2016 - Trip Report - The Desert Explorers go desert exploring

The Desert Explorers go desert exploring

DE Rendezvous, April 2nd

Trip Report & Photos by Debbie Miller Marschke

‘Tis Rendezvous season, and Steve and I decided not to sign up for any field trips intentionally. We had already visited those locations, and we did not want to take a spot from someone who had not been there. Actually, we had contemplated offering to lead a trip, but we simply did not have time to prepare one. No biggie, let’s just go find some fun. If I have my facts straight, I think Neal Johns ran into Steve and it was decided that the four of us would go exploring. Within five minutes of Neal and Marian rolling into our campsite that morning, we had a seven vehicle field trip lined up and ready to go! (Have you ever felt like you were being watched? Ha ha!) So I guess we were destined to lead a Rondy trip.

Originally I had wanted to check out a remote mining cabin, but access was questionable due to the closure of Jubilee Pass Road. Steve wanted to check out “Buckwheat Wash” because he had not been there for more than 10 years and wanted to find another old cabin he saw on Google Earth. The route to Buckwheat Wash ran right past Ibex Springs, so we decided to stop and poke around there for a little bit. The structures at Ibex Springs seem to be in worse shape every time I go there, sad. We traveled past Ibex and many miles on a road that did not seem to have had much use at all. If our group had not decided to visit, it would not have been long before the trackway of the road was reclaimed by seasonal flooding and then the BLM would have an excuse to close the road due to “damage.” We found the cabin which was a box-like building of corrugated metal. There was an old bunk bed, barrel stove, and a guest book. It had been more than a year since someone had signed in. Actually, not too much evidence of packrats in this cabin. Someone had written a note on the inside of the cabinet doors “PLEASE CLOSE so the mouse won’t chew holes in the water jugs. He eats National Geographics, too.”

Heading back to Ibex Springs, we decided to follow the road to the mine. There was a narrow spot that probably stops most visitors from continuing. We were rewarded by the remains of an impressive ore chute, ore bins, an adit, and trestle work with some rails. What a cool find! Thank you to all who jumped on and came with us: Marian and Neal Johns, Coop Cooper, Joe Priess, Vicki Hill & Dave McFarland, Glenn Shaw, Nelson & Ellen Miller.