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| Piute Mountains
May 11-12, 2016 |
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| Looking north from the Northern Piute
Mountains (Lake Isabella,
The Kern Plateau and the High Sierra) |
| I spent $650 for a
set of 4 new tires for the old Cherokee so needed to get out and break
them in. I've crossed the Sierra to Kelso Creek via Bird Springs before
but hadn't done the Dove Springs route. Only one dirt bike camp in the
off road area, temps starting to get into the mid 90's. After Kelso
Creek I went up in the Piute Mountains to Claraville where I had gone
twice before. (The Piute Mountains are a sub range in the Sierra west of
Kelso Creek) One time up near Claraville I had to take a tent down in
the middle of the night and bail out back to Weldon and over Walker Pass
in a snow storm. The other I tried to loop back down Jawbone Canyon Road
but was stopped by snow banks and came back out Kelso Creek. No problem
with snow this time, not a trace of it even on the 8000'+ peaks in the
shade. Too far south for snow that low this time of year. Northern
Sierra are still snowed in at that elevation. I had been
planning on coming out at Caliente on 58 but decided to cut up to
Bodfish and Isabella instead. From there I went up Canebrake Road to
Chimney Creek Campground for my second night out. Lake Isabella was
fuller than I have seen it in years. Water was back in Paradise Cove but
not to Mountain Messa. They still haven't started repairs on the auxiliary
dam which was why it had been so low for years. That and the drought. |
| Dove Springs Off Road
Area |
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| Hard to find a spot that hasn't been torn up
by dirt bikers |
| Dove Springs |
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| Actual trees in the desert that aren't Joshua
Trees, which are really related to a Yucca. |
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| Mayan Peak 6108' (right
of center beyond Kelso Creek) I came over to the right of Mayan Peak at
about 5600', a vertical gain of about 2500' from Hwy 14 on the other
side |
| Piute Mountains |
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| Wild flowers were still in
bloom in some areas |
| Claraville Area |
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| Lonesome Al's sign |
I'm wondering if Barney trespassed |
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| Dropping down towards Bodfish and Isabella |
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| Purple represents about 65 miles of dirt of
160 mile total trip |
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