A lot of beauty in the desert. Enjoy and heed the safety advice given here.

Paul knows that place like the back of his hand.

I have taken lot of those trails or dirt road out of Barstow in my youth in my lil' truck. Hotter then hell out there in the summer.

Just don't breakdown out there. Mechanics can be expensive...

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Make sure you shake out your boots before you put them on in the morning.

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We have spent a lot of time in the Mojave desert and I rather like it in winter and spring. Not so much in summer. My wife is mostly over it and has had a lifetime supply of sand and dust.

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couple pics from Jawbone Canyon. That is a camel spider - about the size of a dollar bill. It was a hot night even in late Summer 2017.

G

On safety, I carry a personal locator beacon while out in the wilderness by myself. Cheap Insurance.

G

oh chit..big spiders?!! do they jump? :)

I've been out there a bunch and luckily never saw a scorpion but I've seen em in Arizona.
Never seen one of them big spiders neither, that's good 'cause I don't like spiders.
If ya see a desert tortoise leave it alone, don't touch. Lots of laws protecting them.

I've seen several mohave greens, they story goes that they are more aggressive than most snattle-rakes.
I've also eaten a mohave green. Sidewinder too.
Didn't taste like chicken.

I don't know if this applies to Baker's acres, but at one time further south around Johnson valley or yucca there were folks held up in old shacks and were cooking some strange chemicals if ya know what i mean. Stuff they didn't want anyone to know about.
Steer clear, they don't like company.
Prolly not an issue where you are going, they are few and far between.
But when i went out east of Johnson valley or soggy dry lake I usually carried a sidearm.
Never needed it but it kept me warm and fuzzy.

Funny how deserts folks can be the most helpful and friendly people, or the most private and honery.

Always be prepared in the desert. A friend from Germany tried it on a rented Adventure Bike a few years ago. It didn't end well: (RIP Reinhard)

https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/heat-blamed-in-death-of-german-man-in-death-valley-national-park/

They bite but not venomous. I found that spider and took that pic when taking a last leak before bedtime with the family already in the camper. I showed them the picture AFTER we were back home. :) I think they are active at night, so keep your sleeping bag zipped! :D

I don't think the desert is especially dangerous this time of year, so just don't be an idiot. Right!?

G

Keep an eye out for clouds in the distance = flash flood!

Oh man, that's terrible. Germans LOVE the Death Valley. I think they try to compensate for their cold / crappy weather totally underestimate exposure. It is not a place to travel in the summer, even in a car. You'll be in trouble as soon as your a/c system goes out.

I was in DV in early May one time, and it was IMPOSSIBLE to go leave the car for more than 30 minutes to check stuff out. It was scary. We were going to drive to those sliding rocks and looking at it being 2+ hour rough road adventure I called it off. Too dangerous. Do it in Winter some time ...

G

Back in my YOOT I was working a large turbine overhaul at Mohave power station in Laughlin (1,060,000 hp).
All the relatives and buddies of the bosses were on night shift, new guys were on day shift.
It got so hot we had to carry our tools in a bucket of water to keep from blistering out hands, and the water had to be replaced about every half hour or it would get too hot to touch.
We were drinking about two gallons of a water per shift and took a break every hour.
That's the hottest I've ever been.

A couple years later they had a steam pipe rupture and killed six workers.
They tore it down several years ago and sold the equipment to a company in south Africa.

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Joshua Tree is an excellent place to spend some time, check it out - you’ll be glad you did.

Havnt you ever watched a John Wayne movie ? Always lay a rope around you snakes wont cross a rope. City slickers :rolleyes:

I got tagged by a bark scorpion in October, on my right foot in our bedroom closet. It will ruin your day, every minute of 24 hours. Black lights make them glow bright from about 50' away. I hit them with a torch. My record is 19 in one night in the backyard.

Thanks for reminding me why I live in a part of the country where the air hurts my face and freezes boogers in my nose.

I just did Death Valley lat summer in my trusty Duramax truck. I just took a right turn when I saw a dirt road and drove on it to see where it went. It was 117 degree out. Did lots of stupid stuff like that during my youth in my lil' old Toyota 4wd truck. I tell ya, it was Africa hot and can be very dangerous