The Journey is the destination
The Mojave Desert, located in the southwestern United States, is a striking landscape characterized by vast expanses of arid terrain and rugged mountains. Spanning parts of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, it is known for its iconic Joshua trees, which dot the sandy plains alongside hardy shrubs and cacti adapted to the harsh desert environment. The Mojave Desert experiences extreme temperatures, with scorching hot summers and chilly winters, while its unique geological features include ancient lava flows, dry lake beds, and towering sand dunes. This desert region is not only a testament to resilience in nature but also harbors a rich diversity of wildlife and holds a cultural significance as a home to indigenous peoples and a backdrop for explorers and adventurers alike.
Located deep in the Mojave National Reserve exists a small stone building, known as Bert Smith’s Cabin, which serves as an ongoing monument to a national hero. Bert Smith was a World War One veteran who moved to the Mojave in order to prolong his live and recover from the poison gas attacks which damaged his lungs during the war. The original structure was built from wood, and later finished in stone. Bert Smith lived at the site despite his prognosis, until the 1950’s.
Oenothera deltoides belongs to the evening primrose family and is classified as follows (using a combination of traditional Linnaean ranks and modern phylogenetic clades):
The species includes several subspecies (e.g., O. d. subsp. howellii, which is federally endangered in California, and others such as subsp. deltoides, subsp. piperi, subsp. ambigua, subsp. cognata, and subsp. julpunensis). The overall species is considered secure.
Oenothera deltoides, commonly known as the Desert Primrose, is a bushy or mounded annual (sometimes short-lived perennial) herb in the Evening Primrose family. It typically grows 2–18 inches (5–46 cm) tall but can reach up to 3 feet (about 1 m) in favorable conditions, with a spread up to 40 inches (1 m) wide. The plant often forms a dense basal rosette with a central erect stem and several decumbent to ascending leafy branches. The herbage is grayish-green to pale green and may be hairy or glandular.
Leaves: Primarily basal and sparse along the stems; deltoid (triangular) to obovate or oblanceolate in shape, up to 4 inches (10 cm) long. Margins are often toothed, lobed, grooved, or cleft, giving a distinctive triangular appearance (reflected in the species epithet deltoides).
Flowers: Large, showy, and fragrant, measuring 1.5–3 inches (4–8 cm) wide with four white petals forming a saucer or cup shape (sometimes turning yellowish toward the center). They open in the early evening (around sunset) and close by mid-morning, a classic evening-primrose trait. The flowers are solitary in the upper leaf axils and fade to pinkish with age. They are pollinated primarily by nocturnal moths (such as the white-lined sphinx moth) and native bees.
Fruit: A woody capsule that persists after flowering.
Distinctive Feature: After the plant dies (typically after setting seed), the stems curl upward and inward, forming a hollow, cage- or basket-like structure. This gives rise to many of its common names and allows the dried plant to tumble in the wind, dispersing seeds.
The plant is highly adapted to arid conditions and often carpets sandy desert floors with white “tissue-paper-like” blooms following abundant winter rains.
Oenothera deltoides is native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Its range includes the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, extending into parts of the Great Basin and coastal sandy areas. It occurs in the following U.S. states: Arizona (AZ), California (CA), Nevada (NV), Oregon (OR), and Utah (UT). In Mexico, it is found in northern Baja California and northwestern regions.
Habitat: Dry, open sandy soils, dunes, desert washes, rocky cliffs, hillsides, and occasionally beaches or coastal dunes. Elevations are generally below 2,500–5,500 feet (760–1,680 m), depending on the region. It thrives in full sun and is most abundant in the Mojave, Sonoran, and adjacent desert regions after wet winters.
Flowering season is primarily January–May (varying slightly by location and rainfall), with peak blooms often in February–April.
In addition to Desert Primrose (or Dune Primrose), the species is known by many evocative names that reference its flowers, fragrance, or post-death “cage” structure:
These names vary regionally but consistently highlight the plant’s striking appearance and unique dried form.
Oenothera deltoides is a beautiful and ecologically important desert wildflower, providing nectar for pollinators and contributing to the spectacular spring displays of the American Southwest. It is widely available for native plant gardening in arid regions and requires well-drained sandy soil with minimal irrigation once established.
Owls Clover (Castilleja exserta) is a small flowering plant which can grow about 1 foot tall. The Owl’s Clover is a native plant to California, Arizona, New Mexico and the Northwestern areas of Mexico. Like other Castilleja plants, which also includes the Indian Paintbrushes, the Owl’s Clover is hemiparasitic which means that it obtains its nutrients from the roots of other plants.
The Owls Cover blooms from March to May and may be found at elevations from 2000 ft to 3000 ft. The plant ranges in height from 4 to 18 inches in height. The underdeveloped, hairy stemmed leaves are threaded in appearance because they are not needed for nutrients or photosynthesis. Rather, the roots of this plant will growth into the root structures of other plants around it, stealing the nutrients from it.
The thin, erect bracts are usually tipped in the same color. This will give the flower a dual tone color and the appearance a paintbrush dipped in paint. This is the source of the the paintbrush common name of other plants in this genus.
The seeds of the Owl’s clover were harvested and utilized as a food source by the indigenous peoples of California.
The Kokoweef Mine and in fact all of the trails and mines located in the Ivanpah / Mountain Pass area represent exactly why I started Destination4x4. My wife and I routinely drive between our home in Las Vegas, NV and Los Angeles, CA to visit family and friends. One trip we decided to jump off the 15 and just investigate the Mountain Area off of Bailey Road. After a few nice discoveries, we continued our drive home and that night I opened up Google Earth and started investigating the area.
One of my discoveries was Kokoweef. Immediately upon exiting the I-15 at Baily road was a sign for Kokoweef. Little did I realize that I had just walked into a legend of the “Kokoweef River of Gold”. Obviously, I don’t think I have discovered anything, but rather learned more of the desert history which surrounds us all and seldom seen or learned about.
According to Legend, three Piute Indians discovered cave system which became known as the Crystal Cave. The cave system was reported to be thousands of feet deep, and contained an underground river 300 feet across which was rich with placer gold. The location remained a secret for many years, until the 1930’s when Earl F. Dorr learned of the cave system from a Indian ranch hand who worked on his fathers ranch. According to the ranch hand, three brothers Oliver, Buck and George Peysert worked / mined the cave system and recovered some $57,000.00 for 6 weeks of work. During one visit George Peysert is reported to have died
Armed with this little bit of knowledge, Mr. Door reportedly investigated the site with two other men. Reportedly, we found the underground river which “Rises and Falls with Tidal Regularity”, along with fantastic geologic formations. To protect his new find, Mr. Dorr blasted the tunnel closed. On December 10, 1934 Mr Door swore and affidavit to which, he stated that he prospect the area for several days and with 10 lbs of of placer sand from the banks of the underground river was assayed a$2,144.47 per yard and $20 per once of gold.
Mr. Dorr died in 1957 without revealing the location of the cavern entrance to the underground river of gold. From the point of his affidavit in 1934, the site has been submit to multiple mining claims, rumor, story and lawsuits. It is of some note that Earl Dorr worked for another 23 years with the knowledge of a vaste cache of placer gold yet did not seem to act on this information.
The latest lawsuit in the area was closed in 2012, but to my knowledge no vast river of gold at the bottom of a 3000 foot canyon has yet to be rediscovered in the Mojave.
Currently, the two roads to the mine are closed on both sides, so you have to walk up to the mine sight. The terrain is moderately steep, however erosion channels and loose rock make to hike more difficult but well worth the effort. Access from the southern access road on considerabley shorter and not as steep. Once at the top, you are great of the mine portal with is mostly closed and the mine cart rail.
Growing up in the 70’s I learned and spent a lot of time camping, hiking, being outdoors and active. Every spring summer and fall, my parents and I would load up the truck, and later the trailer and head out. Typically preparations would start the week before departure, and the loading process would start on Thursday afternoon with my brother and I hauling all the gear into the yard, while my mom packed the vehicles. Friday could not come soon enough and when it did, my dad would come home from work, change is clothes, wrangle up two kids, maybe a dog, adjust the mirrors, and exclaim “We’re off” as we drove out of the driveway in The Green Gopher. For the most part, for my family nothing much has changed much from my dad. It is however the details that matter.
In 1972, I was one year old and to celebrate my dad bought a new truck. Details of the vehicle back then are scarce. From my point of view, my dad previously owned a 1964 International Scout. He drive this car for years all over the desert south west in the late 1960s. When my dad married my mom, my mom made him sell the Scout because the breaks were horrible, and at least three times they failed completely. It was a wise decision considering the stakes for the family at the time, but the loss of his beloved Scout was difficult and for decades despite its faults the Scout cast a long shadow in our family.
Returning to 1972, my dad decided to purchase his truck. He chose a Sea Foam Green 1972 Ford F-100 pickup sporting a 302 inch V-8 sporting with a 3.2:1 gear ratio, two fuel tanks, and a four speed manual transmission which included a “Granny Gear”. The extra costs of a four wheel drive were not an option for my dad at that time. So, the truck became the “ultimate compromise”. He opted for 2 wheel drive, but to offer improved traction he chose a four speed with granny gear. The differential was geared up to offer improve gas mileage, but the little 200 HP V-8 could not pull a grade at any sort of highway speeds. A camper shell, home built bed, pass-through rear window and the “green gopher” was complete for the initial incarnation.
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