As our group entered this portion of lonely backcountry, a solitary vulture greeted us by circling our caravan. As we wondered what it must have been like for a family in a covered wagon traveling the road with a circling vulture as their only companion, we tried not to think about any omens this bird of prey might represent. Another common wildlife sighting along the Mojave Road is the protected Desert Tortoise, which can often be found in the roadway. It didn't take long before a rock-like shape appeared to be unhurriedly crossing the trail in front of us. After taking some photos, our tortoise moved himself to the safety of the roadside, allowing us to pass. Once considered a delicacy by Native Americans, this protected species, which can reach 80 to 100 years of age, should never be handled, because it could cause them to urinate and expel vital bodily fluids, so we allowed him to carry on at his pace, before we continued on at ours.
We had traveled a total of 70.4 miles as we pulled in to the former Army encampment of Marl Springs, which in October of 1867 became the site of an Indian siege that was abated only when, in Western film fashion, a column of over 150 soldiers marched in to save the day the next morning. Over the years Marl has been used as a watering hole for wildlife and cattle, a goods outpost for civilians, and a small stamping mill and operations point for local miners. Forging on, we crested Cimacito, where the views once again became breathtaking and only the Edison high-power lines remind you that civilization hides just beyond the surrounding mountains.
Erected by the Friends of the Mojave Road in 1983, the landmark Mojave Road mailbox resides at mile 73.8. Carrying on with Mojave Road tradition, we stopped to sign the guestbook, along with adding some Four Wheeler goodies to the box for whoever may pass behind us. We always make a point of carrying a new 3x5-foot American flag whenever we travel the trail, because the flag at the mailbox is often tattered. However, this time we were beaten to the punch, as a brand-new flag was waving proudly over the road.
Shortly after the mailbox, the road settled in to a wash, where the lava flows and cinder cones were the dominant features of the terrain. Four-wheel drive and aired-down tires quickly became a driver's best ally to get through the deep sand, which was exactly the type of terrain that Robin was looking for to shakedown the newly acquired RTCC Project Nissan Frontier. This portion of the trail follows the southern edge of the lava flows, and if you know where to look, petroglyphs and lava tubes can be spotted from the road. At this point, Douglas informed us of his need to return to society due to something he referred to as "work," so as we crossed over Kelbaker Road, it provided him with quick access to Baker and the remaining three of us carried on.
Our original plans had us taking a leisurely pace and three days to complete our crossing of the Road, with Seventeen Mile point and its clear view across Soda Lake, being our camping spot of choice for night two. As we arrived at mile 87.4, we found that some brilliant person had the same idea as us and had set up camp already, so we ventured on, and with a half day of sunlight remaining, set a new goal of finishing the trail before sunset.
Because of recent rains and the wet conditions of Soda (sometimes) Dry Lake, and the information we gathered about stuck vehicles from other travelers, we decided it was best to backtrack and avoid getting bogged down in the heavily acidic and sticky, truck-swallowing muck of Soda Lake. Back to Kelbaker Road we went, taking Interstate 15 South and exiting at Rasor Road where the Rasor OHV area is. Our new plan was to cut through the Rasor OHV area and rejoin the Mojave Road on the opposite side of the lake and backtrack to Traveler's Monument, which sits on a more solid portion of Soda Lake.