California: Mojave National Preserve

After leaving the Grand Canyon, I was in search of a Planet Fitness to take a shower. I found one in Kingman, AZ, on my way to Mojave National Preserve. This little pit stop was much needed after a very sweaty hike the day before. Feeling refreshed, I continued my drive to Mojave in California. My long stretches of driving consist of me singing loudly to music, listening to podcasts, and encouraging Darlene on the bigger hills.

I was warned to gas up before getting into Mojave since there weren't any gas stations in the preserve, so I did about an hour out. I passed the last gas station before the preserve and it was $8.10 a gallon, so far the highest price I've seen yet. I arrived at the preserve and wanted to find my spot for the night but couldn’t seem to find the campsites I had found on the iOverlander app. I drove down the Kelso Dunes Rd, and was going to park along it somewhere but then decided to try one more campsite from the app. Again, I couldn’t find the roads where the sites were supposed to be. A little frustrated, I continued to backtrack since I had seen a van parked closer to the entrance but ended up finding a nice big spot before reaching that area. I pulled in and claimed it.

After walking around the site a bit, I pulled out my camping chair and a beer to watch the sun go down behind the mountains. It was a very nice ending to the day.

The next morning I made some breakfast and did my dishes from the night before. Then I was on my way to Kelso Dunes. I had never really hiked on sand before but it is definitely harder than a regular trail. The beautiful and tall (600+ ft) dunes stood out against a bright blue sky. Although it was hard to gain traction with my footing, especially as I was going up the steeper dunes, I just couldn't stop marveling at the curves, shadows, and ripples of the slanted and towering dunes. The tan sand against the stark blue sky looked perfectly and strategically placed against each other, like a magazine cut up for a collage. As I made my ascent, I was hoping to hear the booming noise that gave these dunes the nickname "Singing Sands," but I couldn't hear it. Finally, at the top, I could see a 360-degree view of the dunes and the surrounding area. I hiked the tallest dune so all the others were visible.

The surrounding area contained mountains and large areas dotted with vegetation. After some time taking in the view, I headed back down. It was much faster descending. With every step I would move down three steps worth, my feet sinking into the sand. As I walked the flatter area toward the little parking lot my boots felt tight with all the sand in them. Once I got to my van I dumped out tons of sand from my boots and socks. I ate an early lunch before driving to my next hiking spot.

The drive from Kelso Dunes to Teutonia Peak Trailhead passed the Kelso Depot and brought me to one of the largest Joshua Tree forests in the country. In 2020, a fire took out over a million of the preserves Joshua Trees. Although many of the trees were scorched, the hike through them was really unique. They looked like trees from a Doctor Seuss book. The odd-looking trees dotted the landscape, along with lots of other vegetation like cacti, grasses, and wildflowers, along with giant boulders. After my second hike, I decided to find a spot for the night. I drove a little down the way and came across a great spot behind the WW1 memorial cross.

More giant boulders circled this site and after setting up for my stay I took a walk/climb up the big rocks. It was cool to see the other campsites nearby and to see how many people were camping around me. Once I got back to my van, I read for a while in the afternoon sun, took a mini shower to wash my hair with my solar camping shower, and made dinner as the sun was setting. The sunset that night was absolutely stunning! It was so beautiful I had to FaceTime my parents to show them. The sun was blindingly bright going down and as it slid behind the horizon bright oranges and multiple shades of blue took over the sky. The clouds turned pink and wispy, and there were colors in every direction you looked. A beautiful end to a beautiful day.