Lazy Daze Owners' Group

I am rereading "The Swerve" by Greenblatt... even better the second time around...

The Swerve: How the World Became Modern - Kindle edition by Greenblatt,...

Chris,
Cyndy and I joined Friends of the Mojave Trail in 1986 and bought the Mojave Trail book in '86 and the Eastern Mojave Heritage  Trail as soon as it was released in 1987.  Dennis Cassebier put everything together and did a masterful job with these two guidebooks. In the early days, you had to cross some private land and having a copy of the Mojave Trail book was your admission pass if stopped.

In the 1980's, the trail was pretty rough and 4x4 was necessary in several places.  We made two trips the length of the trail in our Ford F250 4x4 with a cabover Callen shell with dogs and children.  It took us three days to enjoy the trail each time. There were mailboxes with log book along the way and it was sad to see the entries made by motorcyclists bragging that they traversed the entire trail in less than a day at high speed.  I think they missed the point of the trip.

We did have a few minor "adventures."  One slightly soggy year, I sunk the truck, all four wheels and down onto the frame in the soda lake south of Baker.  With the 900lb camper shell and all of our gear, it seemed impossible to get out.  A jeep got stuck trying to pull us out.  In the end, a kid in a modified VW desert buggy showed up with a huge bungie cord, as in over 50 feet long.  He tied onto my frame and onto his tow point, backed up right against my truck and took off like a bat out of Hell as he used up the slack and then stretched the bungie cord.  Before he came back like a slingshot, my truck jumped out of the hole!  I was amazed and tried to pay him, but he said he does it all the time, just for fun.  Then he pulled out the Jeep.

On another trip, we crossed the Mojave river at a ford point.  The Jeep missed the ford and went down to the hood under water.  It stalled, but didn't hydro-lock. We pulled him out, got the jeep running and were more careful on other crossings.

The trail guides are full of history and made the trip come alive with stories of Native Americans, scouts and mountain men, pony express, cavalry posts, etc., all of whom used the trail.  When originally created long ago, the trail wandered from one spring to another in the distance that a man could go on horseback in a day.  The springs and the remains of the forts were still there in 1987. There are places where you can see the wheel ruts of the old Conestoga wagons and realize that they were much wider than modern vehicles.

I still haven't done the Eastern Mojave Heritage.  It might be a good adventure for a later date?

Harold

I'm a retired medical professional.  Spent years of my life testing and marketing new and improved medical radiation therapy machines.   Medicine is one of the most regulated businesses in this country.   As it should be - people made life decisions on test results.

This book covers a great read and case study on what happens when money over rules folks who are smart in one area thinking they are smart in all areas.

Amazon.com: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup eBook:...

glen

For those who like history
Amazon.com: Desperate Sons: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, and...

great read -- the back story of the American revolution.

glen

Read this book a few years back and it talked about a huge winter in Southern Oregon and California that nearly wiped out all the Modocs  in Oregon and the Mohave's in the Inyo Valley. The next summer everything between what's now SF and the Sierra foothills was a lake. California is in a unique geographical position on the planet and historically has huge climate swings.
On a side note the area the Modoc lived in and had their brief war with whites just south of Klamath Falls at Lava Fields National Monument is incredibly interesting to visit. Great battlefield tour!
The Modocs and Their War (Civilization of the American Indian Series):...