2022-04-17, 04:35 PM
Another day, another hike. We try to balance the long drive days with the short drive days, so went for a long one on this day, up the Racetrack Valley road a few miles beyond Ubehebe Crater to one of the "Ubehebe Color" canyons. There are a number of documented explored routes in there. This one came straight from Kauri. I'm glad there are more because it will be worth going back!
![[Image: dv22_614.jpg]](https://web.media.mit.edu/~geek/webpix/dv22/dv22_614.jpg)
![[Image: dv22_615.jpg]](https://web.media.mit.edu/~geek/webpix/dv22/dv22_615.jpg)
There is a lot of soft rock in the area and much of it has various colors and strange shapes. We got up to a pass at the head of the canyon and dropped over the other side for a ways to look around.
![[Image: dv22_620.jpg]](https://web.media.mit.edu/~geek/webpix/dv22/dv22_620.jpg)
![[Image: dv22_621.jpg]](https://web.media.mit.edu/~geek/webpix/dv22/dv22_621.jpg)
![[Image: dv22_623.jpg]](https://web.media.mit.edu/~geek/webpix/dv22/dv22_623.jpg)
Going back out the canyon, you get some grand views up north beyond the Big Pine Road.
![[Image: dv22_626.jpg]](https://web.media.mit.edu/~geek/webpix/dv22/dv22_626.jpg)
On the way out, we noticed that someone had built a five foot long arrow out of white rocks on the hillside to point into the proper canyon. Unfortunately we were tired and a bit too far away to bother to go back to eradicate this, the only sign of humans we had seen since leaving the road. If this is what happens when you publish places, I'm bummed.
OK, next day. A while ago John Morrow posted some nice pix of a peak just NE of Keane Spring. We went to the next peak south on that ridge, i.e., SE of Keane Spring. The walking was great and the views grand pretty much the whole way. Favorite hike of the trip for some of us. We stayed above the spring as it looked pretty overgrown, and started by following the old road which brought water down from the spring to a tank. Good views in all directions.
![[Image: dv22_644.jpg]](https://web.media.mit.edu/~geek/webpix/dv22/dv22_644.jpg)
![[Image: dv22_655.jpg]](https://web.media.mit.edu/~geek/webpix/dv22/dv22_655.jpg)
Afterwards we drove down the Monarch Canyon spur to where it meets a big drop off, and hiked half a mile or so down to the old stamp mill down there. It appears to have been a two stamp mill, but only one is still in place.
![[Image: dv22_657.jpg]](https://web.media.mit.edu/~geek/webpix/dv22/dv22_657.jpg)
There is a lot of soft rock in the area and much of it has various colors and strange shapes. We got up to a pass at the head of the canyon and dropped over the other side for a ways to look around.
Going back out the canyon, you get some grand views up north beyond the Big Pine Road.
On the way out, we noticed that someone had built a five foot long arrow out of white rocks on the hillside to point into the proper canyon. Unfortunately we were tired and a bit too far away to bother to go back to eradicate this, the only sign of humans we had seen since leaving the road. If this is what happens when you publish places, I'm bummed.
OK, next day. A while ago John Morrow posted some nice pix of a peak just NE of Keane Spring. We went to the next peak south on that ridge, i.e., SE of Keane Spring. The walking was great and the views grand pretty much the whole way. Favorite hike of the trip for some of us. We stayed above the spring as it looked pretty overgrown, and started by following the old road which brought water down from the spring to a tank. Good views in all directions.
Afterwards we drove down the Monarch Canyon spur to where it meets a big drop off, and hiked half a mile or so down to the old stamp mill down there. It appears to have been a two stamp mill, but only one is still in place.