Places #1: Kelso Dunes
Whenever possible, I like going to new places. They could be new places like Antarctica (Which by the way, is where God wants me to go, maybe more on that later), or new places like a park down the road. Some are more exciting than others, of course. But most all of them are better than sitting around at home. So I’ve decided to start posting information about places to go. Or rather, places I’ve been. Places that maybe you might like to go, or, if you can’t, you can at least see pictures and know they exist.
The first place in what may (or may not) turn out to be a long series of places is way out in the desert, on the Mojave National Preserve. It is just a pile of sand, really, and we came across it completely by accident. It proved to be a fun challenge though, and I liked it enough to include it as the primary graphic on this web page. Yup. You’re already looking at it at the top of the page. For more information and pictures, continue on…
Last year, I drove out to San Diego with a friend for new year’s eve, and the week or so after. We drove a LOT that week. While driving back from a short trip to Vegas, we decided to take the scenic route and ended up driving down a very isolated road through the Mojave Preserve. From the road, we could see the dunes in the distance, and as we got closer, we saw the sign for “Kelso Dunes”. Intrigued, and not in a hurry, we turned right, and came upon the parking lot at the end of the road. I can’t really explain why, but we just had an urge to climb them. So we started walking towards them.
By the time we reached the base of the dune, we realized we were in for more than we expected. The lesson: It is REALLY hard to climb up a sand dune. Even in January, the sun was hot, and we didn’t have enough water. You definitely don’t want to go here in the summer time. I will say though that running DOWN the sand dune is a lot of fun!
Looking back towards the car, you can just make out the little path leading to the parking lot on the other side of the line where the ground changes. I wonder what causes the ground to change to loose sand so suddenly like that. It is an awfully distinct line!
From the top of the larger dune, looking across the chain (to the west, I think).
After panting, and feeling like we were going to die most of the way to the top, it was an awesome sense of accomplishment (and relief) to be there. When climbing a dune, every step forward ends up sliding most of the way back. But it was a pretty cool experience. There were a few other people there in January. A group of four or so 8-10 yr old girls were having a great time playing in the sand (and making us look like wimps for being so tired!). I’d recommend it if you’re ever cruising through the Mojave. Just remember: Not in the summer, bring a hat, bring some sunscreen, bring lots of water, and assume it will be much harder than it looks.
Hi-res versions of the images are available in the Kelso Dunes Plogger Gallery.