Home / Keyword Kelso Dunes Wilderness [106]
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I set up camp and settle in for the evening, looking forward to tomorrow -
I get on I-40, drive many miles, then exit on Crucero Road toward Broadwell Dry Lake -
Broadwell Dry Lake gets closer, the road rougher -
The FJ and I make a quick stop at Broadwell Dry Lake in front of the Bristol Mountains -
The FJ drives onward along Broadwell Dry Lake, wondering where it will camp tonight -
At this point, Crucero Road seems to head straight toward the Cady Mountains -
There is more sand on the road here, but it's not a cause for concern -
I turn onto the powerline road -
I plan to hike tomorrow over there in the Bristol Mountains, Kelso Dunes Wilderness -
A lot of rough spots on this powerline road... -
The sun is setting, let's look for a campsite -
Broadwell Dry Lake is wide open and fun to hike across in the dark, but not today -
Beautiful sunset as my excellent hike today ends, just 1.5 miles to go -
I start my hike up the wash into the Bristol Mountains in the Kelso Dunes Wilderness -
Here's a healthy Cholla cactus -
And here's a series of Bladderpod bushes sporting their yellow flowers, attracting many bees -
I look behind me and see the forest of Smoke trees I've started walking through -
There's something oddly picturesque about these Smoke trees -
Some of the Smoke trees have thick trunks and might be quite old -
I remember coming across Coyote melons when I hiked here in 2011 too -
These green Coyote melons look like you could bake them like a squash -
I pass more Smoke trees as I enter the Bristol Mountains -
I check my GPS as I slowly rise, though it's unlikely that I'm off-track -
Footprints, not mine -
Entering the gateway, I follow tire tracks that perhaps shouldn't be here -
Who lives up in that hole in the rock behind the Bladderpod flowers? -
A few Barrel cacti have taken root in crevices in the rock wall on the other side of the wash -
A plant I was not expecting to see today in the Bristol Mountains is this purple-flowering lupine -
Follow the tire tracks! -
The tire tracks do end at a guzzler, I remember stopping here in 2011 -
Specifically, a nearby plaque tells me that it's the Lew Carpenter guzzler -
I walk on beyond the guzzler, up the little canyon I didn't explore when I was last here -
The drainage swirls around rocks and low hills -
I walk through a "mini-narrows" stretch -
A few really easy stairsteps to walk up... -
I pass some red rock -
And then a narrow curve -
A few volcanic rocks fall down from the hills above -
A few more stairsteps -
A statue standing in the middle of my trail gets my attention -
Few plants grow in this area, so this flowering Phacelia stands out -
Rocks guide me onward -
I see that water once pooled here, perhaps not long ago -
Greenish rock, blackish rock -
Blue sky, blue rock -
I arrive on the edge of the Broadwell Mesa formation -
Where to go from here, now that I've arrived at Broadwell Mesa? -
I've hiked parts of Broadwell Mesa from different sides, but never all together -
Over there is another drainage leading up to Broadwell Mesa, but I'll pass on that one for now -
Rocks tumble down from Broadwell Mesa -
I take a short break on a hill in the Broadwell Mesa area to savor the silent beauty of just being here -
More footprints not mine... -
I'll start walking over toward Hyten Spring now, over in those hills -
Through an opening in the Bristol Mountains, I can see across to the Providence Mountains -
I've arrived at the bottom of the canyon for the next part of my hike -
One last look across the sparse Broadwell Mesa area before heading up the canyon... -
I almost missed this little Claretcup cactus and its tiny burst of color -
Arriving Hyten Spring! -
The tank here at Hyten Spriing was apparently rebuilt in the 1990s -
It appears that water from nearby sources is drained into the tank for storage -
The water at Hyten Spring doesn't look very fresh and tasty -
Someone was here in 1908, 107 years ago -
U.S. Survey 1911 -
I take a look around for other inscriptions in the rock that might be nearby -
Despite some catclaw growing in the wash, no bushwhacking is required -
Easy hiking between the rocks -
I can still see some of Broadwell Mesa when I turn to look back down the canyon -
Looks like a small dam was built here to collect water -
There's even a small pool of water remaining here in the rocks -
Water flowing down the canyon has polished the rock floor -
Out of the canyon, I enter an open area with more hiking choices -
Late-afternoon shadows begin early during the winter months -
It will be mostly downhill from here back to my campsite -
Today's hike wouldn't be complete without a balloon sighting! -
I follow the sunshine -
More coyote melons! -
I follow the trail of dried water around the bend -
And now I'm in the land of Smoke trees again -
I glow along with tips of the Bristol Mountains -
The Smoke trees prepare for the onset of evening -
Occasionally I like to stop walking so I can just focus on the sunset -
I've almost reached the end of the Smoke tree belt -
Map of Hyten Spring hike, Kelso Dunes Wilderness -
Elevation profile of Hyten Spring hike, Kelso Dunes Wilderness -
I rise up onto a plateau -
Someone lost something here, glad it's not me! -
Good morning from underneath the Mojave Desert power lines! -
I have over 25 miles of dirt road ahead 'til I reach the pavement of Kelbaker Road -
Ah, my first little hilly section of the morning -
The road flattens out again, for a while at least -
A morning pipe of Orlik Golden Slices softens the drive -
The powerline road is getting sandy as it heads toward the Kelso Mountains and Old Dad Mountain -
The sandy road curves to avoid a couple of hills -
We continue driving straight toward Old Dad Mountain -
A patch of yellow Desert marigolds blooms amidst a sparse creosote bush forest -
My road flattens out a little and has more residual pavement -
Desert primroses start to become common as I drive past the Bristol Mountains -
The road descends gently into the far west end of the Devil's Playground area -
So far, I'm finding the road to be in better condition than I expected -
I see a snake track in the road next to my footprints
