Diet Taco... trying to keep things light

I’ve camped up there in late winter or early spring and bugs weren’t bad, and no burros. It was quiet and pleasant. And there’s a nice photogenic old car.

 

Mojave Day Trip
October 2019

I truncated my Inyos and Argus trip by a day to meet up with my brother for a day out in the Mojave. Nothing particularly spectacular as I was just revisiting a variety of sites that he hadn't seen before and trying to come up with a flexible itinerary that would hit a lot of different things. I planned out a variety of options along the I-15 corridor from Vegas to Baker and figured we would just see how the day went and how long various things took.

Technically our first stop was the largest Chevron in the world in Jean, NV. With 99 pumps (or maybe it was 100) you will never have to wait for gas here! Actually it is way better than trying to do anything at Primm where the freeway exit is often backed up and you end up twisting through various access roads to get anywhere. Despite my having the truck still essentially fully provisioned my brother wanted to pickup his own goodies for the road.

We first stopped at Valley Wells which is one of those places that looks like there is nothing there but upon further inspection has some interesting history.

Valley Wells Dugout


Lone Cottonwood
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From there we continued down to the communications site on Turquoise Mountain for low effort views. Unfortunately the views were pretty poor due to a lot of smoke now blowing up from LA area fires. The particulate size was definitely quite a bit bigger than your typical haze as my IR camera did nothing to cut through it. As forecast the winds were starting to pick up as well.

My idea of making sandwiches for lunch was vetoed and instead we picked up two mini-pizzas from the Pizza Hut in Baker. Threw them in a little $0.99 heat/cool bag I picked up somewhere and drove down Basin Road to the mouth of Afton Canyon. Temps were on the pleasantly warm side with all the breeze and we had a nice lunch parked in the shade of the railroad bridge.

From there is was a short drive over to Spooky Canyon which is one of the most impressive lowest effort slot canyons I know of. The two of us posed for my now standard photo there which I think my daughter and I have taken at least three times.

Spooky Canyon
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All this driving and poking around sucks up quite a bit of time but that was the point. It was good to catch up over the long drive.

What proved to be the last stop was the lava tube in MNP. Given it was late in the day I knew it would unfortunately not be quite as impressive as usual since the sun angle would be too low to come into the skylight in the roof. Still would be a fun stop and excuse to traverse Cima Dome instead of repeating a section of the I-15.

Getting inside I was surprised to discover there is a second tiny skylight in the very back of the cave and the sun happened to be lined up with it right as we entered. Clearly this geometry wasn't going to last long so I immediately deployed my little hiking tripod and camera. We quickly kicked up some dust to emphasize the beam and I posed my brother just behind where the light struck the light colored floor in hopes this would bounce enough fill light. Hit the shutter timer and got where I wouldn't obscure the shaft of light. Before I could try a different exposure the shaft started to disappear and in a minute it was gone completely. Fortunately it all worked out as I had planned on the first try.

Forgot the Staff of Ra in the truck...
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After that we continued across Cima Dome and enjoyed the extensive and dense Joshua tree forest that covers its northern slope. Hit pavement again and returned to Vegas. The winds were now really blowing hard and we could see a few large dust storms building off of the playas in the area. Managed to just out run one plume before it began to envelop the I-15 as it descends toward Vegas.

I got the truck cleaned out quickly and transferred my luggage to my brother's vehicle. We dropped the truck off at storage and had a late dinner at Lawry's. Mmmmmm.... prime rib. Had been at least fifteen years since I'd been to a Lawry's. And then to bed and fly home early the next morning.

So nothing new but it was an excellent end to the trip to take a day showing my brother around some of the more off the beaten path sites around Mojave. Maybe we will manage to get together on another trip in less than five years this time.

 

Where in the world...

Well Diet Taco is going to have to stay behind for this one. But I will be 1GR-FE powered! Plus I am bringing some things from the truck with me. And I will have solitude in a desert for sure. So I feel the trip is “thread worthy”.

When I showed my wife photos of where I was going she said, “So instead of going to Death Valley like you always do you are going to fly forever to go someplace that looks exactly like Death Valley.” My reply, “Yes, of course!”

Now that I’m airborne it seems the trip is really happening. So I feel I can post without jinxing myself too badly.

Speaking of airborne, one hint as to the destination. Here’s what the menu looks like on my flight right now:

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..tho i cain't make any sense of that..i'll take my chances and order a #3

 

Mind the Russains. They've been quite emboldened in those parts lately.

 

Someone else seems to have a posthumous influence as well...

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Jeebus. Apparently you've been suffering from too much peace and quiet. But I'm confident you rigorously researched all your body armor options.

 

I wouldn't get that unless it's very fresh.

 

I am tempted to say "Thank you for your service".

 

Toyota Fortuner

So Diet Taco couldn’t come on this trip but at least it is Toyota camping. In this part of the world there isn’t a Forerunner but instead the Fortuner. Nearly the same V6 as our trucks. 4WD and has a locking diff. Being a rental it has P rated tires... grrr. And running boards.

Well it gets up wadis to camp sites and handled some extremely steep roads so far. Did turn around once due to concerns of clearance and tires.

Setting up a tent in light wind made me really miss the FlipPac.

Anyway I think I’ll stick with food theme and call this delicate ride “Fortune Cookie”.

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Not scary at all...

So where I am isn’t really scary at all. There are a number of countries very nearby that are scary and which you hear about in the news all the time. This place however has been sailing smoothly for almost half a century now and so of course you probably haven’t heard much about it since good news is no news to turn a phrase around.

I don’t have a laptop with me so I can’t get any images off my “real” camera yet. Which means the photos I’m posting are from my phone and probably still have geolocation data in them. So no cheating if you are going to guess the location.

One better known feature is this country’s own “Grand Canyon” which lives up to its name.

 

Saudi Arabia? I thought you were crazy but after this post that's where you must be?

 

I think he's just a little further east.

 

Oh, man, I think I got it!

 

Pretty close, but no bone saws where I am.

Yep.

You sure did!

 

Happy National Day!

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November 18th is National Day here in Oman. This past weekend (that’s Friday and Saturday in most Islamic nations) families were all about with the kids dressed up taking photos at various historic locations. Given what most of the neighborhood is like in this part of the world it is easy to understand why Omanis are so proud of their country.

Oman has a very interesting history, both recent and in the more distant past. The Wikipedia article on Oman gives a good overview.

Logistically the place is easy with good infrastructure and plenty of English speakers. In fact I haven’t had the opportunity to use any of the Arabic phrases I practiced.

The scenery is pretty amazing and some of the roads are just insane. I’ve never been on any as steep as these, in particular sustained short, steep switchbacks climbing nearly a thousand feet. They are for the most part in excellent condition as villagers use them frequently.

Anyway, good job on those who figured out the location! I’m here a few more days and starting to run out of steam. I’ll post a compact trip report when I get back. For now one more photo from my phone...

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Oman
November 2019

I traded in most of my fall trips for a long trip to Oman as a change of pace. It was a delightful trip. I could have done and seen way more things than I did but I didn't want to be exhausted so I mostly limited myself to about eight hours of activity a day. Logistics are really easy, nearly everything is signed in English and Arabic and Google Maps works pretty well. You can find almost anything you want to eat or drink that isn't alcohol or formerly a pig in the Carrefour or Lulu "Hypermarkets" that exist in most of the major cities. Anyone remotely associated with the tourist industry speaks enough English to get by. It is a very safe country as well.

Anyone who likes the desert southwest of the US will feel pretty comfortable in Oman. The major difference is that people have lived here and practiced agriculture for a few thousand years. They didn't get killed or chased off the land and still live here. So there really isn't the same feeling of isolation and solitude as you get on a random patch of BLM land. On the other hand it means there are some pretty amazing villages to explore and stay in. It also means the road infrastructure is excellent since people use it every day.

Costs are very similar to the US as far as food and lodging goes. Some of the villages have what are essentially bed and breakfasts in neat restored mud brick houses and these tend to be pricier than the hotels despite the more primitive accommodations. Worth it in most cases in my opinion though.

I rented a 4WD Toyota Fortuner. I happened to rent it through an operator that will also load it up with camping gear for you and drop it off at your hotel. In the end as my itinerary developed through the trip I ended up only camping one night! I was having so much fun in the northeast part of the country where there are plenty of places to stay that I ended up cutting out long drives to the south where I had planned on doing most of my camping.

Some of the roads are amazing. If you like driving around Death Valley or other such places there are plenty of great routes in this country that will make your jaw drop.

I recommend "The Rough Guide to Oman" for general planning. This is more of an outdoor oriented travel book but includes all the usual travel stuff as well.

For off road travel you will want the hard to find "Oman Off-Road" from Explorer Publishing. Nearly impossible to get in the US so expect to pay through the nose and pay for international shipping. If anyone is seriously curious about an Oman trip please PM me and I'm happy to lend you my copy. USPS Media Mail is really cheap.

I also strongly recommend "Oman Jewel of the Arabian Gulf" by Georg Popp. This gives excellent history and cultural information on Oman. It is a fairly remarkable place and it'd be a shame to spend all the time and money going there without a little context.

I had ten days for exploring on my trip. I left the US on a Sunday evening and got back on a Friday afternoon. I could have spent a lot more time there of course.

There is no commonly accepted transliteration of Arabic so expect to find names spelled a variety of ways.

This isn't a usual trip report and I'll just do this one post with captioned photos. I felt it worthwhile to post since I won't be posting many fall trips this year and I also thought folks who like the desert would be interested in this more off the beaten path desert.

Feel free to ask questions!

Wakan Village is perched on a high ridge with exiting road access


Many places have small public spaces to sit in and enjoy the view


The walk above Wakan is delightful. Note the tiny canal next to the path called a falaj which distributes water to the plantations. The falaj systems can be incredibly intricate.


Wakan from above. Standing near here suddenly the valley was filled with the call to prayer echoing from at least three different mosques. This happens five times a day pretty much everywhere in the country. Out in the wilderness it certainly sets an exotic mood.


The inn I stayed in served dinner and breakfast on a terrace with quite the view.


There are many excellent canyon hikes. Here a huge section of canyon wall fell across creating a tunnel.


Feels like it could be in the Cottonwood mountains in DVNP, except for all the water. This was a fairly magical chamber near the end of the hike. It is the source for a falaj that waters a plantation and village at the mouth of the canyon. Many of the small stone canals have been replaced by plastic piping which is much easier to maintain. Often the intricate falaj distribution canals in the plantations themselves are still traditionally maintained but the long haul back to the source has been replaced by piping.


There are mosques everywhere. Sometimes fairly large but often in a village just a tiny single room structure.


I didn't swim this but it was a fun hike getting to this point.


Crazy roads with crazy views. If you open this at original size you should be able to trace the road winding into the distance sometimes cutting right across near cliff faces.


Light show over Al Hamra


In many villages ruins and occupied houses abut. The mud construction erodes quite quickly if not maintained. As the country has modernized many houses and entire villages have been abandoned and are quickly falling to pieces.


Misfat al Abriyyin


The date palm plantations are really fun to explore. It is easy to get lost quite fast.


My room in Misfah Old House. Traditionally there was little furniture as people sat and ate on rugs with pillows against the wall for back support. Windows are positioned appropriately right along the floor. The traditional architecture includes shelves and nooks built into the thick walls.


Breakfast nook at Misfah Old House. This building is right in the middle of the plantation so you hear water running through the falaj system continuously as if you were by a stream.


The "Balcony Walk" is the most famous trail in the country which follows the edge of what is known as "The Grand Canyon of Oman". The trail ends after about two miles at an extremely remote abandoned village.


Easily eroded strata create alcoves along the trail.


My version of a selfie.


There are forts and watchtowers everywhere. Many have been extensively restored. The architecture is fun to explore and often like a maze.


Most forts were but ruins in the 1970s but have been rebuilt using traditional construction materials and methods over the years. Depending on the fort you visit it may have no furnishings and no guide books or signage. Or it may house museum exhibits. Or it may be extensively refurnished and have an excellent audio guide. Or the curators may invite you for tea and dates. Or it may be closed indefinitely for restoration.


Oman National Day was being celebrated while I was there. The Omanis all seem very proud of their long history and especially of the country's accomplishments over the past fifty years. As there is no free press it is difficult to get a fair read on what everyone really thinks, but they do all seem pretty happy and dress up the kiddos for National Day.


Omani mothers seems just as adept at family social media photos as anyone else.


The roads. The views. Just crazy. Many are terrifyingly steep but very well maintained.


Washes and canyons are called "wadis" in Arabia. Many are impressive chasms. Often with villages snuggled right up against them.


There are goats pretty much everywhere.


Not really considered an invasive species here.


Charming plantation​

 

Greate photos and words. Curious as to your interaction with the people (easy - difficult) in terms of language/culture, etc. What temperature variations did you experience?

While I truly enjoy your DV adventures and photos, this is certainly an acceptable substitute. And thanks for sharing.

John

 

Amazing