The GeekHiker

I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that most of you have seen California’s Red Rock Canyon State Park (Wikipedia Page here).  No, really, you probably have.

RRCSP pops up out of nowhere along California’s Highway 14.  One moment you’re rocketing along through the flat scrub of the Mojave Desert, having just passed through the town of Mojave itself (launching place of both the Rutan Voyager and SpaceShipOne) when suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, you’re crossing through a canyon filled with various shades of red, white and pink rock, slanted at steep angles and bizarrely weathered.

Then, as suddenly as it was there, it’s gone a couple of minutes later.

All those weird rocks have made their way into the movies, naturally enough, being only a couple hours north of LA.  Various alien worlds, otherworldy environments such as “Westworld”, and the desert scenery in “Jurassic Park”… yep, you’ve probably seen RRCSP a dozen times before without even knowing it.

Most folks though, on their way to camping in the eastern Sierras or skiing at Mammoth, don’t stop.  And, really, that’s a shame because the park actually has quite a lot to offer.

Layers of ancient seas, uplifted and tilted in Red Rock Canyon State Park

So it was that a friend and I headed up there a few weeks ago for an overnight photo-trip.  Summer in the desert is, most decidedly, the off-season, with daytime temperatures topping 105 and nighttime lows in the 70’s.  Still, it didn’t feel that hot when we explored outside (though one could feel the liquids being dried out of the body pretty quickly), but it did keep us off even the short nature trails, hence this isn’t a hiking post.

Besides the nature trails, the park also has some backcountry roads (some 2wd, most 4wd) and a nice campground with running water nestled under some weathered cliffs.  It was here that we camped, BBQ’ing turkey burgers and drinking beer.  That night I slept in the open bed of the truck under a canopy of stars.  I woke at about 3 in the morning, stayed awake for a couple of minutes, waiting for a shooting star to go by, before going back to sleep.

Most of the time, though, was spent driving in 4wd and taking pictures.

Sunlight and shadows passing over the landscape

Late afternoon on a sandy stretch of backcountry road

Weathering on the rocks: harder rock caps the softer rock which is eroding away beneath it

Sunset light, looking east from the campsite

Sunrise light on the white cliffs in the park campground

There’s life out there, too:

Lizard staring contest (he won)

Dragonfly, backlit

Dragonfly silhouette

We also left the park boundaries at one point, heading into the El Paso Mountains (BLM Land) along a sometimes sandy, sometimes rocky road.  We stopped at old mines and various geological points, seeing what was left of those who tried to find their fortune in the desert.

Sunlight streaming into an old mineshaft

We also visited Burro Schmidt’s tunnel.  (Wikipedia info here)

What is Burro Schmidt’s tunnel?  Well, it’s basically a mining tunnel, built by William “Burro” Schmidt.  Over the course of 40 years.  Almost entirely by hand.

Entrance to Burro Schmidt’s tunnel

Oh, and did I mention that it’s over 2,000 feet long?

Schmidt started the tunnel originally to move his ore closer to the railhead at Mojave.  Why he finished it, no one is entirely sure.

The desert is a very interesting place, sometimes.

Anyway, as I said, this was a photo trip, and you can find the whole set here.

The view from the end of Burro Schmidt’s tunnel, looking south over the wide expanse of desert towards Mojave