Trek Date: February 29, 2016

Due to random circumstance, work, the sale of some property in the northern California gold fields and that nasty cold that everyone seems to have fallen victim to, it had been three months since my last trip to JTree. That is just too long to be away from the desert. But the stars aligned, gas prices were low, and this past Leap Day I was able to spend the day in the park, along with the venerable 3-D photographer, Murbachi (visit his website automagically, by clicking HERE see his report on this particular trip HERE).

The main destination for the day was an old abandoned mine, not too far off from Park Blvd. It had been on my radar for a couple of years and I thought it might be the perfect hike to help me get back my "desert legs."

The day was perfect, mid-70s with clear skies, the slightest breeze and no one in the area. Once you've been in the desert long enough, you get a feeling of how "visited" an area is. The Golden Bell Mine is a seldom visited place. Hidden behind a low hill, there's no evidence from the road that there's something interesting behind it. Like many of the awesome places in JTree, you gotta get out of the car and do some exploring (and of course, pre-trek research always pays off, and helps keep you from getting lost, breaking a leg, dying of thirst and being eaten by coyotes and turkey vultures, but that's another story).

Parking Tacoma Red well off the road on a sandy shoulder (pet peeve #1 of the day, people who stop their car IN THE ROAD to take a picture), Murbachi and I gathered our gear and set off across the desert in search of fame, fortune and riches. We would find none of those things, but we did find the Golden Bell Mine. And another 'possible' abandoned vehicle for my photo collection.