Another fun Mojave day

[goofball]

Went out to the El Dorado Mountains on the suggestion of a friend yesterday after passing them by on numerous occasions, and it did not suck. The El Dorado Mountains stretch north and south and west of Nelson, NV, and rise just west of the Colorado River. I pulled off along the shoulder of 165 and headed into Oak Creek Canyon. Very colorful area, very rugged and broken. There are tons of caves in the broken ridges as they rise from valleys of cat claw and yucca and various cactus. I could imagine units of primitive humans using them as shelters as they hunted the land and fished the Colorado. The topo marked a natural arch by Bridge Spring, but I did not see it from a vantage point up on the ridge and didn't care overly much for seeking it out further. I did see an arch up on the long, broken ridge rising above Oak Creek Canyon on the east though. But it was only from a limited vantage point. I went down canyon to where it began to open up some and saw a trickle of water coming down a draw to the canyon floor which I followed up a short ways to a spring, then beyond that up to a gap and traversed the slopes above Lonesome Wash back towards the car. A very nice day.


Looking down Oak Creek Canyon

http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/43809/2684332570044057460S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2684332570044057460MvmkWi)


Looking from one broken ridge across another to another on the east side of Oak Creek Canyon

http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/45736/2269553010044057460S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2269553010044057460KbXLvC)


View of the high, broken east ridge of Oak Creek Canyon from a minor side wash

http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/45367/2041119620044057460S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2041119620044057460NSGAei)


From across from the spring, looking up Oak Creek Canyon

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/11868/2840707090044057460S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2840707090044057460UPZDek)


Looking down Oak Creek Canyon from just above the spring

http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/24050/2140269270044057460S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2140269270044057460JabIUq)


The land across the Colorado River from the draw between Oak Creek Canyon and Lonesome Wash

http://inlinethumb18.webshots.com/43729/2893250030044057460S600x600Q85.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2893250030044057460RdLYtG)


http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577339277WEfWHi

[accadacca]

The greenery looks amazing this time of the year. :2thumbs:

[goofball]

The greenery looks amazing this time of the year. :2thumbs:

it was a very wet winter. hopefully makes for a nice bloom in the coming weeks.

[Randi]

it was a very wet winter. hopefully makes for a nice bloom in the coming weeks.

Great photos Jason!
The terrain looks lovely, and the weather looks super nice too!
I'm glad you're getting out & about - I can't wait to get a new camera & head back out to the desert to frolic in the flowers which are sure to rampant in the coming weeks!:ahh: