Desert Rat

Back on the Mojave--back where the soul can breathe. The RV got the needed repairs done in Petaluma and then had to be driven back through the East Bay down to the monastery. Driving a 31' Winnebago through some of the worst traffic California has to offer is a foretaste of the hot place. This time I drove the Jeep and blocked for Mr. T. who drove the Minnie. It took us 10 hours to navigate back to the familiar waters--er, sands--of the Mojave. It was great to be back with the monks, see old desert friends and get in a few trips out to the Kelso/Marl Springs/Arrowweed Spring plus a return trip to the Cedar Salt Springs outside of Baker.

The biggest surprise was to finally get to visit the renovated Kelso Union Pacific train station. Although Kelso once had a population of 3000, it is now just a few remaining buildings. The beautiful Mission-style train station has been saved from oblivion and now houses the BLM that used to be in Baker.

The trains still go through Kelso although there are no more passengers--just railroad workers. The freight trains are long and there have been as many as four at a time on the tracks. It is hard not to be aware of all the ghostly shadows that are so present everywhere in the desert. But I think the presence of the past is particularly tangible around trains.

Only on the desert can you buy stuffed toy scorpions and snakes! Only on the desert can a best-selling book be called "Desert Holes." The Kelso train station has a great gift shop, restored lunch counter, beautiful wooden staircase and exhibits of the area's history.

We took the Jeep out on the Mojave Road and found some interesting impromptu popular art--"art" the BLM frowns on and acts the bully to dismantle when they find it. Amazingly, we ran into THREE Jeep Wranglers and everyone in them was lost! People who drive Jeeps don't get lost! Fortunately Mr. T. has every map ever put out on the area and we also have the Navigation System so we were able to get the lost explorers back on the right trail. The comment I most remember is one of the men exclaiming, "Oh! THAT corral!!" You mean there are two corrals out there?
We were excited to find water at Marl Springs and the silent fences and pens of a long-abandoned corral and shute. Water in the desert is always a surprise. On this trip we were surprised twice: Arrowweed also had about a quarter-mile running stream. As we headed back to HRM for Vespers we were treated to a spectacular sunset that had cars pulling off the road just to bask in the colors. It reminded me of Heidi when she was told that sunsets were the sun's way of saying "good night" to the earth so we wouldn't forget before dawn would come.