the day so that I would experience the bold, brilliant, colors of the sun setting in the Mojave Desert. As the evening progressed into the night, to my delight, I was taken to the exotic Kelso Dunes, located in the Mojave National Preserve.
Kelso Dunes
The night was lit up by the bright, sultry full moon. The light of the moon guided us in our hike to the top of the dunes. Once at the top you will experience panoramic views of the surrounding dunes and peaks. A picture perfect sea of sand that awakens all your senses. As we lay on the sand, we could feel the stillness of the night, the cool grains of the sand on our feet. The refreshing cool breeze of early fall silently fanning us. The Kelso Dunes have an energy of peace and tranquility that awakened my soul to experience the harmony of natures wonderland. According to popular belief the dunes are noted for their singing. “Kelso is one of a few acoustic dunes that produce a squeaking or booming sound as sand grains compress and slip over one another. A silica coating on the grains that helps them stick together also resonates when they are moved,” as noted by www.nps.gov.
SPECIAL NOTE TO HIKERS:
That the wind and the sand continuously change the outline of the dunes. This makes navigating the trail difficult, hence there is no permanent hike trail to the very top of the dunes. Furthermore, driving through the Mojave Preserve to the Kelso Sand Dunes can be difficult, and requires planning and navigation research.
For more information on these destinations, visit:
Mojave Trails National Monument at www.blm.gov
Mojave National Preserve at www.nps.gov
Route 66 at www.blm.gov
Amboy Crater at www.blm.gov
Kelso Sand Dunes at www.nps.gov
For a great wilderness experience, stay us at Harmony Motel. The Harmony is close to the landmark 49 Palms Oasis, Boys Scout Trail and the popular Indian Cove. 49 Palms Oasis is one of the five Oasis Joshua Tree National Park. It’s a great hiking trail that is 3 miles round trip. If you’re lucky, you may see the beautiful big horn sheep that hangout at the oasis, don’t forget to take a picnic basket with you.