This was originally a quick reference for those of us who made the
Mojave Road trip on October 21st and 22nd, 2006.  It's basically the
same page that was originally posted, but with some of the post-trip
photos and so forth added.

Certain tools were used in the creation of the maps shown below, notably
Convert Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds to Decimal Degrees.  Sample code
from Hacking Maps with the Google Maps API and Google's API Documentation
for Google Maps was also used extensively, often verbatim.

Local links:


Offsite links:

Dates for the trip (depending on weather) are October 21st and 22nd, 2006.
Meet in Needles on the night of the 20th, leave no later than 8am on the
morning of the 21st.  Roll back into L.A. somewhere late in the evening of
the 22nd.

The Mojave Road is approximately 140 miles long based on our starting point.
This is doable in two days, but means we have to run to a tighter schedule
than would've been necessary with three.  Because of this, departure times
are set in stone - if you're late, we leave without you. Not that we don't
love you, but this isn't a night run, and it shouldn't turn into one.

Weather is still a critical factor in all of this, and if it starts getting
bad we may have to abandon the trip: heavy rains can make large sections of
the trail unpassable, and there's a serious risk of flash flooding.
Speaking from experience, I can tell you that Jeep makes the world's
shittiest submarines.

Despite rains expected a few days prior to our departure, Soda Lake will
likely be passable since it's anticipated that there will be 3-4 days of
sunny weather before we have to cross it. However, the lake bed will
still be soft and muddy in places.  Further, the water crossings at Afton
Canyon will likely be higher than usual - figure on 16" to 20" deep.
Because of this, light-duty 4WD vehicles (CR-Vs, RAV-4s, etc.) are no longer
recommended for the trip.  Sorry if this puts anyone out, but better to know
now than lose your vehicle to mud or water.

One other thing: there are NO services along the Mojave Road.  This means no
showers, toilets, motels, restaurants, or other indicators of civilisation.
If you can't live without air conditioning for a couple of days or brushing
your teeth by way of bottled water doesn't sound appealing, this probably
isn't the trip for you.


Equipment list, personal:
-------------------------

Rule #1: TRAVEL LIGHT.  This may sound difficult when you start reading
through the list below, but it's not as hard as it seems.  It's also
necessary to keep vehicle weight down for both fuel economy and traction
reasons.  Interior space is also limited, and there's stuff that vehicles
need to be able to carry as well.  That laptop probably isn't really
necessary in the middle of the desert - especially if something goes
horribly wrong and for some reason we end up having to pack out.

Rule #2: DO NOT RELY ON OTHERS TO BRING WHAT YOU DON'T.  You and you alone
are responsible for having the equipment necessary to spend three days out
in the desert without killing, injuring, or inconveniencing yourself or
others.  If you're obviously-underprepared, you're not coming, and there
will be checklisting before leaving to make sure everyone's
properly-prepped.

Now, things that every driver and his or her passenger will need:


Equipment list, vehicular:
--------------------------

This is probably going to look pretty familiar to some of us since it's
similar to the lists most 4WD clubs tend to stick to and is in fact largely
cribbed from the LOST KJ West Safety Checklist.  There are  a number of
additions that have been made to it, though, so don't gloss over it;
everything listed below really is in there for a good reason.  Also remember
that some of this is stuff that can be shared between vehicles if necessary,
but it should be fairly apparent as to what can't.

One final thing to consider: spares.  I won't get into the whys and
wherefores of everything that goes out with me on longer trips, but here's a
rough list of the contents of what I like to refer to as the 'oh shit' box:

Collapsible shovel, radiator hose bandage, duct tape, 2 gallons of
*pre-mixed* Prestone antifreeze, 6 quarts of motor oil, serpentine belt, a
couple of tubes of JB Weld, cheap-ass 102-piece toolkit, Torx and Allen
bits, tyre plugs, Fix-A-Flat, tyre slime, air compressor, 10'x12' tarp,
tie-down kit, jumper cables, nitrile gloves, high-temperature RTV sealant,
2,000,000 candlepower rechargeable spotlight, road flares, waterproof
matches, basic first-aid kit.

If you need to know what any of this stuff is or where to get it, ask.
There're a few of us here who can point you towards decently-priced sources
for it, and it's way better to have it and not need it than be stuck and
fucked.

One final issue to cover: firearms.  As I'm sure most people know, I am a
fairly fervent advocate of the Second Amendment.  However, we also live and
travel in a state that doesn't necessarily reflect those same views on an
individual level.  Therefore, with specific regard to this trip, I will
leave the issue of carriage and use of firearms up to each individual driver
and their passenger(s).  The one request I would make, however, is that
anyone exercising their Second Amendment rights does so in accordance with
federal, state, and local laws - no matter how retarded it may be to do so,
not everywhere we'll be driving through is an open shooting area. If it were
me, though, I wouldn't be caught out in the desert minus a gun under any
circumstances.