After visiting the Mojave National Preserve in December 2018 to run the historic Mojave Road, and test out the new rear shocks I'd installed, we ended up having remove the shocks after less than a mile and the run the entire trip with no shocks on the rear of the Tacoma.
We needed to redeem ourselves.
Plus, I knew I needed to get back to explore this vast wonderland more than a single road could ever allow. With nearly two weeks over Christmas and New Years reserved on the calendar, our initial goal was to explore everything. Like as in - never have to go back because we'd seen it all. 
Of course, for anyone who knows the Mojave, that idea itself is laughable. Even as twists and surprises were thrown into our plans, we realized that we'd need YEARS, not weeks, to do this place justice.
Join us as we loop around the preserve, discovering dozens of lost mines, record-setting snow, singing sand dunes, and hikes we'll remember for the rest of our lives. We do our best to stay off of the Mojave Road and sites we've seen before, exploring the into the remote reaches of the preserve.
Or, at least, remote for our second ever trip there!
Off to an Ominous Start | Mojave Redemption #1 - This trip is going to be EPIC. In fact, once we complete our 8 days in the Mojave National Preserve, we'll probably be done exploring the area - we'll hit all the important bits, and will have no reason to go back - except to show of the coolest areas…
Should We Turn Around and Go Home? | Mojave Redemption #2 - Camped in a casino parking lot, it was a noisy night - at least comparatively. But, by the time we woke up the rain had stopped, a light breeze was blowing, and the skies to the west - where we were headed - were mostly sunny! The tent still needed…
Cinder Cones and Sand Dunes | Mojave Redemption #3 - The night was chilly, but by using some Little Hotties inside our socks while we slept, we were able to stay nice and toasty in the tent. Still in the shade since we'd parked reasonably close to the hillside to shelter us from the wind, we walked out into the desert to…
Hidden Mines and Highway Robbery | Mojave Redemption #4 - Our location at the Kelso Dunes was the first where I thought there'd be a chance of a nice sunrise, so I'd set my alarm for 6:00am to try and catch the orange on the horizon. It was of course quite chilly at 6:00am, and so I had the bright…
Into the New York Mountains | Mojave Redemption #5 - It seems that after several very cold nights, we were both starting to get used to the temperature and though it was cold, we were both cozy under the covers for the duration of the night. And, having gone to bed with a few clouds in the sky, I set…
Blue Rocks and a Dozen Cabins | Mojave Redemption #6 - We had mostly clear skies and a it of breeze when we awoke in the morning. Our spot on the alluvial fan had worked out great, though not quite as remote as it appeared - the Morning Star Mine Road below us was significantly busier than we'd expected. The sun…
Redemption in the Clark Mountains | Mojave Redemption #7 - When I'd marked the spot we camped in Valley Wells, I hadn't really done any research on it. I knew it was on a road that would take us to the Copper World Mine, and I'd seen what looked like some ruins during my route planning in Google Earth, but…
Zzyzx, The Last Word - By Design | Mojave Redemption #8 - When we arrived at Zzyzx the previous evening, we’d expected to drive right into the town of the old Mineral Springs and Health Spa - so you can imagine our surprise when we encountered a locked gate across the road. It didn't matter all that much since it was dark…
Rig Review: Death Valley & Mojave 2019 - What worked and what didn't? - January 4, 2020 Another year of wheeling and camping is in the books. I find myself here writing a rig review as one of 2020's first posts, for the last couple of trips that we took in 2019. By and large, the truck performed well on those trips In Search…Love the Mojave? Check out the
Mojave National Preserve Index
for all the amazing places I’ve been in and around this special place over the years.