Camping trip to Nightmare Gulch and Last Chance Canyon. Please note that the trails on the Nightmare Gulch side are closed Feb 1 to July 1 because of nesting birds of prey and also they are closed the 1st-15th of every month that the trail is normally open. There are locked gates when the trail is not open. The last Chance Canyon side is always open has quite a few cabins and evidence that people actively live there. We also ran in to quite a few people mining for gold. The care taker at Bickel Camp said that if you are a member of the Freinds of Bickel Camp, that you have the privledge to mine for gold (Google it for details). On the nightmare Gulch side, we encountered quite a few camp sites and fire pits. When we exited on the Last Chance Canyon side, there were signs that say no camping, no fire arms and no camp fires. When we entered on the Nightmare Gulch side, we didn't see any signs. I am not sure if the no camping and no fires applies to Just last Chance Canyon or to both sides.




Meeting up in California City











Even 40" tires have thier limitations!







Narrow passageway through Nightmare Canyon























Oops, I forgot to unlock my sway bar!







Nice overhangs to keep the riff-raff out, A.K.A. full sized trucks with lots of lift.











It's not that steep.......



OK, maybe it is. Even getting the front tires in there air and lots of tire smoke, this hill made a formidable challenge. You definitely need some lockers for this one.







































Bonanza Gulch Post Office. We tried burning it down, but it just wouldn't light!















Inside the Bonanza Gulch Post Office







Becka setting up the tent on a fire ant nest. Two of us got bit before we figured it out!




Who said guys in Capri's aren't sexy?























Random death trap/mine vent in the Mojave



















Gritting my teeth. Embarrassing, but true! This dusty, steep hill is a continuous slide going down and continuous spinning going up!



Reasonably steep hills!

 

This has got crazy mouantain man/hermit written all over it! @ Bickel Camp.







A mountain of empty steel food cans at Bickel Camp







The 1/2 mile long Burro Schmidt Mine/tunnel









Nests inside the Schmidt mine. Bat guano or birds of prey? I'm not sure.




Literally, light at the end of the tunnel!







A few Joshua Trees, reminding us we are in the Mojave Desert.




Having lunch in the 65 degree air conditioning of an underground mine when the ambient temperature is over 100 degrees in the Mojave Desert.



























































Finishing out the V-Notch
















Digging deep



Hung up












Remnants of an old pickup.























By Tehachapi pass, heading home.

 

What size boggers?

Great photos, been ages since I have been out that way.

 

Thanks! I should probably make a sig with my mods, but I've been too lazy. Lol. They're 38.5x15x15. I'm running a Rock Crawler Pro Max Travel 3.5" lift, 1" body lift, cut stock fender flares and 5.13 gears.

 

Yeah man, great photos. The last thread I read you were on 35s and minimum lift, now you have a complete different beast. What made you change your mind?

 

Fire Ant Nest - LMAO