Spring 99 MOJAVE DESERT Trip
Table of Previous MVRC Desert Trips below
Links to other photos taken on this trip below

Summary: This describes the annual Mt. Vaca Radio Club Spring desert caravan and camping trip, which was from Sacramento to the Mojave Desert, on Wednesday, April 7 through Sunday, April 11. We took three day trips made up from the new book, "Bill Mann's Guide to 50 Interesting and Mysterious Sites in the Mojave". Our base camp was at the Victorville KOA.

Participants: Lew Barnard, WA6ESA, Adrianne, WA6CNE    Les Cobb, W6TEE Jim Collier, WB6ZII, Marsha, KD6TTS Ed Hendrick, KE6AFB, Sunny, KE6AFA Marc Reitzel, W6MAR Doug Spaulding, N6XKL, Joanne, KF6GXK Bill Yoder, WA6ACF Bill Harrington, N6MSI, Curly Vicki Cobb, WB6PHQ

Vehicles: Jeep Wrangler    Chev 4X4 PU Chev 4X4 PU Jeep Cherokee Jeep Cherokee Jeep Cherokee Grand Cherokee Jeep CJ-7 Toyota Celica

RVs/Kabins: Chalet pop-up #16 Jayco tent tr. #15 29' trailer #14 Kabin K6 Kabin K4 Kabin K8 Kabin K5 Kabin K2 Motel 6

Departure: Lew, Adrianne, Marc, Doug, and Joanne met for breakfast at 8 AM Wednesday at the IHOP Restaurant, at the Laguna exit on Hwy 99. Les, Ed and Sunny joined them on the road at 9 AM. This group of five vehicles caravaned to Victorville via Hwys. 99, 58, and 395, with communications on 147.555 MHz. FM, and arrived in the early evening. Bill and Curly Harrington left from Sonora earlier and arrived at camp earlier. Bill Yoder also traveled separately and arrived before the main group.

Radio: Besides 147.555 simplex, the group made use of 446.00 MHz. simplex and Victorville area repeaters on 146.94 (-) 91.5 PL, and 447.0 (-) 136.5 PL.

Camping: The Victorville KOA Kamping Kabins turned out to be very popular, with our group taking five Kabins, three RV sites, and no tents. The weather turned freezing some nights and the heaters provided in the Kabins were put to good use. The three trailers had full hookups and also had heat. Victorville was farther from some of our day trips than Barstow, but this KOA is bigger than the Barstow KOA and sheltered by trees. Barstow has no Kamping Kabins.

Thursday: Most of our day trips were from Bill Mann's book, mentioned above. However, our first stop at Rainbow Basin National Scenic Landmark, north of Barstow, was not in the book. We then drove further north and west to the Black Canyon historical and petroglyph sites in the book. We experienced some glitches with the mileages given in the book, and once with the GPS readings, but we eventually found all the locations that we were interested in seeing. Without the book, we wouldn't have known to look for them. We found the first day that the GPS readings should be programmed in advance as waypoints and let the GPS units do all the work.

Jim and Marsha were just arriving as we returned from our day trip. They had been in Phoenix and came via Yucca Valley. They were just coming through Apple Valley and we gave them directions to our camp over the Victor Valley ARC 146.94 repeater. That night, Vicki called on the cell phone to say that she was caught by a snow storm in Tehachapi and was in a motel there! She finally arrived on Friday afternoon.

Friday: We drove back through Barstow and on east to Afton Canyon off of I-15. We visited the Book's Afton Canyon sites that are south of I-15, including caves, mines, and canyons. We had lunch under the U.P. tracks over the Mojave River bed where we have previously stopped when driving the Mojave Road.

Some of us made three stops in Barstow on the way back to camp, looking for more copies of Bill Mann's book. The problem was the late opening and early closing of the Mojave River Desert Museum that sold it, conflicting with our trips. When we later got into range of the 447.00 repeater, Vicki said that she had checked into the Motel 6 by our KOA, and was returning from the Roy Rogers Museum and some shopping. Vicki had only 440 mHz.

Saturday: Jim and Marsha were afraid of the weather forecast for Sunday with their 29 foot trailer and left early for Auburn.

We had two day trips on our last day. Doug and Joanne were at the Roy Rogers Museum when the doors opened at 9 AM. Then they returned to caravan to the Calico "Ghost Town" near Barstow with Vicki and Adrianne in Vicki's car, using 446.00 simplex. Being late enough in the day, they stopped at the Mojave River Desert Museum to purchase books for those wanting them. As it turned out, the books were also available at Calico. Joanne, Vicki, and Adrianne enjoyed the Barstow Factory Stores on the way back to camp.

The rest of us followed the book to the area of the Rodman Mountains, south of Newberry Springs, off of I-40. We had trouble again with the mileages, GPS readings, and one apparently missing sentence, but eventually found all four petroglyph and canyon sites, and enjoyed the visits.

That evening, we had warm Spring temperatures for the first time on the trip. We had an enjoyable happy hour and some had dinner at the outside tables for the first time.

Sunday, Returning Home: Bill and Curly Harrington left early in Bill's Jeep for breakfast in Mojave and their usual slow drive home.

The ten of us remaining had breakfast at Peggy Sue's 50s Restaurant near the KOA at 7:30, then hit the road in caravan. We used 147.555 plus 446.00 for Vicki. I checked into the Sam's Radio Hams Sunday morning 40 meter net. They were just breaking up their campout at Skinner Lake in Riverside County. We encountered rain starting east of Mojave and snow going over Tehachapi summit. Rain continued until Modesto, where the weather was nice all the way home to Sacramento.

I received an e-mail that evening from Tony, KC6WFI, in Victorville. He and I talked on two meters when I was down there, and have exchanged e-mail. Tony and his family camped in Bakersfield that weekend and were going the opposite way at Tehachapi. He heard me on 146.52 when I went there to talk with a mobile that Marc had passed and was working, but Tony couldn't raise us.

Maps: The three following maps show most of the roads.
- San Bernardino County Map by Auto Club of So.Cal., available from CSAA offices.
- Thomas Bros. California Road Atlas & Drivers Guide.
- Southern California Atlas by DeLorme.

• Links to other photos taken on this trip:
  • Digital photos by Bill Yoder, WA6ACF, and 633kb QTVR image.
  • Digital photos by Marc Reitzell, W6MAR. Photos only, index.
• Ham Radio Camping & Caravaning* - Explains and lists our destinations since 1971.
• MVRC Activities Page - Current schedule - Mt Vaca Radio Club.
• Mt. Vaca Radio Club - Home page.
• Return to MVRC Trip Report Links* - Mt Vaca Radio Club
• Return to Les' Amateur Radio Page* - W6TEE
• Links to all other trip reports are found on pages marked*.