Western Railroad Discussion > One of the many desert mysteries.

For those of you who have explored the desert near the rail lines, I bet many of you have found all sorts of rusty cans and metal objects that are there for who knows what reason.

Same with this picture. The tracks are a good 200 or more yards away. Someone hauled this (and other) torn up ties over to a small rise in the surrounding area. And all around were these items, the rusty flotsam of the desert. The name I could make out on the oil can meant they have been sitting in the bleaching sun for 50 or more years.

I could make out a really old 4WD trail going through, with lots of creosote bushes growing in the shallow ruts. Yet a long used dirt trail is only a short distance away. There is no rhyme or reason for it be there. Just a mystery.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/14 20:58 by syscom3.

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Probably some off-roader wanted to build a fire...

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> Probably some off-roader wanted to build a fire...

Nope. No remnants of fires, fire circles, spent ammo and the like.

It looks more like water flowing through the area
moved these materials to where they ended up in
your photo!

Lot of the same kind of debris along portions of the
SD&AE line in San Diego and Imperial Counties!

Mike

It always amazes me the extremes of the desert. A land that is usually bone dry covered with washes evident of massive water flows. Blazing summertime highs in the 110+ degrees range always gives way to below freezing winter nights. A empty land crossed by the busiest transcontinental mainline in the nation. A place few visit but yet full of discarded items.

Edmond Wade Teale in his book "Autumn Across America" talks about how its easier to except the message of the stars than that of the desert. The stars speak of man's insignificance in the long eternity of time, but the desert speaks of his insignificance right now.

Space aliens!

Here's a real phenomenon of the desert....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones

Desmond Praetzel, "4451 Puff"

Depending on where that is, the trail could be the remains of National Old Trails Road. In the area of Bagdad and Siberia, CA, the NOTR followed the railroad much closer than present 66 and was never paved. The NOTR was begun in 1913 and was the first official auto road through the area. You'd be amazed at how much flotsam remains of this road in the form of trash, old cans and even car parts.

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Rte 66 is about 5 miles away. No road has ever existed here, except for a dirt road several hundred feet from here. And even then, that road was rarely if ever used after the mines in the area shutdown in the 30's.

4451Puff Wrote:
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> Here's a real phenomenon of the
> desert....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_sto
> nes
>
> Desmond Praetzel, "4451 Puff"

They had a story on news were they figured out the rocks were moved by being locked in moving ice sheets at night in cold weather.

Having been in a snow storm in Death Valley I'd pretty much say that
almost anything is possible.

Out

What a wonderful piece of historical signage. Don't part with it.