In April 23, 2012, my wife and I woke up early and packed the family into our jeep for a day of back country exploring in the Mojave desert. On this day, our destination was the middle leg of the historic Old Mojave Road.
The Old Mojave Road was originally a series of trails used by the Native Americans of the Mojave desert to connect the Colorado River with the Pacific coast. Native Americans developed the trail over time, which was later used by Spanish Missionary’s, U. S. Army, and stage operators. The Mojave Road fell into disuse when the railroads came into the area in the 1880′s. Dennis Casebier, and his Friends of the Mojave Road, ‘rediscovered’, mapped and documented the Mojave Road. Our trip on this day, is possible due to their hard work and dedication, which follows centuries of history.
As we left Las Vegas early Sunday morning we drove past Primm, Nevada and continued into California we watched the temperature climb from 75 to 85 degrees. We exited interstate at Nipton Road and drove East into the southern California desert. A quick right turn at Ivanpah Road and we were on our way into the Mojave National Preserve.
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