Ran Mojave Road (about half) this weekend. | 4WDTalk - Overlanding and offroad Forum
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Ran Mojave Road (about half) this weekend.

smritte

smritte

Well-known member
My route brought me in on Cima road turning onto Kelso and picking up the Mojave Road about the 1/3 mark, if you were going East to West. The road so far was perfect. I was meeting some people who had started at the east end and would be running the rest with them. I would be turning off at Kelbaker road to see the road washouts. To go past that point right now would have been an issue due to Soda Lake being closed and muddy. The go around would have gotten me home too late.

I meet up with this group up in the New York mountains as they were breaking camp. One of them drove to the washout in Paiute Canyon but didn't get me a picture. His description of it pretty much told me everyone was going to use the bypass until its fixed again. The rest of the route was great. The weather ran low 80's with the night in the mid 60's.
As far as I could tell, there were only a few sets of tracks on the road since it reopened. Driving past Black Canyon Rd, There were quite a few sets of tracks heading to hole in the wall. With the other end showing to be washed out, the tourists have to be coming in on Kelso. I spoke with one at the painters cabin. I tried to ask which route they came in but I didn't speak French and they barely spoke English so that was out.
You could tell it rained recently due to the fact everything was green.

Mojave desert 1.jpg

Mojave Road 9-22.jpg

Mojave Camp 9-22.jpg

The rest of the route looked pretty much the same. When I got to Aiken Mine road I cut over to Kelbaker and aired up. One of my goals being looking at the major road washouts. Here are both the washouts. If you look from left to right, that was the path of the water. You can tell there was a bypass created for both. They are about 200 yard apart.
There's two spots the Mojave Road crosses Kelbaker (depending on which coords you use), this is where both washouts occurred. The first picture is where most people cross. I'm sure that part of the trail could still be used but I saw no tracks crossing in either.

Road 2.jpgRoad 4.jpg

Exiting in Baker, the road is barricaded with a locked gate and soft sand as a bypass.

Over all it was a great weekend with mild weather.
 
I remember thinking, 'with a 4x4 with clearance, we'd be good'. Nope, that's a serious drop off!
 
Fortunately. there's a bypass, The one i saw in Panamint some years ago, was this long and about 10 foot deep.
 
Early 90's some friends and I drove out to California and drove through Tempe, which had a historic flood that washed a bunch of trash after the floods hit a dump. Horrible and a lot of damage. Mother nature doesn't mess around.
 
I just slept in the back of my cruiser. Didn't want to drag out the trailer for a quick trip. Trailer is way more cozy though. I do though have the ARB room for my awning and a couple of tents packed away.
 
How are you all camping out in the desert isn't it hot as hell at night? I heard they area can see triple digits even at night?
 
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