Vic wanted to see if we could access the railbed out of Sperry Wash near Dumont Dunes. We began in the wash with many water crossings where we ended on a previous day.
As we aired down we were passed by a group of four ATV'ers heading up the wash.
In a short distance we turned off and found the old RR bed in no time at all. So picturesque!
In a short distance we turned off and found the old RR bed in no time at all. So picturesque!
Dumont Dunes are a sand lover's paradise! The tallest dune is an impressive 700 ft high. Five dune species are evident making it a very unusual spot.
One sees everything here - sandrails, dirtbikes, four wheelers, even a few 4x4 trucks. Holiday weekends are crazy, especially Presidents Day, when over 20,000 people are in attendance. Rarely does a weekend go by that MediVac people don't helicopter in to provide medical assistance and airlift for casualties. It's a wild and sometimes crazy place.
Here, campers have a nice spot all to themselves...
...with this wonderful view. We have found some remote places to camp. It doesn't get much nicer than this.
Dumont Dunes
...with this wonderful view. We have found some remote places to camp. It doesn't get much nicer than this.Dumont Dunes
We followed the railbed for several miles and turned at the site of the Valjean Depot where we entered the Kingston Wash. The wash is referred to as a "cherry stem", a narrow corridor for vehicular travel. The wash itself is 21 miles in length with the Kingston Range Wilderness Area on both sides. According to the California Desert Wilderness Act of 1994 a wilderness area can only be traversed by foot or horseback. Vehicular use is prohibited. There is talk of closing the cherry stem as well. 
The reddish-brown here is the dried remains of last year's Desert Trumpet. Never have we seen them growing so densely. I can only imagine the spring color. This is also a Wilderness Study Area making me wonder if the vegetation is the focus of the study. 
This is a very remote and little used portion of the Mojave Desert and we had it entirely to ourselves.
This is a very remote and little used portion of the Mojave Desert and we had it entirely to ourselves. 
Imagine the thump!
Brittlebush, in the Sunflower family, abounds. It's too early just yet but the area will be alive with large yellow blooms later in the month.
Desert Mistletoe has decimated the mesquite. Mistletoe is the habitat of the Phainopepla (looks like the cardinal but is shiny black in color) which nests and breeds at the time of the mistletoe berry crop. At least 1,100 berries are needed per bird per day. It rarely drinks water as its needs are mostly met with berries.
The fragrance was sweet and powerful as the mistletoe is beginning to bloom. Although we saw no phainopepla, bees were abundant.
These cliffs would be difficult not to notice - buff-colored at the bottom and capped with reddish brown lava and volcanic ash.
The base.
Balanced and waiting.....
At the top end of the 'cherry stem' and a higher elevation we encountered a Joshua Tree forest.
We had many more miles, some on open range land, before we were back to civilization.
The rock wall was built to divert running water at Kingston Spring.
Kingston Spring was an important stop on the Kingston Cut-off according to Spanish Trail historians. Now it's little more than a seep in a half acre of dense, entangled undergrowth. We failed in our search to find water.
Kingston Spring was an important stop on the Kingston Cut-off according to Spanish Trail historians. Now it's little more than a seep in a half acre of dense, entangled undergrowth. We failed in our search to find water.
Brittlebush, in the Sunflower family, abounds. It's too early just yet but the area will be alive with large yellow blooms later in the month.
Desert Mistletoe has decimated the mesquite. Mistletoe is the habitat of the Phainopepla (looks like the cardinal but is shiny black in color) which nests and breeds at the time of the mistletoe berry crop. At least 1,100 berries are needed per bird per day. It rarely drinks water as its needs are mostly met with berries.
The fragrance was sweet and powerful as the mistletoe is beginning to bloom. Although we saw no phainopepla, bees were abundant.
These cliffs would be difficult not to notice - buff-colored at the bottom and capped with reddish brown lava and volcanic ash.
The base.
Balanced and waiting.....
At the top end of the 'cherry stem' and a higher elevation we encountered a Joshua Tree forest.
We had many more miles, some on open range land, before we were back to civilization.
