As we returned to our parking spot below the dunes the camper that had been there when we arrived was just leaving and waved goodbye. After our refreshments we too departed and the half dozen vehicles that were free camping near the parking area with the toilets were all coming towards us so as often happens timing is everything. We had had the dunes to ourselves and now others could follow our foot prints.
We drive back into the town of Kelso which is now pretty much a ghost town. Around 1920 it had begun as a simple train stop for its location and nearby natural springs for 'watering' the steam engines and to provide 'helper' engines for the climb east over the Cima hill. In 1923 the depot was built in the California Mission style. Besides providing telegraph and a waiting room, there were rooms for train crews and meals for the engineers and passengers. Later they added home made meals in a cafeteria called the "Beanery". The depot was the focal point of the community through the mining boom during the 40's with more than 2000 residents and then through the bust as mines closed and folks left. The station was closed in 1986 and in the harsh desert conditions soon began to deteriorate. When the Union Pacific decided to demolish it preservationists stepped in and the beautiful renovation as the Mojave National Preserves visitor center was completed in 2005 and open to the public.
We drive back into the town of Kelso which is now pretty much a ghost town. Around 1920 it had begun as a simple train stop for its location and nearby natural springs for 'watering' the steam engines and to provide 'helper' engines for the climb east over the Cima hill. In 1923 the depot was built in the California Mission style. Besides providing telegraph and a waiting room, there were rooms for train crews and meals for the engineers and passengers. Later they added home made meals in a cafeteria called the "Beanery". The depot was the focal point of the community through the mining boom during the 40's with more than 2000 residents and then through the bust as mines closed and folks left. The station was closed in 1986 and in the harsh desert conditions soon began to deteriorate. When the Union Pacific decided to demolish it preservationists stepped in and the beautiful renovation as the Mojave National Preserves visitor center was completed in 2005 and open to the public.
The "Beanery" has reopened and there is a scale model of Kelso in its prime in the basement. Most of what it shows is now gone but a few buildings still stand scarred by graffiti and ravaged by the hot winds. The few residents that remain are NPS staff who live on the south side of the tracks.
About twenty miles east is Cima, established in 1906 as a rail siding and commercial center for the local ranchers and farmers. In spite of the still heavy traffic along this railway, both now are considered to be ghost towns. There is little evidence to the contrary which often means great photography opportunities.
If you backtrack a few miles you can take the 40 mile gravel road across to the Ivanpah / Lanfair Road. A few miles north, straddling the road is the old OX Cattle Company. In its day it was one of the largest cattle operations in the area with much of its infrastructure intact and is now also part of the Mojave National Preserve and under the management of the Parks Service.