THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO SEE....

[The Cell]

This is a thread that deals with all things local, nearby and readily accessable destinations.






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[The Cell]

The Mead Cabins are a 1/4 mile off Redrock Road.

The El Paso Mountains lie in Kern County, California, approximately 30 miles northeast of Mojave, and they are bordered on the north by the cities of Inyokern and Ridgecrest. There has been intensive mining activity in the area for over 100 years, and the Bonanza Trail links several old mines. It enables the visitor in an off-road or four-wheel-drive vehicle to take a self-guided tour of the area. Some of the old cabins along the trail – a few dating back to the 1890’s – have been preserved under the auspices of the Bureau of Land Management’s "Adopt_A-Cabin" program. This program enables volunteers to restore and maintain selected cabins. Visitors to the area can stay in some of the more habitable cabins on a first come, first serve basis. There are no facilities of any kind in these cabins. They are for shelter and nothing more.

Some of the cabins in this area do not appear on any of the literature I’ve obtained so far. One example is a grayish metal cabin that resembles an old gas station because it has an awning over the front of the building. Located only a fifth of a mile from the post office in Bonanza Gulch, this cabin is equipped with a sink. In addition, someone saw fit to furnish the place with an old couch and other odds and ends. Despite these things, this cabin is one of the less habitable buildings, due to the accumulation of rat droppings and spider webs inside.

Another example lies about a tenth of a mile past the "gas station." A local four-wheel drive club called the "Hi N’ Lo Desert Runners" has unofficially "adopted" this cabin. Club members frequently stay there. They have cleaned the place inside and out, and they have set trash containers nearby. They empty them regularly. The club has also placed a guest book inside the cabin.

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