It has only been a month since the last update and originally I planned to release this news update at the end of April. However, I have been busy adding maps to all of the trips with directions. These are only available to paid members. You can see some examples here:
Wall Street Mill
The Wall Street Mill is Joshua Tree National Park’s most intact remaining historic gold stamp mill. Finding a stamp mill like this is rare these days. I’m thankful the NPS has preserved it. Once owned and operated by renowned prospector and rancher Bill Keys, this two-stamp mill was
Guy Starbuck
Barker Dam
It goes without saying that water is important in the desert and in Joshua Tree that is no different. A rancher by the name of C.O. Barker built the dam around 1902 to improve the natural tank here for his cattle. Along with the nearby Cow Camp reservoir, it
Guy Starbuck
Surprise Tank Petroglyphs
We first visited the Surprise Tank Petroglyphs out in the Mojave Desert in 1998. We’ve stopped by a few times since then but didn’t really photograph the site again until 2009. We re-visited the site in 2013, 2018, and 2020. I wanted to get a few more photos
Guy Starbuck
In addition, I am going through old trips and adding directions and maps to them. And, of course, I am still going out and exploring new places. Lots to do.
New Trips
Mayflower Mine (Telluride)
Field notes from exploring backcountry locations of the Western United States
GC
1932 Slot Canyon Petroglyphs
A couple of years ago in 2021, a good friend of mine gave me a couple of tips on where a set of petroglyphs was hidden in the heart of Joshua Tree National Park. I hadn’t heard anything about these petroglyphs and I was definitely interested. After a quick drive
Guy Starbuck
Tramway Mine
This gold mine lives up to its name. The inclined wooden tramway is the most interesting thing here and makes this old mine worth visiting. Don’t be confused though, it is not an aerial tramway, but a railed inclined tram used to lower ore down from the mine to the
Guy Starbuck
Updated Trips
- I added directions and maps to these:
Joshua Tree Car Wash
Our National Parks aren’t known for their collections of old junked cars… Joshua Tree National Park has a collection though (and so does the Mojave). I heard there were a few wrecked cars out in the vast expanse of the Pinto Basin but I didn’t know how many
Guy Starbuck
Sagamore Mine Camp
The Sagamore mine, also known as the New York mine, was a silver, lead, copper, zinc, and gold mine. It was first discovered in the 1870s by Mormons who found rich silver veins in the foothills of the New York Mountains. It is one of the oldest mines in the
Guy Starbuck
