Finding Beauty in the California Desert

This was not one of those planned family trips. We attended the memorial service (one of the sad realities of life) of a dear friend’s husband. It was held in Tecopa, California a town close to the border of California and Las Vegas, Nevada. It is s a 3.5 hours drive from home, so we planned to stay overnight. We stayed in a place called Shoshone a small town in the Mojave Desert and is also known as a southern gateway to the Death Valley National Park.

We stayed at this Shoshone Inn in the middle of nowhere

Sunset as reflected on the mountain in front of the inn

Morning view in front of the inn

ALONG HIGHWAY 127

We did not set any expectations to have a scenic long drive, Shoshone being in the desert. But we were wrong. Beyond the brown grasses and barren cracked lands are nature’s amazing landscapes. Yes, there are spectacular sceneries after all amid the desert. Each environment has its own special beauties and wonders. We had a wonderful drive.

There are rock formations that seemed like fortresses from old civilizations along the road. Beautiful forms that have withstood harsh weather and time, I can almost touch them as we pass them by.

Further along the highway, and in the middle of the desert is a castle-like structure carved from the rocks. A maze of rooms appeared like dwelling units covering a vast area. These might have been previously inhabited though there were no people in sight. We drove closer, got off the car, and walked around. There was an entrance, but we did not get in as there might be danger awaiting us inside.

A closer view of the entrance. Look at the inscriptions or drawings above it.

We can say that these homes built into the rocks are historic in the sense that we got a glimpse of how people innovated to keep shelter from the unusually hostile landscape.

DUBLIN GULCH

Beside the Shoshone Inn (where we checked in) is a man-made cave named Dublin Gulch. Although it was 100°C hot, we still ventured out to explore the historic “ruins” of the miners' cave.

During the 1920s miners and setters carved these dwellings into the clay rocks. It is believed that these were inhabited until the mid-1970s. These rooms shielded them from the searing summer temperatures of the Mojave Desert region and stayed warmer during winter.

The empty rooms are now protected from vandalism by locked doors. Many of them have wired windows into which we can peek the inside. I tried to look the best I could but it was too dark to see anything.

There is one open room that we saw and perhaps representative of the size and conditions of the rest of the rooms in the cave. The size could have probably slept about 5 people.

SHOSHONE MUSEUM

Across the inn is the Shoshone Museum, housing a unique collection of period items, local memorabilia, and historical curios.

On the grounds are an outdoor display of artifacts, an old automobile, and an old gas station.

The total sales show $9.30 but no reading on the gallons. It would be interesting to know how much gasoline costs at that time.

Inside are interesting and historic photos like skeletal remains of pre-historic mammoth and mining artifacts among others.

Blasting Machine

Telegraph wire from the T&T Railroad

Look at these interesting finds. An old sewing machine, flat irons, and phonograph. I am pretty sure Hivers reading this has not used any one of them.

So Long Hivers ! Wherever we are...let's live life to the fullest.

[//]:# (!pinmapple 35.972940 lat -116.274652 long dublin gulch d3scr)