NOTICE:  Check the xprides.com website for information on future Eastern Mojave Scenic endurance rides.  This ride is now officially an XP Ride!

Mojave  Photos and more Photos

155 Mile 3-Day Pioneer Ride

February 13, 14, 15, 2010.  50/55/50

Region: Pacific South, California

Name: Eastern Mojave Scenic 50/55/50 I, II, & III 

Date:  February 13, 14, 15, 2010. Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 

Directions: Take Interstate 15 to Cima Road, which is located between Baker, California and the California/Nevada state line. The ride site is south of the Interstate on Cima Road.  Here is a map showing where Mountain Pass, CA is located.  You can click on 'directions' and have it show you where it is in relation to you.

Trail:  The trail is mostly good footing, with a few rocky sections.  All vet checks are out of camp.  One day goes into the mountains, but they aren't that high -- about the same elevation as the first day of DVE. 
 
General Information: During the late 50's and early 60's, I used to frequently travel between Utah and Southern California on, what was then old Hwy 91. I noticed the cattle in the desert between Baker and the Nevada state line and wondered who in the world would live in such a miserable god forsaken place. A few years later, I went to work for the ranch that ran those cattle and grew to appreciate the surrounding country in a way that only those on horseback can. While the first impressions of the country, as you speed by on the interstate, are that the entire area lacks anything that would justify a second look, but when you begin to explore the back country you will find an amazing land, filled with numerous species of trees and plant life, some of unique to only this area. For a number of years I have toyed with the idea of putting on a ride in this area and in fact I was close to pursuing it about five years ago, when I was sidetracked.  During the beginning of 2002, I was returning to Utah from Death Valley Encounter and stopped at Cima Road to exercise my horse. Not wanting to bother the occupants, I stayed across the road and never went in. I made a mental note that it was too bad that the place was occupied because it would make a great base camp for an endurance ride, but I was sure that a towing garage and gas station would have no interest in a bunch of scruffy endurance horses in their front yard. By coincidence, Al and Nannette Young, of Las Vegas, were at the Mt Carmel XP Ride a few months later and Al was relating a story of how his horse was lost in the desert south of town. I asked him where and he said, "oh just over the border in California" to which I related my experiences there and my thoughts about putting on a ride in the Mescal Mountains and Shadow Valley. You can imagine my surprise, when I found that he owned the very gas station and towing garage that I had looked at a few months before.  Obviously this is a ride that was meant to be. We have spent quite a bit of time going over the trails there and I believe we have a couple of good days of trail. The footing is generally good, although I would always recommend some form of hoof protection. Nanette says that you can ride the whole ride barefooted, but she has really tough feet and I doubt that your horse would agree with her. The valley floors do offer good footing but the mountain trails tend to be rockier in places. The trails are mostly two-track jeep trails, interspersed with single-track burro trails and a minimal amount of old graded roads. For those of you who don't believe there are trees in the desert, we will take you by at least six different kinds of trees in the two days. The trails through the Mescals and along the Rim of the World Trail, will lead you by old mines and settlements. 

The area that we have laid out falls in the National Scenic Preserve and will require some special considerations to be able to ride there. Competitive events are not generally a permitted use and there is a problem with entry fees, so we are going to charge for the camping, lunches and veterinary exams and not charge an entry fee to ride through the preserve. We hope to show the National Park Service that we are the kind of people that the preserve was created for.

There is plenty of water at the campsite, as well as a convenience store and gas station. There might be showers available if the water doesn't freeze up. It will probably be cold at night, but the days are generally warm by high desert standards. Then again, it might be freezing cold and snowing, so you should prepare for that as well. I don't recall anyone getting snowed in on the Mojave Desert, so the ride will proceed regardless of the weather.

Ride Rules: AERC rules apply. The management, unlike the AERC Board of Directors, is able to differentiate between an endurance ride and an endurance race. If you are into endurance riding you will probably enjoy this ride. If you are a real competitor and are looking for a race you are likely to find the lack of structure here to be an abomination. This is an old time endurance ride like we used to have when you could print all the AERC rules on a single page.  Back in the good old days we used to ride more and read less. Those were better times.

Veterinarians: Dr. Kathy Backus, Dr. Dave Nicholson and possibly others if we can find some who will work cheap. Don't count on any expertise in the veterinary department, just learn how to take care of your horse and keep out of trouble.

Entry fees: None

Club Dues and Assessments: $TBD per day for Eagle level members. This covers camping fees, rider lunches and miscellaneous fees to help the club put on the ride.  Non AERC members add $15.00 per day.

Meals: Breakfast Bar at McYoungs Golden Arches will be open before the ride. Lunches will be provided by Annie and the Lunch Gang. Dinners will be provided at an extra charge if Annie is in a good mood. You can always keep from starving by going to the Dinner Bar at McYoungs Golden Arches.

Mojave National Preserve, CA
Rose-colored sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, Joshua tree forests, and mile-high mountains are all part of the scene at Mojave National Preserve. Located in the heart of the Mojave Desert, this new park was established in 1994 through the California Desert Protection Act. The Preserve encompasses 1.6 million acres of mountains, jumble rocks, desert washes, and dry lakes; outdoor enthusiasts appreciate the opportunity for solitude here not easily found at other southern California parks.

Plant and animal life varies by elevation. Desert tortoises burrow in creosote bush flats, while the black and yellow Scott's oriole nests in Joshua trees higher up the slopes. Mule deer and bighorn sheep roam among pinion pine and juniper in the Preserve's many mountain ranges.

Mojave Desert experiences change with the seasons. Infrequent winter snows sparkle on the mountains. With enough moisture, spring wildflowers carpet the desert with vivid colors. Summers are hot; hikers and campers explore the higher elevations such as Mid-Hills and the New York Mountains. The cooler temperatures of fall mark hunting season.