March
is a lovely time to be in the high desert. For this one day
trip we decided to head up toward the
abandoned Grandview gold mine off of Camp Rock Road in Lucerne
Valley. We had been up to this
mine several times and hunted the area for the unique
orbicular rhyolite that can be found there. This time, however,
we wanted to explore the Ford Mine to the west
and the
Ord Belt Mine to the east of the Grandview and
to see if any wildflowers were blooming. In the afternoon
we would head over to the abandoned Sidewinder Quarry to look for
more of the prized tri-color marble that was found there. Although
the roads to the general area of both of these spots are fine
for the family sedan, the approach roads to the sites themselves
are best done in a high clearance four wheel drive. Directions
can be found in the expanded and revised edition of James Mitchell's
Gem
Trails of Southern California, pages 98-101. As always,
it looks simple on paper, but once you're out there the number
of side roads is daunting. It takes time or past experience
to find the right combination. You can check out the areas
in the pictures by clicking the link below.
March
is a lovely time to be in the high desert. For this one day
trip we decided to head up toward the
abandoned Grandview gold mine off of Camp Rock Road in Lucerne
Valley. We had been up to this
mine several times and hunted the area for the unique
orbicular rhyolite that can be found there. This time, however,
we wanted to explore the Ford Mine to the west
and the
Ord Belt Mine to the east of the Grandview and
to see if any wildflowers were blooming. In the afternoon
we would head over to the abandoned Sidewinder Quarry to look for
more of the prized tri-color marble that was found there. Although
the roads to the general area of both of these spots are fine
for the family sedan, the approach roads to the sites themselves
are best done in a high clearance four wheel drive. Directions
can be found in the expanded and revised edition of James Mitchell's
Gem
Trails of Southern California, pages 98-101. As always,
it looks simple on paper, but once you're out there the number
of side roads is daunting. It takes time or past experience
to find the right combination. You can check out the areas
in the pictures by clicking the link below.