Home / Tag BLM OHV routes [254]
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Since I'm outside Mojave National Preserve right now, I run across a BLM off-road route sign -
Here's another of those BLM OHV road signs -
I stop for a short break at the entrance to the Kingston Wash route -
I walk around the Kingston Wash Route entrance kiosk -
I'll arrive at Hwy 127 shortly and then drive to the Owlshead Mountains for the night -
I've arrived at the entrance to the Kingston Wash Route! -
As the sign says, it's Wilderness on both sides of the road for the next 21 miles -
Kingston Wash Route starts out well-traveled and just a bit bumpy -
I have to stop here to open a gate, with the Mesquite Mountains behind me -
After the gate, Kingston Wash Route enters its namesake wash -
Kingston Wash Route is a little sandy here and there so far, but nothing special -
Kingston Wash Route forks here, time to make a random choice -
Sand and gravel, with the Avawatz Mountains silhouette in the distance -
So far, it's mostly easy driving on the Kingston Wash Route -
Ah, I'm on NN428 road; I like these BLM road signs -
I pass a Wilderness marker (not sure why that side of the wash is Wilderness) -
Follow the tire tracks (I'm not always sure where the road is) -
I pass a row of solidly installed posts that attempts to keep motor vehicles out of the Wilderness area -
It looks like Kingston Wash Route makes a right turn here -
Light sand ahead -
Kingston Wash Route doesn't look like a road right here -
I suspect that this part of the Kingston Wash Route washes out with each heavy rain -
I guess I'll drive around the right side of that bush, like the majority here have done -
The tire tracks tell me that others do drive here -
I get to choose between left and right tracks again; I'll randomly choose -
Driving the Kingston Wash Route is getting slower and slower -
Right here, it seems that there's no road in Kingston Wash -
The tire tracks do turn into a road again -
Onward we go down the Kingston Wash Route -
Hmmm... a few rocks ahead... -
It's a tighter fit to get through here than I thought a few minutes ago -
I get out to do some self-spotting here -
I get stuck in the loose rocks for a moment and use my rear differential locker for the first time -
It took about 15 minutes to get past those rocks behind me! -
After that last rocky stretch, the rough road suddenly seems so easy -
Kingston Wash Route is wide-open for a few minutes -
The few rocks here are easy to avoid -
I'm starting to feel a bit tired from navigating the FJ all afternoon -
I drive around this heavy-duty cairn, following faithfully -
I drive toward the distant silhouette of the Avawatz Mountains -
I cross a little gulley at what I think is where the route leaves Kingston Wash -
I gear down to 4WD low in the slippery, fine gravel up out of Kingston Wash -
I see a tiny hole high in the hills ahead that lets blue sky shine through -
The road edges its way along a steep hillside -
I listen to the sound of gravel hissing under the FJ -
The short climb out of Kingston Wash ends with this curve in the road near Kingston Spring -
While passing these ochre hills, I catch myself thinking I'd like to hike in this area one day -
More mistletoe ahead! -
I exit the Kingston Wash Route roughly four hours after entering it off Excelsior Mine Road -
I have about 7 miles of dirt road to drive from the Kingston Wash Route down to Hwy 127 -
Gotta stop for a few photos of sunset on the Kingston Range! -
Map of the Kingston Wash Route, not including the 7 miles west of it to Hwy 127 -
Elevation profile of the Kingston Wash Route, not including the 7 miles west of it to Hwy 127 -
No destination, no chosen campsite for tonight, what's up these roads? -
I head up the rolling foothills of the Kingston Range... -
Oh, this road ends at someone's private property -
I've turned around and am driving back to Smith-Talc Road -
Hmmm... lots of animal footprints here, but no tire tracks -
The road rises up into a really sandy area -
I park the FJ and walk up the sandy road to see if I want to drive any further -
My feet arrive at a crest on the road with a view down to salty Mono Lake -
I turn around and drive back down across the fields of rabbitbrush -
Many roads penetrate Granite Mountains Wilderness; I'll try this one now -
The FJ climbs a gentle hill in the Granite Mountains Wilderness -
The driving is rather easy as I head up onto the Granite Mountains plateau -
My tire tracks flatten animal tracks as I arrive on the Granite Mountains plateau -
I decide to drive back down to Hwy 120 and check out another area of Granite Mountains Wilderness -
Back down into the valley of yellow rabbitbrush flowers we go -
Ah, here's my next dirt road into the Granite Mountains Wilderness -
There's a beautiful campsite where I'm standing, but the wind is too strong today to camp here -
I'll start the hike up this 4WD road, which would probably be equally fun to drive -
Up there is Cowtrack Mountain and Horse Peak, my destination -
Could I possibly cram more yellow into a natural landscape snapshot? -
I stop for a quick look back at the yellow land I'm hiking across -
Studly old sagebrush captures my attention as I walk up the road -
Yes, this is a fork in the old road, divided by a rabbitbrush bush -
A few pink Bigelow monkeyflowers add a different color -
I see another road snaking across the Granite Mountains Wilderness -
My road ends here at the Wilderness boundary -
I presume that's the Cowtrack Spring water tank over there -
The leaning Cowtrack Spring water tank: so far, I'm not seeing any water anywhere -
The 4WD road to Cowtrack Spring doesn't get driven often -
According to my GPS, Cowtrack Spring should be just off to my left somewhere -
I take a look back up the road toward Horse Peak before entering the valley -
I check my maps to see if the road across the valley here will take me where I want to go -
My cross-country shortcut ends as I rejoin the rough 4WD road -
I rise with the rolling road up to another crest as the sun dips down -
Pink sunset light illuminates the mountains in the distance -
The reddish hopsage foliage looks even pinker blushed by sunset -
I drive back to Taylor Canyon to set up camp and enjoy a well-deserved dinner -
Before leaving, I'm making a brief detour to check out another possible campsite in the area -
Just a little more dirt-road driving and that will be all for today -
Without a plan, I've just decided to drive a few of the dirt roads in the area of the Mono Craters -
I wind around Pumice Valley, ending up on a dirt road that passes some of the Mono Craters -
Burnt plant stumps tell that there was a brush fire here in Pumice Valley not too long ago -
Sometimes it's worth driving these dead-end roads just to see what's at the end -
This sandy road seems to lead up into the foothills of the Crater Mountain area -
I pause to take a look back across Pumice Valley to the Sierras -
Well-worn tire tracks tell me I'm not the only one to drive up this way -
My road ends near one of the smaller Mono Craters
