Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Not for humans of course--barring something unforeseeable. But I think there's a non-zero chance I'll live long enough to see an actual photograph of an exoplanet. Or at least to watch the launch of such a such a space probe. And I'm not counting on beating current trends in life expectancy. There are efforts underway to develop the requisite technologies -- it's not out of reach.



Anyway, here's another shot from yesterday, a horizontal squeeze in a slot canyon of sorts... I don't know if it has a name, but if not, it should be called the TSA. Because it fucking stole my pocket knife.

 

That first shot is badass. Nicely executed

 

I did this today. Really easy process.

 

What's with the paved circle at "Evelyn, CA"?



So there's this paved perfect circle of roadway, almost 300 feet in diameter at the centerline, off the 127 between DV Junction and Shoshone...



It's paved like a highway... perfectly round, with evidence of repairs and several yellow center lines painted on it. Like... well, like a highway! There's an outer circle of perturbed land forming a 500-foot diameter circle.



Going there last week didn't answer anything, if anything it just posed more questions... Like... why is there a small lockbox post there, with a US flag sticker?



(Sorry I only took the one picture, due to an unrelated but suddenly urgent health issue)

So my question, if it's not apparent yet: Does anyone know the story here? Why does this exist?

I saw a similar circle just north of Ibex Pass, although that one isn't paved:



The truth is out there...



ETA:

Thank you!

 

Aliens. Definitely aliens. Only reasonable explanation.

Maybe a vehicle testing site? That’s an odd one for sure.

 

I fucking knew it... and the government is in on it--they left their flag right on the underground access hatch!!!

 

The box with the flag is probably something to do with a buried cable. Maybe a midspan repeater or something.

The circles? idk. Maybe it's a marker designed for airplanes? Like the giant arrows for the old airmail routes?

 

It’s a skid pad for GM car testing. After the bankruptcy they couldn’t afford a big desert test center like Honda near Jawbone, or Hyundai at California City, so this was the best they could do to keep up with the competition. The flag decal is to fool people that don’t realize Buicks are made in China nowadays.

 

This means I was right! There’s a first for everything.

I didn’t realize that Honda and Hyundai had testing sites in Kern County, but that’s cool to know.

 

i have no idea about this site and circles.
in the old days many large and small lumber sawmills operated near the vast forests that needed to be clearcut. the sawmill would have a huge steel constructed kiln to dry the lumber.
it is possible to spot old circular sites that were the location of the kiln. the kilns would burn 24/7. the largest kiln i ever saw was Michigan-Cal in Camino.
there is also an old circular site out near Dyer, that is supposedly a "mill site", but most likely not a lumber mill, rather some kind of mineral mill.
as much as the truth is out there, i figure that there is much more non-truth...

 

Same image in Gaia with vague description that might mean something to someone, although my vote goes for hidden ICBM launch site.

 

If you know you’re there, you can spot the trees around the Honda oval, and there’s a sign on the road that runs nearby, off Hwy 14. Not sure if it’s still active. The Hyundai site is newer and signed off 58. Both are very visible on Google Earth/satellite views.

 

Pavement testing site?

 

That's the entrance to one of those secret FEMA prisons.

 

I guess it's definitely not this. Oh well.

 

So, I don't know this to be true for sure, but let me add a circle to your list (from my last story). This one is by the Laurel Lakes trailhead, along 395.



Now, I don't know if this is actually true, but I questioned that circle as well... and may have even suggested were to blame. But then, a helpful reader left this comment on my site:

I suppose it's probably true, since all your circles also seem to me next to major highways. Or, maybe, that just makes diffusion into our society easier for the .

 

I dunno, I don't see any evidence of a grid connection along the highway... I'm no expert, but I'm not buying the utility box theory.

And airplanes follow arrows because they're shaped like arrows. This thing is round. We have a word for round things that fly... Alien UFOs, man!

Well I guess that's several words. Whatever--this point goes to the aliens.

A compelling theory! But... this circle clearly pre-dates the cash-for-clunkers era and GM's bailout. I mean, it wasn't that long ago.

I remember when one of those huge desert test tracks was up for sale during the recession -- pennies on the dollar! I bought a good fistful of lottery tickets hoping to buy it for myself. God, if only I had picked the right numbers back then... I'd be cruising around in a batmobile at mach 2 right now. But nope, instead I'm eating Doritos for dinner and spewing inanity on an internet forum.

That said, I don't mean to brush off your entirely reasonable theory.

So, I know a retired GM engineer; as part of his prolific career, he led road-test campaigns in the CA deserts, in the 70s and 80s. (An era more consistent with the apparent age of this pavement.) I forget what they called it... something like "hot test" or "hot trip." His test videos were epic--one of those moments that made me question my own career choices. I mean, nobody's ever paid me to push brand-new cars to their limits with a whole support team in trail. Just saying...

Anyway, I just talked to him, sent him the photos and coordinates too. He doesn't recognize this site, and doesn't think it has anything to do with GM testing. He further laments the modern trend towards testing cars via computer simulations rather than road testing.

So... sorry dude, I'ma have to award this point to the aliens as well. And minus one to modern automakers!


Oh, and what's with this anti-America blasphemy? Buicks are as American as tacos, swiss cheese, and freedom itself.


Wait... was this a joke the whole time? I literally just hit up an old friend for the first time in years to ask him if he tested cars here.

Nope, I checked. Another point for the aliens.

Hmm... it would make sense to call that a "materials testing site," as suggested by @Desert Dog 's Gaia image:

Two points to "pavement testing site!"



But I'm not buying the ICBM theory. We already have tons of ICBMs scattered across the great plains, and have abandoned many more sites throughout much of the country. Those still in operation are shockingly uninteresting, just fenced-off squares of dirt amidst endless farmland. Not even a guard house... although I'm pretty sure if you drove into one in your pickup truck, someone will show up and shoot you. I circled this place twice and didn't get shot--not even slightly.

So sorry dude, the ICBM point goes to the aliens as well.

Sounds like something an alien would say... but I'll award the point to "asphalt trucks." Wonder why they needed that yellow center line to mix asphalt here, though.




So... here's the tally:

- Modern automakers: -1
- Asphalt trucks: 1
- Pavement test site: 2
- Aliens: 7



The truth is out there

 

With a designation like "materials site" and the explanation provided by Weirick's comment, that seems like the most likely explanation. Where it breaks down is that I would expect more staining from the oil and asphalt. Even rock/gravel leaves a mark over time. Still, it makes the most sense.

 

Definitely off topic, but your writing skills are superb. I guess the god of sarcastic writing took a liking to you.

 

Wow, that’s the most time and words anyone has ever used to analyze one of my bad jokes. Even if you were also joking.