Winter Camping Day 1 (Jan 2021)

This story picks up at Trona, CA where the convoy refuels and relieves. We’ve traveled just about 3 hours from Orange County, CA and the opportunity to stretch is welcomed.

The Blue Yota story itself begins on this trip as I had only just purchased my 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-road 4×4 in December of 2020. The truck’s maiden voyage is this camping/4×4 (overland?) trip in January of 2021. At the moment of this trip, the only things I’ve changed on the truck are the tires. We are currently somewhere between Isham Canyon and Manly Pass.

Just a little further in, the road turns super rough as you drive over tons of small volcanic rock. The going turned super slow here and it was not comfortable at all. At the end of Fish Canyon, we stay right (heading mostly south) to drive around the lake bed and then turn due east into Gohler Wash.

Between Newman’s Cabin and Barker Ranch, we ran into a lot of wildlife. We saw a group of burros and a group of big horn sheep. I’d share a picture of either group of wildlife, but the truth is that both animals have an uncanny ability to blend into the environment, so my photos are almost worthless. Perhaps if I were a professional nature photographer, I’d have something worth sharing!

Just past the Lotus Mine, we finally made it to the infamous Barker Ranch. Barker Ranch was the homestead that Charles Manson took over in the late 1960’s. I learned everything I could ever need to know about Manson from the podcast “Young Charlie” by Hollywood and Crime which I listened to the whole time we were wheeling on this trip. I think the combination of the story from the podcast combined with seeing many of the roads and features called out in the story made the experience that much more interesting.

There isn’t much left of Barker Ranch after a fire gutted the main cabin in 2009. The only remains are the foundation and the concrete and stone portions of the building. It was a fair bit of fun trying to figure out where the bathroom would have been which contained the cabinet Charles Manson was found hiding in.

After we got our fill walking around the barren ranch, we headed to Mengel Pass.

Here is a pile a rock at the top of Mengel Pass. The road to this point is quite rough. My bone-stock Tacoma definitely put the skid plate to good use, and we made it through several rock gardens. Past this pile of rocks at the crest of a hill, we don’t know exactly what the road ahead looks like, but we know there’s a cabin down this road and a cabin would be our preference for sleeping this first night. At first glance, the road looks passable, so I go for it.

I stopped just a little further forward around the bend. I had gotten past the point pictured above without issue, but I stopped when I saw what was ahead. The road ahead looked passable, but maybe not as easily as the other guys behind me would prefer. I radio in that we probably don’t want to go this way and I start backing out. This is where I started getting tipsy…

After I manage to back out, we all turn around and head back down the trail towards the Lotus Mine.

Once returned to the Lotus Mine, we decide to call it a day. The Jeeps with their drawers take their places and I try to find the next flattest spot to setup my ground tent. It’s been a day nearly completely spent behind the wheel and I am ready to take a seat in my camp chair. We eat our dinner and sit around a fire and joke and tell stories until we can’t stay awake any longer.

Keep reading about Winter Camping Day 2 (Jan 2021) or see all the posts in the Winter Camping (Jan 2021) series.