Macedonia Canyon, Mojave National Preserve, from Mid Hills campground (Day 7)
I've wanted to visit Macedonia Canyon since my first Mojave National Preserve trip almost 10 years go, but just never managed to fit it in.
I almost go on a hike to Live Oak Spring today instead, but I keep delaying my departure due to light rain, so I'll save Live Oak Spring, a longer hike, for tomorrow.
14.9 bicycle miles with 1650 feet of elevation gain and loss, plus 3.8 hiking miles with 640 feet of elevation gain and loss. I take six litres of water and drink about three.
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Date: May 29, 2009, 12h42
Size: 48 items
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A noise outside my tent proves to be a lizard scurrying about
I wake up late this morning, around 9h, which is possible due to many dark clouds hiding the sun. A few rain sprinkles make me wonder what to wear on today's bike-hike and whether I should go anywhere at all.
Date: May 29, 2009, 12h42
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I keep delaying my departure to Macedonia Canyon due to the light rain that falls from time to time
It hasn't rained enough for anything to get wet, so I finally decide to leave around 13h15. It's a pleasant 77 degrees and doesn't get much warmer due to the clouds hiding the sun.
Date: May 29, 2009, 13h22
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The fun ride down Wild Horse Canyon Road looks different today with the ominous clouds hovering above the Mid Hills
Otherwise, today's ride down Wild Horse Canyon Road starts out the same as my ride down to Wild Horse Mesa a couple of days ago.
Date: May 29, 2009, 13h58
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After a few miles, I turn at Macedonia Canyon Road and pass through the flimsy barbed-wire gate
Finally, I'll explore Macedonia Canyon today; I've been considering riding down this road for years, but didn't fit it into any of my previous Mojave National Preserve trips. I rode down the first quarter-mile during my 2006 trip here just to check it out
Date: May 29, 2009, 14h07
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I begin the gradual descent down Macedonia Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve
I'll drop down about 750 feet over about 2.5 miles. Of course, the road is rather sandy, since it runs down a wash, and my fat tires hiss while they ski downwards. I slip and fall off the bike while riding through a sand trap.
Date: May 29, 2009, 14h14
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I pull over along Macedonia Canyon Road to examine what's left of an old foundation
The structure was not very large. Given the amount of work that went into constructing this foundation, a good guess is that there may have been a cabin here at one time.
Date: May 29, 2009, 14h21
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Down at about 4125 feet, I turn up an old road that leads into the Macedonia Canyon valley
An old weathered sign here indicates the main Macedonia Canyon Road. If you look closely, you'll see a small building at the bottom of the hills in the distance.
Date: May 29, 2009, 14h37
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I ride up the track into Macedonia Canyon valley, but the hard-packed surface doesn't last, so I park the bike and start hiking
I stash my bike behind some bushes, reset the GPS to help me find it again, and start walking up the hill with my backpack.
Date: May 29, 2009, 15h06
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Up on a hill in the Macedonia Canyon valley, I stop to check my maps and GPS
I'm walking here with no predetermined destination, just exploring, and it's time to decide where I'm headed! I'm hungry and eat a blueberry Clif bar before going further.
Date: May 29, 2009, 15h13
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I decide to head over to the remnants of the Columbia Mine, those small orangish mounds in the distance
In the background is Columbia Mountain, behind which is the valley where I hiked a few days ago to Chicken Water Spring. It's hard to pick a hiking route here because of the small hills everywhere.
Date: May 29, 2009, 15h23
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Approaching the Columbia Mine area, I pass a few abandoned metal tanks
Many old, rusty cans lay around here also.
Date: May 29, 2009, 15h35
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I reach the orange tailings pile at Columbia Mine and see a "danger" sign
Old mine holes like this one scattered across the expansive Mojave National Preserve are slowly being marked by appropriate "danger" signs. I hope that doesn't mean we'll eventually have a paved road leading here.
Date: May 29, 2009, 15h42
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I don't know how deep this mine hole is at Columbia Mine, Macedonia Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
I'm not going to get any closer to try to find out...
Date: May 29, 2009, 15h42
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A final glance at the orange tailings pile near Columbia Mine, Macedonia Canyon
Further up the hillside to my right are larger mine ruins, probably the main part of the Columbia Mine. With more time, I'd walk up that way, but what I really want to see right now is the building further down the valley.
Date: May 29, 2009, 15h44
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White buckwheat flowers in Macedonia Canyon valley
I walk over a couple of low hills and then down toward the cabin in Macedonia Canyon. The dark clouds linger, but they haven't produced any rain since I left my campsite at Mid Hills campground.
Date: May 29, 2009, 15h51
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According to my maps and GPS, an old road exists in the gulley just below
It doesn't look like an old road from here, but I walk down the wash anyway since it's probably the best route to the Macedonia Canyon cabin.
Date: May 29, 2009, 15h54
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And voilà, there it is, the Macedonia Canyon cabin
Or whatever it is... maybe it's not a cabin at all, and just a storage shed. I'll climb up the hill and find out.
Date: May 29, 2009, 16h07
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Atop the little hill, I get a better look at the Macedonia Canyon cabin
More oil drums scattered around here, as well as a torpedo-like object that looks like an old-style hot-water tank.
Date: May 29, 2009, 16h10
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