Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Looks like concretions to me. Basically mineralization cementing soft sedimentary rock into hard, resistant spheroidal balls.

 

Hmmm.

Ok, either my dad would be proud or he is spinning in his grave.

Those are volcanic, spewed from a volcano. If you were to cut them or flatten the surface with a rock cutter and then polish the face you'd have a rock you often see in rock shops. Agates or thunder eggs I think.


I'm not a Geologist, but my dad was and I didn't really pay attention.

 

I think they're referred to as an inclusion (a rock fragment inclosed within another rock) or xenolith (a piece of rock trapped in another rock, usually while magma is cooling).

At least that's what Google says.

 

Yeah, looking at it not on a cell phone, it is looking a bit less like a concretion. Overall shape is right, but the material is wrong, as you both pointed out.

 

I think you are correct, a type of concretion.

A quick search of concretion showed photos that look similar.

 

20 Mule Team rd. DV

 

Sorry to hear you can't make it -- but thanks for bringing this to my attention in the first place! Now it feels like an annual ritual, and I'm a bit bummed the program is winding down.





The event continues to be fantastic fun. Per tradition, I'm back home ahead of schedule because my feet are destroyed. (Apparently, the exorbitantly expensive hiking boots I bought last summer are a size too small?) With plans to return at least one more time, hopefully with better-fitting shoes.





In another point of frustration... I forgot my stupid cowboy hat! But I was at least successful in sourcing RC Cola, which not only still exists, but turned out to be quite delicious, and wildly popular among those to whom it was offered! (We are actually running a major surplus of Coors Light at the moment.)

Random pictures:


Fucking creepy


Winter skies

The novelty fisheye lens turned out be a let-down though... entirely too small for a full-frame sensor. And without any ice crystals in the upper atmosphere to paint surreal patterns across the sky... well, shit, I can't figure out anything else useful to do with such a ridiculous lens.



Not that I didn't try...



My early bail-out let me explore some interesting places on the way home, although this is getting pretty distant from the thread's namesake... hope you don't mind:











That's a car bumper sticking out the back of the bed. I also found a new hood emblem:


Sweet!

But... now I have to explain to my wife why there's a gigantic plastic car bumper and several solar panels in the front yard.





Didn't think this one through -- way too big to fit in the trash can. Maybe I'll go dump them out in the desert?

 

Hit three planting sites today and my dogs are tired. Had 6 people in the first group and got two sites. There were only three of us for the last site. Carried two 10L water containers about a mile. Some of the saplings are really big.
Great weather, just a bit cold in the morning. I had Rock Tank to myself last night and it looks to be the same for tonight. Fun little trail with a couple of puckering off camber sections getting around some downed Joshua Trees. I’ll be back at it tomorrrow morning.

 

How's the wind out there?

 

20 Mule Team rd. DV

 

Last night was still and way warmer. There’s wind in the forecast for tomorrow.
Talking with Ryan, the last day for planting is Friday.

 

I hope you guys make it out here on Friday. It’s a crazy alien landscape. There’s signs of hope through. Some of the trees didn’t get fully cooked and have new growth coming up from the roots.we were rooting for those babies as we walked by. It was a super cool hike.

 

Oh, we made it and had a great time. Planted 40 trees in some of the more remote sites on Friday and in some less remote sites Saturday. Lots of rooting from us as well for the new growth out there.






Also, found a very cool summit log entry.

 

Great work on the trees! And the summit log is priceless!

 

Fever dreams out here ... but cold as fuck.



My final trip to moja this year.



So many epic things to photograph. I'm parked back up on the dome, wishing it wasn't so damn cold. I didn't bring a coat!



Drove thru the York scar today... pleased to report that this place still exists:





Just ... so cold. I think I'm done.





Driving home. Seriously this time.

 

Yay!

And, nice pics. Here's one you may appreciate.

 

Delightful! Love how it picked up the luxor beam too lol.

Update: Baker is blacked out. No electricity. No gas.



Not a single pump working in town.

 

Damn. No thermometer and no gyros.

 

Planned outage:

https://www.vvdailypress.com/story/...between-california-and-las-vegas/76086919007/

Suppose to end by 6 am.

 

Well I didn't plan for it, that's for sure. Nor apparently did dozens of I-15 commuters blundering around town in darkness.

Thanks for solving the mystery while I drove home though!

For such a major oasis, I'm surprised they didn't set up a generator to keep one or two gas stations in service. Hopefully they posted advisories along the 15, at least?

Alarmingly there were no advisories posted along the Mojave trail from Cima to Soda Lake, nor along the doubletrack skirting the latter's eastern edge north to Baker. It was really confusing cresting the Kelbaker overpass, running on fumes, to face total darkness rather than the glow of sixteen bazillion brightly-lit gas pumps. I had confidently plunged the needle below 'E' to maximize my enjoyment of the day.



My photos don't do a good job showing how dark it was. Kind of eye-opening, not only literally, but with respect to how dependent we are on the infrastructure we routinely take for granted -- even when we are trying to get away from it all.

Good excuse to cycle fresh fuel into the Jerry cans. Enough for me and some poor family from ... I forget, Georgia or somewhere else terrible.


Also... trees were planted.


I once repainted one of the wheels. Guess I didn't match the color quite right.