AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

I recently followed in your footsteps and visited the Queen of Sheba Mine, Hungry Bills, etc. The roads to Queen of Sheba and into Galena Canyon are nice and slow. While driving at a snail's pace up those roads, I wondered what air pressure you generally use on roads like that (very rocky, nothing quite large). I generally air down to about 18 psi in Death Valley (same tires and size as you). Thanks for sharing your adventures!

 

18psi is about my target as well. I'm sort of lazy at getting there though (I use these deflators) so I end up in the 16-19 range. And of course, it varies through the day with temperature and elevation.

As far as speed goes - I've learned three things:

1. Slower is faster. I learned this one from Eric @RelentlessFab when he said it to one of his guys when they were installing my bumper (back before I knew how to do any work on the Tacoma). I've never forgotten it. In the context of roads - a slower pace keeps the truck running (vs. breaking), and you want to soak in the surroundings anyway.
2. What's slow to one is fast to another. I know that a lot of the guys I first started exploring with wondered how long it could possibly take me to get over a simple obstacle on some of my first trips. I can't thank them enough for their patience, though I try every chance I get (Monte @Blackdawg, Mike @Digiratus, Ben @m3bassman, Zane @Speedytech7). Now, with more experience, I've heard that I can sometimes be hard to keep up with (except on pavement where I'm still frustratingly slow, hahaha).
3. The right line is more important to speed than tire pressure. I'm certainly still learning, but there's nothing more important than the right line.

Glad you're enjoying the stories, always nice to hear when folks do!

And, I hope you enjoyed the canyons - did you have a chance to hike them as well?

 

I don't remember being patient.

 

All Alone | Joshua Tree #3
Part of the My First Time in Joshua Tree (Feb 2023) trip.

Boy was I lucky. My night at 5380 feet on the top of Eureka Peak was a little cool - not a problem given my doubled-up down comforters - with just the slightest breeze to keep air moving through the tent. It was a far cry from the wind event that was bearing down on the region - and that I'd suffer through over the remainder of my visit - but I woke up well-rested and looking forward to a beautiful day!

A little alpenglow on San Gorgonio Mountain just before the sun crested the horizon.​

A bit of sun dusting the San Jacinto Mountains, the clouds still ablaze with color.​

Though I was technically camped in Joshua Tree National Park, I new I needed to get an early start to my morning; I had quite a trek to get back to the main part of the park, where the hikes I'd planned for my day were clustered.

First though, I wanted to make a stop at Coyote Hole Canyon. Located outside of the park, and only a few hundred yards from the nearest houses, this special canyon contains a concentration of petroglyphs that will rival any found inside the park itself.

Coyote Hole is well-known to the locals, who have worked over the years - and continue to do so with the Native American Land Conservancy, an inter-tribal group which, among other activities, acquires “threatened cultural landscapes” - to preserve and keep this special place cleaned up.

After visiting, I learned that there is apparently new signage at each of the main access points stating that non-tribal visitors are not allowed without permission. I didn't run into any of this signage on the rather circuitous cross-country route I took, but please respect any signage you encounter.

​

A smooth, 15-foot dry fall initially stymied my search.​

As I bypassed the fall, I happened to stumble on this yanic fertility symbol, which I've never seen anyone mention in the context of this area.​

Having marked a location on my GPS, I'd expected to find the petroglyphs reasonably quickly. However, upon my arrival, I searched for a good 15 minutes, eventually finding only a single very faint set of glyphs.

Though they were faint, it's always a special experience to find petroglyphs.​

Not knowing if this was all there was to find - and thoroughly enjoying the experience of being in this peaceful canyon itself - I retraced my circuitous route to the Tacoma, ready to head into Joshua Tree proper.

It was in the Tacoma that I happened to pull up a few photos of the area - other trip reports that I'd researched prior to my visit - and realized that I'd definitely missed the main attraction of Coyote Hole. Torn between going back and looking again, or just continuing on with my day, I probably sat there for a good five minutes before hopping back out of the truck and heading back into the canyon.

On my second visit - as I reached the main wash - I ran into Bob. A member of the Serrano Tribe, he was quietly walking up the wash, along an invisible path I can only assume he's traveled many times before. Greeting me with a smile, he reached out his hand as he asked my name, and how I found myself in Coyote Hole. Relating my story and after hearing his, he gazed up at the walls around us, "This is such a beautiful place in the morning. There is so much history here, I hope you enjoy it," he said.

It was an interaction that became the highlight of my visit - all due to my failure to find the petroglyphs on my first attempt, and my decision to head back a second time.

A short time later, I found the petroglyphs I'd been looking for.​

Many of the glyphs were high on the canyon walls.​

Geometric shapes dominated the site, with only a few recognizable figures.​

Time takes its toll on rock art, though I quite like the jagged edge of this rock where it split off.​

Covering the same ground for the fourth time went quickly and soon I was on my way into Joshua Tree National Park, only a few minutes after 8:00am. Still, the line of cars at the entrance station was already a quarter mile long, making me glad that I'd entered the park via the routes I had prior to this point.

Showing my America the Beautiful pass once I reached the entrance station, I was waved through - no colored card (as one receives in Death Valley) to put on my dash - and within minutes I was parked along the side of the road in an unmarked turnout. This was the trailhead for my first six-mile hike of the day. I was headed to Samuelson's Rocks.

Across the desert, all alone.​

This was a cute Hedgehog Cactus I ran across. (Echinocereus engelmannii)​

Though this is not an "official" hike in Joshua Tree, there are several other trails that are crossed - or followed briefly - along the way, some of which have seen improvements, perhaps by the CCC.

Stairway through a desert garden.​

Mostly downhill from the trailhead to a valley with a small, rocky hill that Samuelson and his wife once called home, I made good time as the sun rose into the sky. Glad for the sunscreen I'd applied, I found myself wishing that I'd also brought along a windbreaker - a westerly wind periodically picking up and pushing its way through the lightweight, long-sleeved shirt I've taken to wearing for sun protection and its ability to breath - especially as I reached the rocks and my hat was nearly blown from my head!

Rock 1: The Rock of Faiht and Truht. Nature is God. The key to life is contact. Evolution is the mother and father of mankind. Without them we be nothing. John Samuelson, 1927.​

After finding the first rock, I set out to find the remaining six.

Rock 2: Religion is a code of moralls for us to live by no more. Hell is here on this earth no other plase. Moast of it we make our selfe as to haven find it in a lifetime. Nothing proven after death by preast of scientist?​

Rock 3: Mother time. Neither wealth laws nor army's can stop the human mind from creating new or emprove up on the present day. Religion and goverment. Water is saft onley hard in the chemicall's but with time the ocean can griend the hardest granit to a powdered sand. So with time will the human race griend out it's own destiny's regardless of the opposition or party in power.​

John Samuelson moved to Joshua Tree in 1926. A Swedish immigrant, he initially worked for Bill Keys as a ranch hand and miner at the Hidden Gold Mine near Keys View.

However, a year later, Samuelson left Keys employ to work his own claim in Lost Horse Valley. Building a small cabin with his wife Margret, this is where he would spend his free time carving his views into the varnished granite stones nearby.

​

Atop the pile of rocks, this old bedframe still rests where the Samuelson's cabin once sat.​

Unfortunately, after filing for a homestead, it was ruled that as a non-U.S. citizen, he could not legally hold the land’s title. Defeated, Samuelson sold his claim and he and his wife moved to the Los Angeles area.

In 1942, Samuelson was arrested for murder after getting into an argument - and then killing - two men at a tavern in Compton. Before going to trial he was declared insane and was sent to a state hospital in Mendocino from which he escaped four years later and fled to Washington State.

For more than two decades Samuelson worked as a logger until, in 1954, he sent a letter to Keys indicating his desire - and hesitancy due to a fear of being caught - to return to the desert. Shortly thereafter, Samuelson was involved in a logging accident and died from his injuries.

Petro-Prophetic Words Hewn In Stone​

Rock 4 (side 1) Wake up you take and bond slaves. A politician is a bird that get's in on the tax payors poket book for a fat rake of and his free keep's. He lead's you by the noose with one hand with the other he digs in your pocket. A freind of the banker and big business why?.
Rock 4 (side 2): Ar eyou the fellow MrMellow that grabed all our dough. Ain't you better up and tell us. Where in the hell did it go.​

Rock 5: God made man but then Henry Ford put wheels under em. Thoa master of the gold'n rule he must die to be aprissiated.​

Rock 6: Judge Ben Lindsen a man that understands humanety and big anough to live it.
Study nature obey the laws of it you can't go wrong. It payes compound interest for life and not one penny envested.?​

Rock 7: The milk of human kindness aint got thick cream on it for all of us. Ask Hoover?​

Fighting the wind the entire time I was hopping from rock to rock in search of the seven that contained the musings of this strange dude, it was a relief to retreat to the relative calm of the desert floor. That's not to say that the calm would last - in fact, quite the opposite - but at this particular juncture, the only indication of the atmospheric turmoil was high overhead.

The clouds were looking fantastic from below, even if the weather up there was frightful.​

Not far from Samuelson's Rocks, I'd also gotten wind of the ruins of an old homestead. I'd assumed that this was where Samuelson lived, but it seems that this wasn't his place. Rather, its owner - like so many others - has been lost to time.

Anyone for a Pabst? The waste pile was the first thing I ran into.​

Slowly being reclaimed.​

From the homestead, I realized that I could take a different - and as a side benefit, more direct - route back to the Tacoma. Completely trailless, but with a view the endless traffic on Park Blvd the entire time, it was a pleasant climb up the valley. Following a series of washes rather than footprints, I startled several jackrabbits - every last one of them quick enough to escape without having their photo taken or becoming dinner.

By the time I got back to the truck it was lunch time. While I wouldn't have complained about eating, what this really meant for me was that I needed to find a camp site for the evening - so I didn't end up in the same situation I'd found myself in the night before. Luckily, Hidden Valley campground wasn't too far away, and after driving through the entire campground I found only a single site - and the last one in the loop - unoccupied.

With no camp host and the first-come-first-served envelopes missing at the pay station, I scratched out a quick note to attach to the site post, left a backpack full of dirty clothes on the picnic table, and made a beeline for the entrance station where I could fork over my $15 to have a spot to spend the night. It would be the worst night of my trip - not because I was in a campground, but because of that pesky wind I've been alluding to. Of course, we'll get to that in due time.

I found it only slightly worrying that the NPS employee at the entrance station recalled another camper reserving this site a few hours before I did.​

Happy to have my sleeping accommodations sorted out, it was time for my second six-mile hike of the day. This time, I planned to hike the Maze Loop to a viewpoint of Window Rock - an arch - because, like dugouts, aerial tramways, rail track, ore carts, and views, I'm a sucker for arches.

The clouds in the sky continued to show off as I set off on my loop.​

The Park Service calls this loop "The Maze", but for anyone who's hiked more than ten minutes in a Wonderland of Rocks, the naming might seem a little... gratuitous. However, I've apparently only spent nine minutes in Wonderlands because - despite plentiful signage - I immediately wandered half a mile off my intended trail, turning my six-miler into seven.

At least I got some nice views on my little detour.​

Back on track, this barrel cactus - or is it a cotton top? - caught my eye.​

Wandering through the Wonderland of Rocks, San Gorgonio Mountain in the distance.​

If this doesn't scream Joshua Tree...​

Down, but definitely not out. Amazing how this guy could survive - for quite a long time - having been almost entirely uprooted!​

The viewpoint for Window Rock was at the halfway point of the loop, and with a little luck, I caught it with a bit of blue in the sky as the wind whipped the clouds by at a breakneck pace.

It was all I could do to hold the camera steady for these shots.​

Wishing - once again, I'm a quick learner - that I'd brought along a windbreaker, the second half of The Maze loop forced me directly into the wind. What had been 40mph gusts were becoming sustained at 30- and gusting to 55mph. But hey, I probably burned some extra calories!

As I headed back to the warmth of the Tacoma cab, this V-22 Osprey thumped by overhead!​

It was mid-afternoon when I got back to the truck and enjoyed single serving of powdered donettes. At least, I assumed that the 15 donettes in the bag constituted a single serving, as it was only one bag. Having left the bag in the cab, it was every-so-slightly warm, making the little round cakes ever-so-pleasantly soft. Frankly, I was lucky to have not left a second "serving" laying around as well.

My stomach a little happier, I hoped I had time for a couple more short hikes before calling it a day. Luckily for me, the trailheads were clustered nearby and so after a few miles of pavement I was ready to go. Even luckier, as I was setting out relatively late in the afternoon, there were relatively few other people on these (usually) busy routes - a nice coincidence of hiking these places later in the day!

First up was a short detour to check out a another - given that I'd visited the Brunette Red Lady - pictograph of a red lady. This one - simply called "Red Lady" - was located right along a reasonably popular trail, and yet still went unnoticed by the vast majority of people who walked by.

Red Lady.​

With the trail winding through the rocks, most people were more focused on watching their noggins than looking for rock art.​

I found this very deep (8-10 inches) metate nearby, which I liked nearly as much as the pictograph.​

After a successful hunt, I turned my attention to the Barker Dam loop. Only a little more than a mile-and-a-half long, this turned out to be the most pleasant hike of my entire time in Joshua Tree. The light was just right, the crowds were small and reasonably spaced, and the hike's location - sheltered on all sides by decomposing granite boulders and ridges - meant that the winds raging elsewhere in the park were nearly non-existent. I'd finally brought along my windbreaker, and now I didn't need it!

This tree seemed to be hugging a granite buddy.​

An hour before sunset and filtering through clouds, the soft light made everything seem so calm.​

If you weren't looking for it, you could almost miss the dam itself.​

In the early 1900s, ranchers, needing water for their stock, searched for ways to supplement natural water sources. They dug wells, improved springs, and expanded natural catch basins in drainages of canyons and rock formations by building small dams.

This area began as a natural tank, a catch basin for rainfall and runoff. It was expanded into a dam by the Barker & Shay Cattle Company, and later enlarged by Bill Keys, owner of the Desert Queen Ranch. At its maximum it encompasses about 20 acres. A pipeline once carried water to the cattle trough in the wash below the dam.

​

I don't often see a concrete cattle trough.​

Cattle ranching was a short-lived effort in this area. When the rainfall decreased in the early part of this century, grasses declined and many springs dried up. Cattle raising gradually moved farther west to greener pastures.

NPS sign​

The only water I saw was between the upper dam and a much shorter dam 50 feet down the wash. Even here, it was only a couple inches deep, well below the colorful waterline on the rocks.​

The rest of the loop turned out to be even more interesting than the namesake attraction. Following a decomposing granite outcropping, my eye was easily drawn to a large cave with - what looked like - a bunch of pictographs. Or were they petroglyphs? Or, wait, what the heck was going on here?

Something seems fishy.​

It wasn't until I returned that I learned that these were once a set of authentic petroglyphs, likely Serrano in origin. In 1960, a film crew - contracted by Disney to produce a TV episode entitled "Walt Disney Presents: Chico the Misunderstood Coyote" - painted over the original faint petroglyphs in order to make them more visible on camera. The damage, of course, is irreversible.

Look how the lower petroglyphs - those that wouldn't be seen on film - were not embellished with color.​

​

This sheep reminded me of the one we'd seen in the Mt. Irish Wilderness along the Pahranagat Trail.​

Some cute Mojave Mound Cactus growing nearby. (Echinocereeus triglochiderus var. mojavensis)​

Not far from the Disney petroglyphs-turned-pictographs, I plunged off the trail in search of a few more bits of rock art that my research of the area had uncovered. This area - one that modern American's have designated as a National Park - has obviously been a special place long before the modern era, and I'm sure there are galleries full of yet-to-be-discovered rock art hidden everywhere. In fact, as I poked around in the area I expected to find some "modern" rock art, I stumbled upon some that was likely authentic as well!

Two more ladies; this time in more modern attire.​

As I was looking for the modern etchings, I accidently stumbled on these original works. Note the shading of the granite behind each petroglyph.​

Another deep metate.​

Before long, I'd wrapped up my loop through the Barker Dam area, and it was time for my final short excursion of the day. Only a few hundred feet away, I planned to do only a segment of another - much longer - loop that would take me to Bill Keys old mill, the Wall Street Mill. I'd have to get a move-on though, the sun was getting pretty low in the sky.

While my last hike had been sheltered from what were now sustained 40mph winds, creating a hazy - almost eerie - light when looking towards the sun.​

Away from the sun, the cloud formations were turning lenticular. Was precipitation on the way?​

Luckily for me, the entirety of the out-and-back hike to the Wall Street Mill was a little less than two miles - something I was hopeful that I could get halfway through before the light dropped enough that I couldn't take any photos. As it turned out I was lucky - my timing affording me a striking sky above the mill and not another soul on the ground. Sometimes lightning does strike twice!

On the way to the mill an old ruin with pink walls.​

A rusting 1929 Lincoln Phaeton in the wash.​

​

The windmill at the Desert Queen Well. Excavated in 1908 by William Morgan, the well was drilled 116 feet to reach water for the Desert Queen Mine a few miles east.​

Bill Keys played a large role in the development of the Joshua Tree region. One of the more infamous stories involves a gunfight between Keys and a man named Worth Bagley.

A retired lawman, Worth Bagley moved into a nearby homestead in the late 1930s. An argument developed over access to water produced at the Wall Street Well, part of Keys Wall Street Mill mining operation. After some time, a few of Keys’ cattle were mysteriously shot and Bagley reportedly became obsessed with murdering Keys over access to the water.

​

The well in question.​

In May 1943, Bagley placed a hand-written, cardboard sign, “KEYS, THIS IS MY LAST WARNING. STAY OFF MY PROPERTY,” squarely in the middle of a road that Bill Keys had driven on thousands of times in the preceding three decades. As Keys surveyed the sign, he caught sight of Bagley, charging down the hill with a gun in his hand. Suddenly Bagley, began shooting.

When it was over, Bagley lay dead.

​

Worth Bagley's stone.​

Having defended himself against the agitated and mentally ill Bagley, Keys dutifully turned himself in to the local authorities, only to suffer an unjust trial and a lifetime sentence at San Quentin.

For 12 years, Keys and his wife fought to clear his name. Eventually, after engaging the help of Erle Stanley Gardner (a lawyer, and the man that created the Perry Mason stories) who published the story in Argosy Magazine, Governor Goodwin Knight granted Keys a full and unconditional pardon.

​

A river of gold in the sky as I approached the Wall Street Mill.​

Rail used to load ore into the two-stamp Wall Street Mill.​

A custom gold mill acquired and operated by Keys, gold was processed in batches for local mines in the area, and Keys would keep a small percentage of the returns.​

Interestingly, there was never a mine at the location of the Wall Street Mill.​

Another of Keys' converted ore haulers.​

Thrilled to have made it to the mill with just enough light to poke around for a few minutes - not to mention having the place to myself - I headed back to the Tacoma and a wonderfully empty parking lot. A combination of wind, time of day, and warning that anyone parked here after sunset would receive a $180 ticket were likely contributing factors to the lack of other vehicles.

Time to head to camp.​

With my camp site less than 5 minutes away, I was soon pointed into the wind and doing my best to keep the burners on the Coleman camp stove running long enough to cook dinner. I knew - as I wolfed down the taco-rittoes - that this was going to be an interesting night. With a forecast of 75mph gusts and sustained winds of 50mph, waves of sand were already being blown through camp.

As the light left the sky, I knew there was no way I would be setting up the tent.​

It would be an interesting night to say the least. One where sleep was not my primary concern...




.

 

This is an amazing photograph. Well done.

 

The cows grazing was fascinating. I think Hollywood made a few episodes out that way--I wonder if there are any left over set pieces left?

 

I love that Bob gave you a hint - and you picked up on it to find what you were actually looking for - kind of what your trip reports do, give us hint into places to go explore. As Ive said before - you made us slow down our adventures...

 

That sunset photo of the ore hauler is also a modified Lincoln, complete with aluminum crankcase V8 (separate cast iron cylinders, and of course heads). The first truck you photographed had a non-Lincoln Ferro engine, or at least an engine with Ferro castings, and I’m not sure if the rest of the vehicle is actually a Lincoln. I wrote this up for another site; your pictures are better. Much better
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/trailside-classics-a-lincoln-v8-pickup-and-more/

 

I like the hints best. One of the best parts of any journey starts with the research

 

Thank you for the link!

 

Cary's Castle | Joshua Tree #4
Part of the My First Time in Joshua Tree (Feb 2023) trip.

Uncomfortably hunkered down in the passenger seat of the Tacoma with a towel covering my legs for warmth, I spent the first few hours of the night transferring photos to my computer and doing a bit of reading. By 9:00pm, winds were strong enough that waves of sand where being thrown against the side of the truck as it rocked relentlessly with each 60mph gust. It wasn't until nearly midnight - after falling asleep for a few hours - that I decided I really ought to point the nose into the wind.

Code:

...HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS
AFTERNOON TO 4 PM PST WEDNESDAY...

* WHAT...West winds 40 to 50 mph with gusts up to 65 to 75 mph expected.

* WHERE...Western portion of Joshua Tree National Park, Eastern portion of Joshua
Tree National Park, Chiriaco Summit, Palo Verde Valley and Chuckwalla Valley.

* WHEN...From 4 PM this afternoon to 4 PM PST Wednesday.

* IMPACTS...Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread
power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile
vehicles. Widespread blowing dust will be possible, leading to reduced visibility.

Fun times.​

Not wanting to open the doors - having experienced these types of winds and bending the driver side door hinges at Mt. Patterson - I crawled over the center console and rotated the truck into position before resuming my restless endurance of the relentless weather.

By 2:00am, windspeeds had increased significantly and the intermittent sandstorm became continuous - or at least, I thought it was sand. Not until daybreak did I realize that the sound I'd heard pelting the cab was snow - the entire ground covered in a thin layer of the white stuff.

No wonder I'd gotten so dang cold!

The snow wasn't deep at my camp site - most of it having been blown away - but other locations got upwards of 6 inches of fresh powder.​

Unlike my previous days, I had only two items on the agenda for my last full day in the park. First, I planned to drive Berdoo Canyon - a road that I've heard about several times in the context of Joshua Tree as being a must drive for any 4x4 enthusiast. Then, I was headed to the southern edge of the park for a eight-mile hike high into the Eagle Mountains - to Cary's Castle.

And so, freezing cold and eager to get the heater turned on in the Tacoma, I pulled out of camp a few minutes after 6:00am - well before sunrise - and headed south towards the Geology Loop Road and Berdoo Canyon. Almost immediately - passing a turnoff to Keys View - I got sidetracked, figuring that I might as well check it out if I was here!

Keys View was nice, but not as nice as the similar view I'd had from Eureka Peak the previous morning.​

By the time I was heading to Geology Loop Road, I got a splendid view of the Lost Horse Valley rock gardens.​

An hour later I was back on track, bumping along one of the few dirt roads in Joshua Tree, making my way towards the southern border of the park. It was still windy, but thankfully the worst of it seemed to have blown through, and when I arrived at Squaw Tank, I decided to get out and check it out while I munched on a few handfuls of trail mix.

Like many other tanks in the park, Squaw Tank was eventually dammed by ranchers in order to water their cattle in the early 1900's.​

For more than 1000 years, members of the Serrano tribe of nomadic Native American Indians inhabited this area, using Squaw Tank as a camp site where water could easily be gathered at different times of year. Numerous natural rock shelters dot the landscape, many of them with evidence their previous inhabitants.

I found this mortero at the mouth a small cave nearby.​

Heading south again on Geology Tour Road, the contrast between dark volcanic rock and light decomposing granite caught my eye.​

By 8:15am, I was entering Berdoo Canyon, a sign warning me that there was no cell signal - something I'd not had anywhere in the park - and that people have died on these back roads, so I'd better be careful.

That sounded good to me, and I pushed on, figuring that the 15 mile trail would take a couple hours to complete. That would put me into Indio, CA - where I could pick up a bit of fuel and stop at In-n-Out - for an early lunch, before searching for the treasure that is Cary's Castle.

Entering the "narrows" of Berdoo Canyon.​

One short stretch of trail had some nicely colored granite stretching up to the sky.​

Ultimately, Berdoo Canyon wasn't all that interesting - to me at least. The road was easy - nothing the right line in a Subaru couldn't accomplish - and for the most part, the views were only so-so. I suppose that for folks trying to get into Joshua Tree from the southwest, or for those who haven't done much off-road exploration, this could be a nice way to enter the park - but it sort of reminded me of Funnel Lake in Coyote Flat - popular for no particular reason except that showed up on YouTube and then everyone jumped on the bandwagon.

The lower canyon, rolling hills with some nice shading from the clouds.​

I do always like the wispy look of these smoke trees.​

Part way down the canyon, my check engine light came on. I've gotten used to this over the last couple of years - the culprit seemingly always the same: a P0420 code thrown by a catalytic converter that's eventually going to need to be replaced - so I didn't really worry about it as I fired up my OBDII reader to check and clear the code.

This time though, the code was different. A P0120, it was apparently a Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor “A” Circuit Malfunction. The throttle seemed to be working fine - I hadn't noticed any revving or slow throttle response - so I cleared the code and waited to see if it'd come back. Less than 30 seconds later, it did.

Awesome.

There wasn't much I could do until I got out of the canyon and to cell service, so I wrapped up the final few miles and made my way into town. Berdoo Canyon - in all its glory - had soaked up a whopping 41 minutes of my time. It was 9:01am, which meant I had two hours to kill until I could grab a couple burgers at In-n-Out.

After filling up on fuel, I pulled into the In-n-Out parking lot and was happy to see that employees were already showing up to work. Now with a little more than an hour to wait - while they warmed up the grills and got to cutting potatoes - I figured I might as well do a little research on the P0120 code while I aired up my tires.

Turns out that this code can be an indication of the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) - the thing that tells the computer how much gas you're giving the vehicle - is going out, but it can also indicate a problem with the air intake system. In that case, the computer expects a certain amount of air to be measured at the MAF and through the throttle body, but instead it sees a different amount.

The easiest way to determine the actual culprit is to check the real-time readings from the TPS, and if those readings - as you slowly depress the gas pedal - move smoothly through the range of values - then the culprit is likely the air intake system, and a good cleaning of the MAF and throttle body can often resolve the problem.

Well, that sounded promising, and I made a quick run over to AutoZone to pick up some cleaner for the MAF and throttle body. I'd end up using these in camp later in the evening, and I haven't seen the code since!

By 11:15am, my belly was full, the Tacoma was topped off, and I was on my way.

The clouds were looking nice along I-10.​

I wasn't on the freeway long before my exit presented itself and I headed for the hills, literally. My destination wasn't far - only a few miles of well-graded road - as the hike began at the Joshua Tree National Park boundary; no vehicles are allowed in the wilderness. I found a nice spot to park and got myself ready for a trek.

It was getting a bit breezy again, and I hoped that the high walls of the canyon would shelter me from most of the wind.​

This will do nicely.​

Heading up the wash, I'd finally remembered to wear my windbreaker.​

With my destination some four miles - and 1,250 vertical feet - away, I wondered how far into the Eagle Mountains I'd get before I found Cary's Castle. In fact - while not at the highest point - I'd be along the ridgeline, affording me views in all directions. I'll get to that in due time - for now, it was time to look around and enjoy the "roses." The wash - and then canyon - were full of spring!

Desert Canterbury Bells (Phacelia campanularia ssp. vasiformis). (left)
Arizona Lupine (Lupinus arizonicus). (right)​

This Palo Verde would provide a nice bit of shade on warm days.​

Orange Desert Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) - such a pop of color!​

This barrel cactus was doing just fine.​

Of course, besides spring, there was plenty of rockery around to indulge in as well. It was a good thing too - my feet sinking into the soft sand and making every step more difficult - because hiking up the sandy wash was quite the workout. The views allowed me to stop regularly for photos, since I definitely wasn't tired every few hundred yards. Nope, definitely not.

Some nice contrast on the ridgelines from the clouds above. I didn't realize when I set out that I'd soon find myself above those rocky ridges!​

Getting higher!​

Mr. Cholla, always *pure evil*, even stole focus from the rocks that were meant to take center stage in this part of the story. Plus, it's just waiting to drop a cholla ball on the unsuspecting barrel cactus below.​

Winding my way up the wash, at some point I realized that at each questionable point in the trail - where I wasn't sure if I should follow a route to the right or left - some idiot had spray painted the rocks with big dots and arrows to indicate the way. Seriously, what are people thinking?

This is why nice things get taken away.​

Eventually, I started to see evidence of Cary.​

Two hours after setting out - almost to the minute - I knew I was getting close.​

Near Cary's Castle sits the Welcome Stranger Mine, I figured I'd save the best for last, and headed over to check the mine out before searching for what I knew would be the highlight of the hike.

Arthur L. Cary - only in his early twenties at the time - was involved in the filing of four claims east of Eagle Peak between 1938 and 1940. The “Beacon #7," "Beacon #8,” “Welcome Stranger,” and “Duffie No. 1" were jointly filed with his father-in-law and other members of the Grisham family.

The Welcome Stranger Claim, which today is generally called “Cary’s mine” was located on November 12, 1938. Cary was the sole locator of this mine, which he estimated to be “…about 4.75 miles in an E/S direction from… the summit of Eagle Mountain”. Apparently, Cary wasn’t too good estimating distances - he overestimated by nearly 1.75 miles.

Tom Mahood​

All sealed up...​

...but a long way down.​

Retracing my steps, I rounded a corner to find my second house-build-into-boulders of this trip (the first being the cabin at the Eagle Cliff Mine a few days earlier). I have to admit - I was at least as excited this second time!

Cary's Castle and a sunstar!​

A bit of shimmying and I was able to get a shot of the back wall.​

Cary was born in Bogue, Kansas on July 18, 1914, to a farming family. By the time he was five, he and his family had moved to Colorado, a bit west of Lamar, eventually settling in Granada, Colorado where he went to high school and met his future wife Eleanor Fern Grisham.

By 1935 Cary had moved to the Coachella Valley in California, residing in El Centro, and by 1940 he was living just north of Holtville, still in the Coachella Valley. During this period, he and his wife had a son, Harold D. Cary, born November 5, 1939.

The 1940 census records show Cary, his wife Eleanor, and their son, all living with Elenor's parents - Tom and Ollie Grisham. Cary was employed as a vegetable truck driver making $1,820 annually (about $40,000 in 2023 dollars) and his father-in-law was employed as a ranch foreman but - as we’ll soon see - it appears the whole Cary/Grisham family had an interest in mining.

Voter registration records indicate Cary lived in Holtville for many years, at least until the 1960s, working as a mechanic and tractor operator. Oh, and he and his wife were Democrats for those who keep track of such things. Eventually he relocated to Nevada, near Las Vegas, and died April 8, 1976, in Henderson.

Tom Mahood​

Inside Cary's Castle it was a bit dusty and a bit... mousey.​

As I understand, many of the original artifacts were stolen, and these are replacements. ​

Cary wasn't the first one to use these rocks as shelter, the pictographs on the ceiling of his castle witness to those before him.​

A couple more shots of the front door.​

Delighted to have found the cabin, and after exploring around a bit more - which I highly recommend as there is more to find - I was ready to head back. A bit after 2:30pm, I had plenty of time to get down the mountain, so I was in no rush as I retraced my steps.

This colorful lichen clung to a boulder in a small side-wash.​

Ch-ch-cha chia. (Salvia columbariae)​

The views of the rocky ridges were no less mesmerizing on the way down than they were on the way up.​

I made it back to the Tacoma a little after 4:00pm and - for the first time all trip - I took it easy. Not knowing what the camp situation would be like at the location of my final hike the next morning, I decided that my perch - overlooking the Chuckwalla Valley - was the perfect spot to spend the night.

For a while, I hung out in warmth of the cab, watching in the distance as traffic moved east and west along I-10. Eventually, I remembered - something that's harder and harder these days - that I had some cleaning of my air intake that needed taking care of, so I did that. And finally, a little before sunset, I made my final dinner of the trip and deployed the tent.

Camp over the Chuckwalla Valley,​

As I'd suspected it would be, the hike to Cary's Castle had been one of my most enjoyable of the trip. In one of the most remote areas of Joshua Tree, its remoteness was part of what kept it so special. And, if that was any indication of my final hike the following morning - things were certainly going to get interesting!

 

If you use a K&N filter, it's best to wash and re-oil with care. Over oiling can lead to MAF failure. Same with excessive dust.

 

Yeah, I've heard that, thanks! I use an aFE 31-10013 washable filter, so I don't need to worry about oil. Still, my MAF hasn't been my favorite part of the truck; I've had several CELs due to it. (Both with the original, and a replacement denso)

 

Such I giant PITA the MAF is. It has also been interesting to me to see how much gets past the K&N. I don't use it in the Taco but I figure if oil is getting past, dirt must be as well.

 

I did the MAF delete

 

Not a California option

 

If I write CARB on my turbo it should pass

 

At some point, they have to stop SMOGing a vehicle in CA, don't they? 25 yeas or something? WA recently stopped emissions checks, but I suppose we have significantly fewer people up here.

Zane - I know my MAF helps with fuel trims and whatnot. Are you able to remove yours b/c of the Haltech, or could I remove mine with no ill effect as well? @Speedytech7

 

CA doesn't follow that like WA used to, anything built before 1975 is the cutoff for no SMOG. Also yeah, the Haltech let me convert to speed density air metering rather than mass flow.

 

Well, in 2035 or something, you won't be able to buy a gasoline powered vehicle. I believe that shortly after or maybe before, they'll stop registering vehicles of a certain year and prior. Sort of like this.