We REALLY wanted to find some desert tortoises today, and we set out to look for them in an area where they are known to be found. Sadly, after wandering the featureless desert for an hour, we learned that this time of year brings them out only in the early morning and late evening hours. Our mid-day scouting was fruitless.

Undaunted, we started to explore the nearby Camp Ibis, a WW2 Desert Training Center site. The DTC, if you don’t already know, was the setup created by General Patton to train troops for the African and other campaigns. This eastern Mojave camp was one of the farthest of the series of camps that stretched from near Palm Springs.

On our GPS, the old database clearly showed the original camp travel-ways. The tiny circle is the original flagpole pavilion.

But in 2014 reality, 70 years of weathering have left very little of the original camp environs. Rocky lines describe the old outlines, and the original tank-wide roads quickly deteriorate into desert scrub and washouts.

Command-center army star

Tank thoroughfare ending in brush and washout

70 year old asphalt pad

Trying to escape the soft filled-in road-way sand without engaging 4WD first. Duh.

In the same general area (off of US95 north of Needles), there is a small ridge of interesting geological distractions. Ralph tried to face off a balanced boulder – but I’m not sure which one had more nerve.

This was on private property, so we’re not sure exactly what it was. Take the signage at face value.

As we walked around various areas, some of the local residents would jump up and scurry away. Usually, this was cottontails or small food-chain animals like tiny chipmunks, Desert McNuggets so to speak. But occasionally, something more noteworthy would show its presence. A small (3 feet) orange darter tried to hide in a road-side shrub, but I was lucky to catch him on my nifty Nikon V2. Near the balanced rock, a 6-foot brown-beige constrictor scared the living crap out of me while I was climbing down from the mount. He hid under a rock while I had my heart attack. Hard to tell who was more scared.

Neither of them were poisonous, but all snakes act similarly, and that big constrictor could as easily have been a rattler. I nearly stepped on him.

On the way back to camp, Century 21 proudly announces one of their most special desert properties. Location, location….

Finally, after a relentlessly windy 92F day, we arrive back at camp to relax, bbq a steak, and watch the moon rise over the campfire. Life is good.