The Road to Kelso will take you through the heart of the Mojave National Preserve. It’s a long road… a very very long road. For me it was a sort of shortcut from Las Vegas to Palm Springs. Normally it would be faster to take the 15 south to the 210 east, but with the recent fire in the Cajon Pass, traffic was heavy due to reduced lanes. So why not venture off onto the road less traveled.

I’d taken this road about a decade ago, and the stillness of that drive still haunted me. Even now, cell reception is spotty, signage is minimal, and one can easily drive 15 – 20 minutes without seeing another car. I found myself eerily aware of the sun as it began to dip below the ridge of the mountains, watching the shadows stretch across the 2 lane highway. Where’s the moon? There’s not going to be any light soon… no billboards, no streetlights, no store fronts…. just me and the little stars in the sky. I could easily disappear out here, and no one would ever know… it’s that Children of the Corn kinda feeling. I knew from my iphone navigation that if I made it to Kelso, I’d be half way through the Mojave Preserve. As you can tell from my photos, I made it just in time to snap a few sweet images before the sun finally disappeared.  It’s remarkable how much beauty can be found in this decaying ghost  town.

I made it out of the Mojave just after sunset, passing under Interstate 40, continuing onto Twenty-Nine Palms. All in all it was nearly 3 hours of driving with no amenities. Therefore, if you’re making this drive, be sure and fill up your gas tank and stock up on munchies and water.  I was never so happy to see a 7 Eleven as I was on this night. I pulled in for some snacks and overheard the clerk behind the counter giving a couple of guys directions. She told them to be careful because it was very very dark where they were headed. Where they going I asked.  Vegas she replied. Oh yeah, I just came from there, that’s some drive. Yeah, she said. I wouldn’t make it at this time of night. It’s just to scary, says the woman covered from head to toe in tattoos with orange and red contact lenses… you know, the kind of woman who might have a pentagram somewhere in her home. It made me wonder what kind of stories she’s heard about the long, long, dark road to Vegas.

Kelso, California

War remnants, abandoned for over 100 years, make for a surprisingly peaceful park setting at the Manchester State Park. These buildings are also located near the torpedo store house that I wrote about earlier.

Battery Mitchell, shown above, was named for Lieutenant Robert B. Mitchell, who’d given honorable service during the Philippine-American War that ended in 1902. The Battery was built to help protect Rich Passage, but was never utilized. Therefore, the rapid fire guns were never installed. The staircases lead down to ammunition storage rooms call ‘magazines’, and there are two lower rooms called ‘bombproofs’.  When I first caught a glimpse of it, I thought it looked  like an abandoned Mayan Temple with its great maze of concrete steps.

The building seen above Battery Mitchell is a Mining Casement. It was built as a command post for the operation of the Middle Point fortification between 1900 and 1910. It included an Engine Room, Battery Storage, an Operations Room and a Dormitory. What I love about this building is how thick the concrete walls are. They must be nearly 18 inches thick. And the way time has weathered them with moss and rust is really amazing. When standing inside of it, it feels oddly tranquil. There’s a coolness to the air, and it’s remarkably quiet.  The starkness of the concrete against the lushness of the park creates  a vibe that’s oddly romantic. It would make such a great getaway cabin.

I love that these abandoned buildings are so well cared for, ie, no graffiti. The locals and tourists who come to visit the park seem to respect them and enjoy them for their simple beauty. And like I mentioned previously, they’re a great location for weddings, photo shoots and other events. Click here for more info.