Zoo Sauvage de St. Felician

Posted on May 6, 2012 by James Stoness

When was the last time you roamed in the woods hoping you could see some wild life but didn’t? Now is the time to place yourself among about 1000 wild animals on their own stomping grounds?

Contented black bear

Although many of us have never heard about it, the Zoo Sauvage of St. Felicien, in Quebec, has an excellent outdoor zoo that can give you the outdoor experience you’ve been looking for.

 

In addition to the walking trails you can hitch a ride on a screened ‘train’ for a 7 km trip through the North American large animal section of the park. The Nature Trail Park is a large area and designed so that you get the distinct impression that you are trekking through the northern forest a long, long way from civilization.

Here, the human animal is confined, and the wild animals run free. Run free of course is more of an exception than the rule. Loafing, or grazing, seemed to be what we saw most of the time.

A big rack

There’s nothing wrong with that, and you certainly get close-up views of some of Canada’s biggest mammals. When you are held back by bison crossing the trail, you might hark back to the days when buffalo herds were so numerous that they held up trains for a day or more.

Back on a nearby knoll you may see some wolves keeping an eye on you as they rest and the little ones frolick on the grass. The musk ox is an animal that few of us have seen, but here there are several of those huge lumbering beasts.

Close encounter with a polar bear

The walking sections of the zoo take you through the Arctic for a glimpse of a polar bear, or into the mountains with the Bighorn sheep, the cougar and the Canada Lynx. Another trail passes through Asia for a glimpse of the rare tiger. Visit Mongolia to see a two humped camel, and a yak. The mixed forest trail shows us the great bald eagle, beaver, and the fisher. The Mini farm is a special area for kids with domestic animals and fun with water fountains.

Tigers at rest

One adventure you might like to sample is Walking in the Land of the Caribou. A guide takes you deep into the forest where you can take the opportunity of canoeing as the sun goes down. To top it off you spend a night in the forest in a prospector style tent. You will enjoy a meal cooked over a campfire composed of the olden recipes of those who lived on the trail. Oh, did I forget to mention that the night stop is in the middle of a caribou compound?

A neat place to spend a night!

Well, it is, and the munching you hear just outside your tent isn’t the cook finishing off the remnants of the meal. It’s going to be several very large caribou who want to get to know you.

 

A visit to this zoo is a great way to spend a day or two.

Happy RVing !

This will be one of the tours in a Touring North America guide book about Eastern Canada.

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

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Chugging Along the Smokies

Posted on April 20, 2012 by James Stoness

One of the nice things about RVing is the opportunity to take an extra day here and there and enjoy other recreational facilities. With that in mind, you might like to try a train ride

Great Scenery

along the edge of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Depending upon your choice of tour you might find yourself on a 4 ½ hour trip through the Nantahala River Gorge, or winding along the Tuckasegee River, or possibly thundering across the 238 metre Fontana Trestle.

Tours run from both the town of Dillsboro and from the Bryson City depot. The company not only has scheduled tours throughout the year, but also runs extra trains for special events such as Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, New Years Eve, and many, many other eventful days.

Riding the Train

You might like to try the Gourmet Dinner Train and treat yourself to a four course meal, cocktails or wine and great service. Of course you could try a three course meal and enjoy their Mystery Theatre performances on the Mystery Theatre Dinner Train.

The staff of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is there to give you the best trip possible. You will find them all extremely friendly, and very helpful. If you have questions about the train, or the tracks, or the scenery, just ask.

Waterfalls add to the fun

The depot at Bryson City portrays the atmosphere of a busy old time station with all the hustle of people getting ready for a great journey by train. The live music performed outside added a sense of warm enjoyment for the passengers. When we were there it was fall and the station was decked out in pumpkins, corn stalks and other vegetables as well as some very beautiful pots of flowers.

For all the adult children boarding the train there is a special treat at Bryson City. Just across the corner is the Smoky Mountain Trains, a store dedicated to model railroading. Not only is it a fully stocked model train store, but it has museum in the back with a huge operating layout that’ll be sure to get your creative thoughts jumping.

If you are planning on leaving from the Bryson City depot you might like to visit the Cherokee KOA. This is a family oriented campground buried in the trees at the foot of the mountain. It has loads of activities and they have a shuttle to the train station. This is handy because parking at Bryson City Depot is scarce.At the Station

Take time to relax. Take a train ride, whenever you can.

Happy RVing

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

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Water Power is King in Quebec

Posted on April 10, 2012 by James Stoness

The increase need for energy is a direct result of our fast growing modern lifestyle.

Quebec Power Project at Radisson

Before the use of fossil fuels to produce energy, man used the force of moving water. At first the moving water turned wheels that turned other things like saws, and mill wheels for grinding grain. Later the water turned generators that produced hydroelectric power.

 

James Bay country scenery

Hydro produced from rivers is a renewable resource. Except in unusual circumstances the river will continue to get its water from rain and melting snow, for years and years. One good thing about water is the fact that molecules of water entering a watershed will eventually pass through the system. The Province of Quebec is fortunate in having huge quantities of water in areas to the north where the population is low.

Overflow channel at La Grande 2

Overflow channel at La Grande 2

 

Outside of Quebec, it is not likely that many people know the magnitude of the James Bay project. Two rivers, the La Grande and the Eastmain Rivers, drain much of Northern Quebec westward into James Bay.

To harness the power of the water they built dams and eight generating plants on the La Grande. To get more water they diverted 90% of the Eastmain River’s flow into the La Grande system. All of this increased watershed almost doubled the flow of the La Grande River.

Power heading out on the wires

The electric power produced exceeded 10,000 MW. La Grande-2 dam and reservoir required the blasting of a huge spillway that steps down through the rock dropping the height of three Niagara Falls. Underground they carved out the world’s largest powerhouse. Entering this massive cavern is more like walking into a giant factory building. Everything is clean and tidy. The mighty generators seem to stretch endlessly into the distance. A close inspection of one of the generators shows the rotating of a huge shaft that connects the turbine to generator, and there is a slight tremor in the floor. This portion of the project can produce 5300 MW of electricity. The men on duty here are more like maintenance robots. The whole complex is run from a desk in Montreal.

 

Power Lines Through the Forest

The James Bay complex involves waters that reach back as far east as Labrador. This is an immense watershed covering the sub-Arctic region where winters start in October and may last until May. Although the region is sparsely settled it is the home territory of the Cree and the Inuit. Apparently they were missed out on the initial discussions and didn’t become aware of the project until Quebec Hydro started building a 700 km road to Radisson, near James Bay. This road was completed by 1974. In 1974 the Native Cree signed the Quebec Agreement to settle a score of land claims.

 

This is a well built highway, created to carry heavy generators and other parts to the project. Unfortunately, the first 300 kilometres were used by log trucks without any control on weights and they turned the flat road into a road with broken surface and bad bumps that require your RV to crawl at times. The north part of the road is good.

Thirteen large bridges cross a myriad of rivers, some with very attractive scenery, and some with very low flow because the river has been diverted to feed the main project of Phase I on the La Grande River. Eighteen thousand workers participated in the building of the dams, and high dikes that created the reservoirs. Hundreds of miles of hydro lines were built to take the energy south.

Another view of line corridor

When you look at a hydro line corridor, wide and bare of trees, you wonder how the men could have removed so many trees for such a long distance. That’s an incredible project, but 14 years later it was mostly completed.

 

The eight dams and power houses mean that same molecule of water from the upper end of the watershed passes through several generators and produces power over and over again. What a vast project! Move over Paul Bunyan!

Happy RVing !

This will be one of the tours in a Touring North America guide book about Eastern Canada.

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

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Rails to the Klondike

Posted on March 15, 2012 by James Stoness


In the summer of 1896 a prospector named Skookum Jim discovered gold in Rabbit Creek which runs into the Klondike River, in Canada’s Yukon. The claims were registered at a camp called Forty Mile, because it was forty miles from Dawson on the Yukon River.

Tour Train at Skagway

Miners from Forty Mile raced to the new site to make claims for themselves. Word got out but it was the arrival of a steamer in Seattle with a large quantity of gold the set off the gold rush. But it was a couple of years before the mob of prospectors descended along the Klondike River staking claims along 150 km of the river.

Getting there was the major problem. One of the popular routes would see a steamer sailing into the Lynn fjord, commonly called the Lynn Canal although there is nothing about it relating to a canal. They disembarked where the town of Skagway is located. From here

Steam train leaves the Skagway Station

it was necessary to climb through the steep mountain gorge, over White Pass, into Canada. The trail was rough, narrow and extremely dangerous. Pack horses fell from the ledge and died by the thousands, and people perished too from the cold and hunger of the trail.

 

The Canadian government used the Mounties to enforce the requirement that the prospectors had to carry with them a tonne of supplies to carry them through the winter until they could fend for themselves. However, moving a tonne of supplies up and over the pass meant a lot of trips back and forth, and it was difficult to guard the supplies the burdened men left cached at the other side of the pass.

 

View along the route.

Entrepreneurs began dreaming of a railroad to carry people and supplies over the pass. Michael Heney, born in Ontario, Canada, teamed with financiers from England to build the impossible, a railway to the stars. Heney’s study of the steep canyon made him realize that a narrow gauge railway was what he needed. A narrow gauge could manage sharper turns than the wider traditional track and the roadbed was cheaper to build. From Skagway the tracks would climb to 900 metres in 30 kilometres with up to 4% grades and 16 degree curves.

 

Time was of the essence. If they were to capitalize on the traffic to the Klondike gold fields they had to be quick. Gold rushes traditionally did not last very long. Even so, it wasn’t until 1899 that tracks reached Bennet, and by the next year there were tracks into

Remnants of the old trail.

Carcross. Even so, the gold rush was slowing, but the railway carried heavy freight to big mining companies. But the times became worse and the trains stopped in 1982.

 

The Lynn Fjord’s scenery brought an increasing supply of tourists on cruise ships and in 1988 the White Pass & Yukon Railway opened for business from Skagway to White Pass. Later trains reached Carcross. Passenger traffic reached 360,000 tourists during the 2010 tourist season.

It’s no wonder either. The train is one of the top favourite things to do while in Skagway. The views of the mountains from the train are terrific. The staff are pleasant and willing to explain about things that you are seeing. The sight of the old trail used by the early would-be prospectors brings exciting twinges of the hardships those people endured. The best reason for going, amidst all this history and beauty, is the relaxing ride!

Happy RVing !

This is in one of the tours in ‘Canada: Beyond the Far Horizons’ a Touring North America guide book).

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

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Riding the Rails to Perkinsville

Posted on February 28, 2012 by James Stoness

 

Train buffs, as well as visitors just looking for a good time, will enjoy a trip on the Verde Canyon Train. Located in the hills of Arizona, south of the Grand Canyon, the train takes a leisurely 32 kilometre trip from Clarksdale to Perkinsville and back.

Verde Canyon Train

Clarkdale arose in 1911as the smelter town for the United Verde Copper Company that got its ore from the mines at nearby Jerome on the slopes of Mingus Mountain. To take the ore to markets investors built a railway from Clarkdale through the narrow canyon of the Verde River. As usually happens, the mine eventually closed, and also the smelter. Clarkdale began to die.

Now Clarkdale is kept alive by the Verde Canyon Train. The scenic train trip draws visitors from all over the world. And it’s no wonder. Although it’s a short trip, only a 64 kilometre round trip it’s packed with beauty. Once you leave the scars of the slag piles at the edge of town, it’s a pleasant rural ride. The greenish Verde River flows across the open valley floor to rush into the narrow confines of the canyon. Depending upon the angle of the sun, the walls of the canyon blaze in reds, pinks and golds. Along the river the green cottonwoods and other shrubs are resplendent with their backdrop of colourful cliffs.

Depp in Verde Canyon

The canyon is a well established area for seeing wildlife, especially birds. In the arid country around the canyon, wetlands are enjoyed by birds and animals alike. The winter months of December to March are prime bald and golden eagle months. The train crew is quick to point out the locations of these big birds roosting in the trees or higher up on the cliff sides.

Verde Canyon's Sun Tipped Cliffs

The railroad was built with great difficulty, requiring a 207 metre tunnel to cut into the cliff where the river allowed no room for the track. Many side streams required culverts or short trestles. It’s the proximity to the river that really adds to the enjoyment of the trip. Dashing in places, and tranquil in others, the river is the source of water for the plants that grow along it, and for the many birds that flock to the brush and trees for hiding places and for their nests. Deer and antelope come down from the hills for a drink. They are not much frightened by the train and are often seen by the passengers.

It’s probably best if you sit on the right side of the train as you leave the station. This will give you views across the river to the cliffs beyond, and some very spectacular views of the Sedona red rocks to the east. It’s also easier to spot the bald eagles.

The engines switch ends of the train at the old community of Perkinsville. If you take a

A Visit to Perkinsville

jeep you can visit Perkinsville by taking a rough road out of Jerome. The train is the best way to see the inner part of the Verde Canyon.

There are several different types of train trips and you might enjoy the Grape Train Escape on an evening trip into the canyon.

It is unfortunate that this tour never uses steam locomotives. It’s a perfect location for the wail of the steam engine, and the chuff chuff of a hard working locomotive as it climbs along the river. Apart from that, this is a great trip, as attested to by the thousands of passengers a year that enjoy a relaxing 4 hours doing nothing but looking and savouring nature in the wild.

A Great Western Music Show at the Blazin'M

After a terrific day why not stop at Cottonwood and visit the Blazin’n M Chuckwagon Ranch for a scrumptious supper followed by the best live Western music in town.

Happy RVing !

This is one of the tours in ‘Cactus and Canyons’ a Touring North America guide book)

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

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The Historic Town of Val-Jalbert

Posted on February 1, 2012 by James Stoness

Along the beautiful shores of Lake St. Jean in the Province of Quebec there is a townsite hidden among the trees and hilly terrain. Development began at the beginning of the1900’s with the construction of a pulp/paper industry. The location of the mill is at the base of Ouiatchouan Falls which drops 72 metres down the cliff with a fall higher than Niagara Falls.

Ouiatchouan Falls

As the project unfolded a company town grew on the site. It was a town that would make nearby towns and villages envious because these well built homes had running water and electricity in the early 1920’s. Suddenly, it all came to an end in 1924 with the layoff of most of the workers. People moved away and the properties lay vacant for many years.

Fortunately, there was a dream to preserve the old town, and that dream became a reality. In 2009 money from the Quebec Provincial government led to the formation of a $19.7 million dollar project to refurbish the town to attract tourists to the area.

Thanks to the new 182 site campground the visit to the historic village can be combined with a camping trip in a pleasantly wooded area. The best way to get started is to join the guided trolleybus tour. As the bus makes its rounds you will learn about the workers, and their lives in the town, and see some of the more impressive buildings. The townsite location is slightly hilly and you may appreciate the availability of a ride which is there if you need it.

We preferred to start off walking by ourselves along the trail from the visitor centre to the historic buildings. It was early September and leaves were starting to turn, adding an extra element of beauty to the walk. After reaching a staircase of 115 steps we came out onto a flat area with several rows of identical houses. Worker's HomesThese were surprisingly picturesque and in very good shape. Actors in period costume occupied some of these homes to re-enact life in the early century. The furniture in some of buildings resembled homes of our parents. The cream separator, used to separate the cream from the cow’s milk, certainly didn’t look out of place in the kitchen, and the old wood stove looked as if it would provide comfortable heat on raw days in the fall and winter.

The walk continued past a few homes that will not be repaired, but left as they are to show what would eventually have happened to the entire settlement if it were not for the forward looking people who led the charge to preserve it. A steep descent in the trail led us to an open area near the mill where we could see the magnificent plumes of water cascading over the falls.

Staff workers have excavated part of the mill to reveal the old equipment. There are also facilities for a bit of lunch before exploring the waterfall and river. You have a choice of riding to the top of the cliff in a closed cable car or poke along slowly climbing the 764 steps. We rode up, and walked down them.Lake St. Jean The views out across Lake St. Jean are great and you can also see farmers working their fields at the base of the cliff.

Once you reach the top, or what you think is the top, you are met by a long board walk that takes you to an upper falls, Maligne Falls. Along  the way you pass a small wooded cabin of the type trappers and woodsmen might build for their temporary stay in the woods. Small, it was easy to build, probably easy to heat and tough enough to withstand bear attacks and also of that smaller, devilish creature, the wolverine.

On the way back down, take advantage of viewing areas of the falls, and also out over the lake below.

View from the cliff.

This is a great way to spend a relaxing day, and get lots of fresh air, and exercise at the same time.

 

Those responsible for the restoration of the town have also created entertainment in the form of theatrical shows, group gatherings and an old fashioned photographer’s studio where you can record your family’s visit to this great Historic Val-Jalbert.

Happy RVing!

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

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RVHotline.com Celebrates it’s 10th year Anniversary!!

Posted on December 30, 2011 by RVHotline Team

 

 

 

RVHotline.com is pleased to announce its 10th year anniversary with the RVDA of Canada.

We continue to offer exceptional internet based Dealer Service Programs, exclusive to RVDA members. Our products allow Dealerships to better interact with their online customers.  RVHotline.com will enable you to access, monitor, and maintain your inventory online, making your inventory available to prospective RV buyers 24 / 7! We also help non RV related business reach there goals. Whether your project is large or small we look forward to helping you. Check out our portfolio.

With the development of Social Media and the introduction of Handheld devices, Smart phones, and Tablets, keeping up with the times can be difficult. We can help!

Picking a great partner can be difficult and reputation speaks louder than words, let us share what others are saying about RVHotline.com

“Your exceptional website service and the RV Hotline as a whole have proven to be a smart investment for our company.”

“under promising and over delivering.”

Sylvia Thistle-Miller, Triangle RV Center

“Our new website you have designed and launched for us has increased our exposure to RV shoppers resulting in sales that far exceeded our expectations in such a short period of time.”

Roger Mahon, Waterdown Camping Centre

“Your contribution to our web site has strengthened our organization, and we are grateful for the special relationship we built and would like to personally thank you for your hard work.”

Steve Fortier, VOS Trailers

Come celebrate with us and join our happy family of members.  In promotion of our 10th year anniversary we are offering a 20% discount for participation on any of our three packages.  Plus, a 30 day free ad space on RVHotline’s homepage. Offer expires March 1st, 2012.

Our goal is simple, to help you reach yours!

Other RV Industry companies who have recognized RVHotline.com is RVPRO and RVDailyNews.

Posted in RV Industry, Testimonials | Leave a comment

Take Time for Louisville

Posted on November 18, 2011 by James Stoness

Did Paul Bunyan hike south from Canada to leave his baseball bat beside the Louisville Slugger Museum? It’s not unlikely because there, standing beside the wall is a 31,000 kg bat standing 36 metres high. It’s actually higher than the five storey building, and that would be Paul’s size. The museum sees over 200,000 visitors a year many coming to see the Louisville Slugger bat, a bat made by the same family that has been active in woodworking for over a century. The museum features all things baseball and you can get a guided tour of the factory.  Outside you can walk along the Louisville Slugger Walk of Fame and see bronze representations of some famous hitters and their Louisville Slugger bat.

Louisville is on one of the Snow Bird routes south and visitors passing through as the Christmas Season nears will enjoy the efforts that go into ‘Light up Louisville’.  Apparently Santa will be leaving Canada, from the North Pole,  making a special trip to Louisville where he helps the Mayor pick up a big electrical plug which when placed in the socket illuminates holiday lighting in a large section of down town Louisville. There is also a huge parade with over 100 entries, and lots of lights, fireworks, and fun for all in down town Jefferson Square Park.

Louisville is well known for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and is a show that is attended by huge crowds. Other people like to take a slow river boat cruise or just go shopping.

Louisville RV Trade Show

Louisville has many shows such as the Boat, RV and Sportshow in January at the Kentucky Exposition Centre. The town also hosts the massive National RV Trade Show, also in the Exposition Centre. This event in early December will see more than 1000 exhibitors and dealers of RV related items.

 

RV Lifestyle Booth at Louisville

 

 

While this event is not for the general public it is a show that presents new and exciting products to the most important people in the RV business, the dealers. If they aren’t up to date, it’s hard for them to tell their customers what is new.

 

 

 

 

Louisville South KOA

If you are driving  an RV the Louisville South KOA is located just out of town at Shepherdsville which is south on I-65 and east on Hwy 44. This location makes it easy to keep out of the rush, and then drive into town to do your touring, eating, and shopping. This KOA isn’t only a handy place to stop, it is made for family pleasure.

Great Camping at Lousiville South KOA

Kids will enjoy the mini-golf and other outside games, and the pools. The whole family can enjoy walking along the river or relaxing in the big hot tub.

Whether you are heading south for the winter, or touring the country in the summer, Louisville has a lot of reasons for you to visit.

Happy RVing !

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.

Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

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La Cite de L’Or

Posted on November 6, 2011 by James Stoness

Our fascination with gold is endless and enduring. Capitalizing on this interest, the city of Val D’Or has established the site at the old Lamaque Gold Mine as an industrial mining

The Mine's Headframes

heritage. Funds, along with Federal Government grants are rapidly turning this abandoned gold mine into an exciting day trip into the past to see how the gold mine operated during its active years.

 

Here, you will have the opportunity to visit the mine, mine buildings, and the preserved home of the miners, and experience the ambiance of a real gold mine.

A visit to the Administration office shows you real samples of the gold ore, taken from the gold veins. Sometimes after viewing the samples you wonder what was it that looked so

Ore Samples

rich that it led to one of the richest mines in the area. In here are also a few of the old tools used by the miners and the geologists.

 

The Winch room shows the winch that acted as an elevator to carry miners down the shaft into the mine, and to lift out the tons of ore that the miners had wrenched from the solid rock. The shaft descended 1200 metres and the hoistman was in full command of the operation. He had to follow cage with the men, and know where the tunnels on each level were so he could let men off to go to work.

The Analytical building kept statistics on the ore’s quality. Samples of ore would be pulverized and melted and analysed to find how much gold was present. A technician shows the tour group how the ore was treated and you can see a casting being prepared from an ore sample.

When it’s time to enter the mine you are taken to a clothing room and suited up.

Suit-up Room

You see how your suit is lowered from a hook, you get your hard-hat, and a lantern and battery and taken to a mine vehicle to climb aboard. This odd looking vehicle has the driver sitting sideways to his direction of travel, which looks very strange, and must be difficult to do. There isn’t much time to think about it because you soon enter the mine portal and begin to descend 91 metres to an old working level of the mine. In this old working level you see the drills that drilled  the rock, and the strange power shovel that loaded the broken ore onto the ore carts. Here, too, you wander along the darkened mine wall and perhaps ponder on the profession of a miner.

Mine Portal

Once back on the surface you can tour Bourlamque’s Mining Village using an portable tape player that tells stories about the various buildings. These are still occupied home and are painted nicely and look very well cared for.

After your tour of the mine’s facilities you will understand what goes on beneath some of the strange mining buildings you see as you travel the north country. There are a small number of electrically service RV sites so it’s a convenient place to visit, and see the town.

 

Happy RVing!

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

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The Magnificent Desert

Posted on October 12, 2011 by James Stoness

Desert View

More and more of the snowbirds who have been frequenting the coasts of Florida and Texas are spending their winters farther west. They have discovered the beauty of the desert. Low humidity, sunny skies, and long picturesque views have won them over. Of course, winter is the best time to visit the deserts. Temperatures range from cool to comfortably warm. Most crawly creatures are sleeping away their ‘winter’ and the weather is great for visitors to get out and walk among the strange desert vegetation.
One of the very scenic drives is found in eastern California passing from Death Valley NP south through the Mojave Preserve to Joshua Tree NP. It’s a drive filled with a variety of desert scenery.

Desert Dunes

Desert Dunes

The bajada is a feature not observed where there is a lot of vegetation. It is a broad apron of debris accumulated around the cliffs and the resulting view is that of a sea of small mountains surrounded by sloping oceans of sand.
This route roams across desolate flat lands and up and down numerous small mountains. There are always mountains in view and as you approach the tops of the ridges you never know when you will be entranced by a wonderful jumble of blue mountains and hidden valleys where you can see wave upon wave of purple ridges rolling to the horizon.
Normally, we would take this trip south from Furnace Creek, in Death Valley NP but the summer of 2004 arrived with deadly floods that have closed many of the roads in the south of the park. Instead I suggest going west from Las Vegas to Shoshone and heading south from there.
Many highways do not have installed culverts. Instead there is a dip in the road where the water crosses. Most have warning signs that tell you not to enter when water is flowing. You might wonder if water ever flows there but a careful look at the erosion at the end of the dip, or at the sand and stones strewn across the pavement might change your mind. Cars do get carried right off the highway from the force of the water in these flooded dips.

Salt Beds

The Amargosa River drains a vast area to the east and eventually the highway crosses the several branches of the river. It’s strange to see so many culverts in a row under the highway with not a drop of water in sight. After the river rounds the southern end of a mountain range it then swings north to drain into Death Valley where it forms a lake for a while, and eventually evaporates leaving the white salt pans that are first to catch the eye of the visitor to the park.
In the Mojave Preserve, a long descent through cacti and creosote bushes takes you to Kelso Station, an old railway station of beautiful Spanish architecture that is the new park

Kelso Depot Visitor Centre

visitor centre for the vast Mojave National Preserve. The nearby Kelso Sand Dunes rise to over 600 feet above the desert floor in a profusion of shapely curves that extend far down the valley. Although difficult to climb it might be worth the effort just to slide down one of the steeper faces, or to listen to the music of the sliding sand.
Eventually, you make another winding climb before rolling down another long slope to Amboy where the flow from an ancient volcanic cinder cone left a streak of black lava across the dry sands toward dry Bristol Lake. On the lake, sand dikes surround evaporation ponds used to collect salt.
For miles the vegetation changes from lowland desert plants to highland varieties and back again as the roller coaster ride continues, taking you to the top of the Granite Mountains where erosion is creating strangely sculptured pillars and scattered piles of massive boulders.

Sunset in Joshua Tree NP

In the town of Twentynine Palms artists have painted beautiful murals with western themes onto the sides of buildings. In nearby Yucca Valley, Hollywood has captured the beauty of the surrounding area on film in ‘It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World’.
For more desert scenery head south into Joshua Tree NP which has a fantastic variety of eroded mountains, huge boulders, and a couple of cactus patches.

Happy RVing!

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

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