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worldinchaos · 03-18-2013, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyp315

I'm so bummed out that I can't be their with everyone. I hope that we plan another trip to the desert. Kenny

We'll do it again Kenny, I promise!

Scott J-24 · 03-18-2013, 02:33 PM

If all goes as planned, we should arrive late Friday afternoon. Hope there are still sites available when we arrive. BTW, should we bring our bikes or save the weight? With the tools, generator, fuel, etc. we are pushing max axle weight on the Tundra. Finally, we are planning to bring our dog Heidi unless it is not safe for her, please advise....

worldinchaos · 03-18-2013, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott J-24

If all goes as planned, we should arrive late Friday afternoon. Hope there are still sites available when we arrive. BTW, should we bring our bikes or save the weight? With the tools, generator, fuel, etc. we are pushing max axle weight on the Tundra. Finally, we are planning to bring our dog Heidi unless it is not safe for her, please advise....

Probably won't need the bikes, but its your call. The campground isn't huge, and I don't think you'll want to bike around in the sand, but depends upon your preferences.

As for Heidi, this is the blurb from one of the websites regarding both campsites in the area:
"A word or two of caution has to do with pets such as cats and dogs. The area around the Mule Mountains LTVA is home to coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions, to which a pet on the loose may look very much like dinner. Rattlesnakes have been spotted right in the campground as well. So keep pets in your vehicle, or, when they must be outside, keep them on a leash and well supervised. Although I know of no one who has been harmed, common sense dictates especially careful supervision of small children."

I think it would still be fine, but just keep it in mind if you bring her.

TinShack · 03-20-2013, 06:31 PM

We are here! Road in was wide and flat, but very washboardy...10 to 15 mph max. Secure everything well and don't open a beer as soon as you arrive! Wiley Well Camp is about half full right now, but some will be leaving Friday and Saturday, including the camp hosts. We are in site number 2 at the end of the south loop.

Weather is cloudy and breezy and about 90d. Open sites are dispersed, throughout, but the sites are large with a lot of open space between. We do have internet through out cell carrier Verizon, so I can check back intermittently to see if anybody has questions.

Last gas coming from the West is Chiracaria (sp?) Summit and they have both gas and diesel. We filled up with diesel at Indio at the last exit. There is a TA there. See you all soon!

ASwifey · 03-20-2013, 09:04 PM

Thanks for the update! We were wondering about cell service, and internet, so that it really good news!

We are hitched up, and have a full tank of diesel in the truck. We both have to work a few hours in morning. Planning on being there around dinner time tomorrow.

TinShack · 03-20-2013, 09:35 PM

Our Verizon cell phone service is marginal but we do have Verizon 3g and its surprisingly reliable. We're grilling a large tritip for dinner Thurs night... plenty to share and it will be easy on you after driving all day.

worldinchaos · 03-21-2013, 09:15 AM

Thanks for all the great info Steve. We were going to come up tonight but Marie has come down with something so we are probably going to delay until early tomorrow morning, so that we can postpone the decision of whether I just go by myself. Just an FYI if you are attempting to save/ protect spots.

The 90 F temp scared me, but it looks like it is going to cool down to 87 tomorrow, and then low 80's the rest of the weekend, which is much more manageable for digging...Very dynamic desert weather recently. Strange.

See you soon!

Scott J-24 · 03-21-2013, 08:32 PM

Hi all,

We should be on the road by 1:00-1:30 Friday afternoon. Hopefully traffic won't be too bad and that there will still be a campsite available when we get there tomorrow afternoon / evening. For those already there, how is the weather and does it look like there will be room for all of us? We will bring crab cakes and a couple of bottles of wine for the happy hour potluck on Saturday. Looking forward to seeing everyone!

jmpratt · 03-21-2013, 09:38 PM

We should be at the campground between 3-6pm tomorrow.

Fridge died today. It worked for 44 years, so that's not so bad. Looks like it'll be coolers and ice for us this weekend.

Mrs.Mod · 03-21-2013, 09:58 PM

Jason,
Sorry about your fridge. We just took ours out to repair. We had to remove walls....it was a nightmare. Now that it's back in, we've discovered it's only half working (only works on electric not propane).

We found a used one of these on Craiglist for $40 and we've used it for the last year. It's a great substitute.

Coleman PowerChill Thermal Electric Cooler: Camping : Walmart.com

Hope you all have a great weekend filled with treasures!

kellykellyi · 03-21-2013, 10:46 PM

I'm all packed with my Saturday night appetizers, digging tools, etc. and hitting the road by 2 tomorrow. I am very excited to meet you all and hope there will still be a spot for me!

ModernVista · 03-21-2013, 10:56 PM

We are aiming to hit the road for 930 or 10!! so looking forward to it - should be there mid-afternoon

cheers all!!

Chris and Merah

worldinchaos · 03-22-2013, 05:46 PM

Update: at wiley well, we have sites 2 through 7 on the south loop. A couple still available on the north loop. After that, overflow may have to go to coon hollow campground, or we can ask the campground host about sharing sites. Regardless, permits will need to be obtained at the coon hollow campground, site 6, as the campground host here at Wiley well has left for the season.

Finally, roads are all a bit worse than historically, so go real slow on the washboard road coming in!

kellykellyi · 03-22-2013, 06:30 PM

Creeping along. Probably won't arrive until 830 or so.

TinShack · 03-25-2013, 09:33 AM

Here are a few pics from the Geode Rally. We had a really great time. Nice to see everyone!

TinShack · 03-25-2013, 09:43 AM

and a few more...

TinShack · 03-25-2013, 09:48 AM

Here is a short video of the road from the camp to the Geode Beds...

barts · 03-25-2013, 12:41 PM

We had a blast! And have a bag of geodes to open

.

We got in about 02:30 this morning; we spent a few hours going through Joshua Tree National Park on the way home. Had a great time - well worth the 1250 mile long weekend. Webspinner is downloading pictures now...

A big shout out to Peter and Marie for pulling this together!

- Bart

webspinner · 03-25-2013, 05:41 PM

It was a wonderful experience. We arrived when the Wiley Well campground was nearly full. By Friday night, we had squeezed another three or four later arriving trailers into the spacious areas between the sites so that we were all together. Dogs, kids and adults all had a good time. Somehow, I only ended up with pictures of the southernmost 5 trailers. I think there were 10 in all.

The weather cooperated with clear, breezy warm days and starlit and moonlit nights. Wildflowers were blooming, birds and lizards were singing and skittering. Oh, and we got to put our four wheel drive vehicles through their paces on our way to the dig site.