The Mohave Road

At the end of March I went on a short solo off road trip to explore the Old Mojave Road - a trail through the Mojave National Preserve from the Colorado River in the east over to the west near Barstow.

I drove down from Sacramento in the evening and reached Bakersfield before tiredness took over and I got a hotel room - nothing fancy in that not too glamorous city.  The drive down on Highway 99 reminded me of what a terrible price some places pay for their agricultural industries.  The smell of the large scale cattle and dairy operations on the way through Modesto, Turlock, Merced and the like is quite awful.  California is not all beauty and wondrous places.

The Fox Theater in Bakersfield

The next day on my search for a decent cup of coffee I ended up in an older part of town, a part that I had visited on my last trip there, and I enjoyed walking around the old streets admiring some of the wonderful old buildings.  

The beautiful old Kress Department Store in Bakersfield

Leaving Bakersfield I drove up Highway 58 through the Tehachapis.  It was Spring and the hills were green; the absolute best time of year to be there.  Moving on through Barstow and out on Interstate 40 to Needles the road crosses the Mojave Desert and the landscape becomes pretty tedious.  The only impressive thing to note is the rail network that parallels the road in many places.  The trains go on and on in seemingly endless chains across the landscape.

Needles on the old Route 66

In Needles I searched for supplies for my trip but came up short.  Needles is a strange town.  It looks to be a reasonable size but there are only gas stations and fast food stops.  There wasn't a grocery store anywhere in town.  I did find a small Mexican restaurant that did have some pretty decent food served on polystyrene plates with plastic forks.

Charles Schultz spent time in Needles as a boy and in the Peanuts cartoon Snoopy's brother Spike came from Needles.  There is a statue of Spike in the museum there but alas the museum was closed.

So with a full tank of gas but slender supplies I set out for the Mohave Road.  It starts at the Colorado River a few miles north of Needles on the site of the old Fort Mojave.  

The Colorado River near the site of Fort Mojave

The entire Mojave Road links old forts across the desert.  These forts were built in the 1800's to provide protection for mail and supplies traveling between the coast and the interior of Arizona.  Prior to the forts the route was used by the Native Americans as they moved around the area.  Water was and still is scarce so it made sense to have settlements near the water sources and trails between them.

The remains of Fort Piute

The trail rises gently through granite bedrock in a north west direction until after about 12 miles it crosses the California/Nevada boundary.  Shortly after it crosses Highway 95 and continues west across the Piute Valley and Piute Creek.  At around 23 miles the trail reaches Fort Piute.  There are remains of the fort here along with signs of earlier inhabitants.  The road for vehicles ends here and only a hiking trail continues on the path of the old Mohave Road.  I had to double back and take a short bypass route around this obstruction to rejoin the true road further on.

Sunset in the Piute Range

I stopped for the night at the head of the pass over the Piute Range of hills (around 3,500 ft elevation).  It was a nice sunset and a beautiful remote location fro the night.  Rather than pitch the tent I took the easy way out and slept in the back of the 4Runner.

The Piute Corral

The Piute Corral

In the morning after a short drive I again intersected the old Mojave Road again.  Just north of the intersection was an old cattle corral, the Piute Corral.  Still in fine shape after all these years.

Joshua Tree Country

The road continues eastwards across the Lanfair Valley.  I say road but it is not a paved road as such, it is all dirt, but apart from a few sections of roller coaster undulations a fairly good dirt road.  It is Joshua Tree country here and there are some beautiful examples of these fine trees.

Leave a penny in the can

Out to the south of the road there is a VORTAC beacon (an aircraft navigational aid) and shortly afterwards the road passes a tin can suspended from a Joshua Tree.  It has become customary to deposit a penny or some other coin in this can as you pass by.  I only had a quarter.

The Nevada Southern Railway Marker

The road then crosses the Ivanpah/Lanfair Road and route of the old Nevada Southern Railway.  The railway first built in the 1890's was long ago abandoned but there is a historical marker.

The drop to Watson Wash

At around mile 49 the road drops steeply down into Watson Wash.  This was perhaps the most challenging (i.e. fun) bit of the road, especially when soloing and you can't see over the hood of the car.  

Rock Spring

Shortly after the road reaches Rock Spring, another watering hole along the way.  There are remnants of an Army Post there above the valley floor and higher up the slope there is an old stone house built in the 1930's that is still in good shape.

The Cabin at Rock Spring

The road continues down Cedar Canyon (it's name becomes Cedar Canyon Road) and then crosses the Kelso-Cima Road as it crosses the Kelso Wash.  The road in this section is relatively unremarkable as it crosses the wash to Marl Springs, another watering hole on the Mojave Road.   There are occasional sand dunes along the way where the blowing sand has accumulated next to the low hills.  The Kelso Dunes being a named example of these.  Sometimes the road crosses these sand dunes but fortunately nothing to cause any problems with driving.

Kelso Wash and Sand Dunes

The road then heads across a dry lake bed, Soda Lake.  Thankfully there had been no rain in recent weeks so the surface was quite drivable.  On the far side (the western side) of the lake is Soda Springs.  Another spring where the Army established a post.  There is a massive cairn of rocks there, known as the Travelers Monument that has presumably been created by rocks left by people passing that way.  

The Travelers Monument

Just north of Soda Springs is the small settlement of Zzyzx.  This was the Christian community created by Dr Curtis Springer in 1944 to provide help to the homeless and poor of the LA area.   Zzyzx, named so that it would be the last word in the English Dictionary,  grew from a tent camp to a more significant small town with buildings and a swimming pool and a lagoon.  It gave many people a lift up in their livers but alas it all came to an end when in 1974 the BLM forced an eviction of Dr Springer and his entourage on rather dubious tax charges.  It is now a University of California Desert Studies Center.

Zzyzx

Zzyzx

  I took a look around Zzyzx and while there were a few cars there I found no sign of any people.  It is one of those weird and wonderful places in the California Desert.

Zzyzx

Someone had a dream in Zzyzx

Leaving the Traveler's Monument the road crosses an area of sand that is a bit tricky to follow.  The route is marked by cairns and poles but there are so many intersecting trails that it does get a little confusing.  Still it was a fun drive at relatively high speed through the sand.  

The Mojave River

The Union Pacific crosses the Road

After crossing the sand dunes the road intersects the Mojave River.   At this time of year it is not much of a river but there is a trickle of water.  I followed the bank of the river and then crossed over the river on to the other side.  The road runs near the Union Pacific Railway here and I followed the river upstream and under the railway bridge.  The road then enters Afton Canyon and for the next few miles I drove down the canyon on the sandy river bottom.  I imagine in times of flood this is not passable but at this time it was a fun drive down the canyon.

Afton Canyon

The canyon walls come together and the road gets closer to the railroad tracks.  Finally there is a short section where the road follows quite close along the railway track bed.  I don't think you would want to be there when a train is passing.  At the end of this section, the railway crosses a bridge and the road drops down into a flooded section.  

The Water Crossing

I was a bit apprehensive about proceeding here.  The water was wide and several hundred yards long and of unknown depth.  I walked around the whole flooded section and probed and prodded at the water.  It didn't seem too deep, and it appeared to have a firm sandy bottom.  There were tracks of other vehicles that had obviously passed that way so I took a chance.  It was fine.  Not too deep and a firm footing.  Shortly after the first water crossing there was another similar one.  Again the going was good.

Looking back towards Afton Canyon and the Campground

At this point there was a parking area and camping area, the Afton Canyon Campground.  This was almost the end of the trail and I continued on down the Mojave River bed before finally turning up Manix Wash and joining the freeway (I-15).  Rather than immediately get on the freeway I wanted to visit the final Army Camp on the road.  I drove along a dirt road beneath a power line looking for Camp Cady.  There was a marker near the location and it was supposed to be a short 3/4 mile walk to the ruins of the camp.  I staggered around for a long time but I didn't find any sign of the camp so I finally gave up and headed back to the road.

End of the Road, Camp Cady

I dined in nearby Barstow and stayed there overnight.  The next day it was a long day's drive back to Sacramento with very fond memories of the Mojave Road.

Mexico City and Puebla - November 2021

On the last day of October, Mary Ann and I flew from San Francisco to Mexico City.  This was my fourth trip to this incredible city, Mary Ann's first.  We stayed at the Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico on the Zocalo - a fine old hotel that I had stayed in before.  The best thing about the hotel is that in its previous life it was a department store and it has the most amazing stained glass ceiling and the most beautiful art nouveau elevators.  The building is a work of art in itself.

The beautiful ceiling of the Gran Hotel

Being October 31, the Dias de los Muertos celebrations were in full swing in the city and they were to continue until November 2.  The Zocalo square was thronged with costumed people and there were all manner of weird and wonderful decorations.  We were a bit apprehensive about the crowds in these Covid days but we were pleasantly surprised  to find everyone masked.   Unless you were eating or drinking everyone we came across was masked - both inside and out.

Crowded Streets with everyone masked

In our first evening there, we walked around the old town taking in all the Day of the Dead decorations and watching all the costumed people.  We walked around the Zocalo, the Cathedral, Francisco Madero Street (a pedestrian street), the Palacio Bellas Artes, the Torre Latino-Americano, the blue tiled Casa de Azuelas.  We had a beer in the Casa Azuelas which is now a Sanbornes store and restaurant.  There is a beautiful Orozco mural in there above the stairs (just outside the banos).  

Orozco Mural in Casa de Azuelos

Mystery Meat at Victoria's Tacos

For dinner we had street tacos at Victoria's Tacos on Calle de Tacuba.  They were incredibly cheap and incredibly good.  Afterwards, I bought a pan de muertos to satisfy my sweet cravings.

The Zocalo at night from the Terraza

Before retiring for the night we had margaritas on the roof top terrace of the hotel overlooking the festivities in the square below.

Day of the Dead Figures on the Zocalo

The next morning was sunny and clear and we walked around the now less crowded Zocalo examining the Day of the Dead statues and sculptures.

The very fine and very popular El Cardinal

We had breakfast at El Cardinal, a very popular breakfast spot, where I sampled their famous chocolate drink - very rich and creamy and sweet but a great way to start the day.

The Cathedral on the Zocalo

Interior of the Cathedral

We then went over to the Cathedral and spent some time looking around inside.  It is a wonderfully extravagant church and though I have been inside many times before it never fails to amaze me.  Unfortunately they have stopped offering tours of the bell tower and roof top which was a great thing to do.  Instead we went on a tour of the crypts below ground.  Not as impressive as the bell tower but interesting all the same.

Many of the museums were closed on Mondays and many, like the Palacio National and the Templo Major Aztec site, were closed all the time because of Covid concerns. 

The Palacio de Bellas Artes

We walked again out towards the Palacio de Bellas Artes which also was closed (but just for the day).  There was a camp of indigenous people (I think) outside Bellas Artes protesting some awful violent crimes that had occurred.  The posters were all a bit gruesome. 

The Angel of Independence

We walked further on towards Paseo de la Reforma which is one of the major thoroughfares in the city.  On La Reforma it is an entirely different city - modern buildings, fewer tourists, more expensive cars.  We walked all the way down to the Angel of Independence, which is the monument to commemorate the independence from Spain (built by Porfirio Diaz in 1910).

We dined on more tacos for a late lunch before heading back to our hotel.   Since we were quite a way away from the hotel we took our first trip on the Metro.  What an efficient and cheap means of transport that is.  It was only 5 pesos (25c US) for a trip.  The trains are clean and safe, they arrive every few minutes and they move a lot of people - a great system.

Back at the hotel we again took a walk around the Zocalo to marvel at the Day of the Dead celebrations once more before retiring to the hotel terrace for beers and guacamole.

Sand Art

On Tuesday morning we again went for a walk around the Zocalo.  Tuesday being the 2nd of November was the official Day of the Dead and the celebrations would be over after the evening.   We finally got a chance to walk around the fenced off area where there were many elaborate colorful sand patterns laid out on the floor - like some large scale Tibetan Mandala.

Dancing and Drumming in the Zocalo

There was an area over by the Templo Major where the local indigenous people congregate and chant, sing, drum and dance.  We watched their most interesting dances and drumming for quite some time.

We then went inside the smaller chapel to the east of the Cathedral to look at the interior.  Whilst not as impressive as the cathedral it was still pretty amazing.

The Waitress Nun

For breakfast we went over to the Cafe Tacuba - a wonderful restaurant that has been around for a long time (since 1912 actually).  Since it was day of the dead half of the waitresses were in costume dressed as nuns.  The coffee lechero was particularly good.  To top breakfast off a mariachi band came around to entertain us.

Breakfast Mariachi Band at Cafe Tacuba

After breakfast we tried again to get into the Palacio de Bellas Artes but it was still closed so we set off to visit the Frida Kahlo Museum.  This entailed a metro ride to the Viveros station and a walk through the Coyoacan district to the house once occupied by Frida.  Alas once there we discovered that all tickets should be bought on-line and that there are no tickets available until the next week after we would have left Mexico.  

We moved on to the center of Coyoacan itself and wandered around the market and square.  We visited yet another church and in the market we both bought small pieces of art.  The artist was a guy who looked about our age who turned out to be an American born draft dodger from the 60's who still lived away in Mexico.

On the Ixtapalapa Cable Bus

I then wanted to go to the new Ixtapalapa Cable Car system which I had read about in the New York Times.  Mary Ann was not so interested so I slipped off to Ixtapalapa while she went back to the Centro Historico.  Ixtapalapa is at the end of one of the Metro lines and they have recently added a Cable Car system to take people further out into the more mountainous parts of the city.  What an excellent non-disruptive and relatively low cost way of moving people around.  For a relatively cheap price (7 pesos) I got a 6.5 mile trip out to the end of the system.  Once there I just turned around and came back down again.

Colorful Houses heading up the hills

The houses and buildings are quite colorful and there are many murals that have been painted to beautify the once poor, dangerous and crime ridden neighborhood.  The arrival of the cable car, or cable bus as they call it, has done a huge amount to benefit the area.

Lucha Libre Wrestling

That evening we had tickets to go to the Lucha Libre event at the Arena Mexico.  Lucha Libre is Mexican Wrestling that is choreographed and scripted so that it looks like they are inflicting great pain on each other when in actual fact they are doing nothing of the sort.  The wrestlers wear colorful full face masks.  I would never entertain watching wrestling in America but the Mexican version is so over the top that it is a wonder to behold.

After the event we caught the Metro to the hotel.  Now Day of the Dead was over and the square was being swept clean.

The Sun Temple, Teotihuacan

On the next day, Wednesday, we visited the Aztec pyramid site of Teotihuacan.  We caught the Metro to the Northern Bus Station and then caught a bus out to the pyramids.  We arrived early and it was quite quiet but soon the site was inundated with people.   Because of Covid they were not allowing anyone to climb up the pyramids of the Sun and Moon - too many people on top at the same time - and the Museum unfortunately was also closed.  Nevertheless it is an impressive site and it was well worth the trip.

The Moon Temple, Teotihuacan

Man at the Crossroads by Diego Rivera

We caught the bus back to the city and finally, this being a non-holiday, we got to visit the interior of the Palacio de  Bellas Artes.  The building itself is a wonder with a spectacular exterior and a beautiful art deco interior, but the real treasures are the murals.  There are works by Rivera, Siqueiros, Tamayo and Orozco.  All of them quite wonderful but the gem for me is the Rivera mural, Man at the Crossroads.  It was originally commissioned for  the Rockefeller Center in New York but Mr. Rockefeller didn't like it's left wing leanings so he had it destroyed.  Diego recreated it here in Mexico City.

The Palacio Postal

The adjacent Post Office building was also open now so we got to look inside at the wonderful metalwork.  I should really call it the Palacio Postal as it really is a palace.  A most wonderful building.

In the evening we splurged on a nice dinner at La Casa de las Sirenas - a nice balcony table overlooking the back of the Cathedral.

On Thursday morning we needed to take our Covid tests for reentry into the USA.  There were a few hiccups with one code number not working (fortunately I had another I had purchased for my next UK trip) but in the end all turned out fine and we were pronounced fit to travel.

We then walked some of the interesting streets to the east of the Zocalo.  We visited a church or two along the way.  There are churches everywhere in Mexico.  One of them had an interesting modern art exhibit.  As well as a modern sculpture it had an interesting sonic installation - hums, buzzes and clicks from a turntable playing on a tablet.  Interesting in such a large empty old church space.

Diego Rivera Murals at the Secretariat of Education

We were anxious to see more Rivera murals and since the Palacio National murals were closed to the public, we walked over to the Secretariat of Public Education building where there is a most impressive collection of his murals.  There are some 235 panels that he painted here between 1923 and 1928 depicting all aspects of Mexican life and history.  It is truly an amazing place and I had not heard or seen this place before.  What a treat.

Frida and Diego's House in San Angel

Since we couldn't get tickets to visit the Frida Kahlo Museum we decided to go to Frida and Diego's house which is also a museum.  The house is in San Angel which required a Metro ride and a walk up the hill to the house.  It is an interesting and colorful building in itself - designed by Diego's friend Juan O'Gorman.  

Inside Diego and Frida's House

The contents are some of the weird modern artifacts that belonged to Diego and Frida along with part of Diego's collection of ancient Mexican native pottery and statues (he apparently collected a lot of historical artifacts).  It is well worth a visit and it was nice to see a different part of the city.

View towards the Zocalo from the Torre LatinoAmericano

View of Palacio de Bellas Artes at night

Back in the old town again we walked down to the Bellas Artes which was all lit up in the evening light.  Then we went up the Torre LatinoAmericana to get a view of the city from above.  The observation deck is on top, on the 44th floor and it provides a great view of this vast city stretching out in the distance to the far hills.

Dinner that night was a late one at our favorite Cafe Tacuba.

Cafe La Habana

Plaque in the Cafe la Habana

On Friday morning, our last one in Mexico City, we walked east on Republica de Uruguay (and Victoria and then Morelos) to the Cafe La Habana.  This is an older coffee shop where Fidel Castro and Che Guevara used to meet when they were plotting the invasion of Cuba.  Octavio Paz and Gabriel Garcia Marquez also used to hang out there.  It is a great coffee shop with wonderful cafe lecheros and, not to be overlooked, cream filled pan de muertos.

Museo Diego Rivera Mural

From the coffee shop it was a short walk to the Museo Mural Diego Rivera.  This is the museum housing Diego's mural "Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central".   The mural was originally in the Hotel del Prado but that building was seriously damaged in the 1985 earthquake.  It is a terrific mural with all sorts of characters from Mexico's history displayed in one huge grouping.

We then went back to the hotel to check out and make our way by taxi to the central bus station (TAPO).   There we bought tickets for the next bus to Puebla.  The buses run quite frequently and they are quite luxurious.  Bus travel in Mexico is way different to the same in the UK or USA.

We climbed out of the Mexico City basin and dropped down towards Puebla about 80 miles away.  On the way we got our first glimpses of the perfect cone shape of the volcano Popocatepetl.

There was a young man on the bus who befriended Mary Ann and he helped us get a taxi from the bus station to our hotel, The Purificadora.  It was a nice enough hotel but it tried a little too hard to be modern and trendy.  The bad smells from the sewer in our room didn't help in our appreciation of the hotel.

Cathedral de Puebla

That night we walked around the old part of town.  There is a nice Zocalo square with an impressive cathedral.  It started to rain, the first we have had in Mexico.  At the end of the evening we went to a fine restaurant, El Mural de los Poblanos.  Since Puebla is known for chocolate mole sauces, I had the mole pork - very nice.

Cathedral, Puebla

On Saturday morning we went out early to explore Puebla.  There is a history of ornamental tile production in Puebla and as a result there were many fine buildings decorated with colored tile.  We walked up to the Zocalo and then went inside the cathedral.  As expected this was quite impressive on the inside.  Thank you to the  Catholic Church for making so many wonderful things for this heathen to look at.  That doesn't excuse them from the many terrible things they have done over the years but I am seriously impressed with their churches.

Biblioteca Palafoxiana

Old Anatomy text in Biblioteca Palafoxiana

We also visited an old library, the Biblioteca Palafoxiana.   This is an impressive collection of old books that was initiated by the bishop of Puebla, Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, in 1646.  The woodwork in the library was amazing and I always find the smell of the old books quite distinctive and not at all unpleasant to me.  The oldest book in the library is dated 1493.

Chapel of the Rosary

Chapel of the Rosary

Chapel of the Rosary

Walking further on through quite crowded streets of Puebla we came to the Chapel of the Rosary.  This fairly nondescript church from the outside reveals inside one of the most amazing chapels you could imagine.  It was described back in the 17th century as being the 8th Wonder of the World and that is not much of an overstatement.  It is a truly over the top chapel - ornamented and gilded from ceiling to floor.

The Railway Museum

A little ways out of town there is the Museo Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos (Railway Museum).  I always like such things as this and Mary Ann was indulgent of me.  We walked around the 5 or 6 steam engines they had on display and climbed on the footplate of a couple.  There was some nice rolling stock too - a Presidential Coach and a Postal Sorting Coach.

The Uriarte Talavera Pottery

Artists painting pottery

On the way back into town from the railway museum we came across a beautifully tiled building.  It turned out to be the Uriarte Talavera pottery.  Talavera Pottery is type of pottery that originated in Spain but has become associated with the Puebla area because of the presence of high quality clays in the region.   The tiles and crockery from the pottery are quite beautiful and they are seen all over the area, even on the fine buildings like the Casa de Azuelos in Mexico City.  We wandered around the pottery for some time, apparently reaching places we were not supposed to visit until someone came along and escorted us out.  We almost bought a few pieces but then decided against it.

The Serdan House, Museum of the Revolution

Our next stop was the Museum of the Revolution.  This is a house not far from the Zocalo which is recognized as the place where the Mexican Revolution started.  This is the revolution against Porfirio Diaz in 1910.  In 1910 it was the home of the Serdan brothers who were agitating against the continued presidency of Porfirio Diaz.  They had secreted a store of arms in the house and when the police learned of this they decided to attack the house.  In the ensuing battle, many on bothe sides were killed including one of the Serdan Brothers.  The revolution did not immediately catch fire after this encounter but it is recognized as the first conflict of the revolution.  The museum was most informative and for once there was English language information.

The bullet riddled wall inside the Serdan House

We moved on next to some retail therapy.  We had admired some tiled mirrors and pottery earlier in the day and we set about to negotiate a deal.  We ended up purchasing two mirrors and one piece of pottery for what we though was a good price.  Since the shop owner was quite happy with the transaction we likely didn't get too much of a deal.

In the evening we had another fine meal.  This time at the Hotel Casareyna where we shared a mole sauce sampler.  Four different mole sauces of increasing strength.  Each one being quite different and each one quite wonderful.

On Sunday we had the morning in Puebla before our bus to Mexico City and our flight home.  We decided to go to the nearby town of Cholula where there is the ruin of the largest pyramid by volume in the world today.  We arranged for an Uber and drove the short distance over to Cholula.  Unfortunately Sunday was also the day of the Puebla Marathon which runs from Puebla to Cholula and back.  As we got near to Cholula all roads were closed for the marathon and we could not get anywhere close.  We aborted the mission and headed back to Puebla.  It was a bit of a shame but since both of us have run many road races ourselves it only is appropriate that we, ourselves, should have some inconvenience.

We checked out of the hotel and took a taxi to the very modern Paseo Destino bus station for our bus to the airport.  The bus (Estrella Roja) was even more luxurious than the prior one - so comfortable, so clean.  Bus travel in Mexico was certainly a surprise to me.  There was a modern terminal, security checks, a waiting room, seat assignments, baggage check in, and above all on time departures.  

Popocatapetl

The bus trip to the city was uneventful.  A few miles out of Puebla, we had great views of Popocatepetl and its sister volcano Iztaccihuatl.

The trip home was similarly uneventful and we arrived safely around midnight after a tiring drive back from San Francisco.