California City and Randsburg Desert Trail Fun

[JasonDroninAround]

Here's a couple drone videos of me and my Maverick Tremor around California City. I was mostly solo on this trip because everyone else was on side-by-sides and dirt bikes. There was no way I was keeping up.

The first clip is a short one of a little hill I found on the way to Jawbone. I don't know why the drone footage always makes the hill look less steep that it really is but it was still fun playing with the object tracking on the drone.

The second is more drone object tracking of me cruising from Jawbone towards Randsburg. The middle part of this route follows along side Redrock Randsburg Rd for a bit. The part that I decided to record just so happened to go by where the asphalt road is washed out and closed. This is a longer clip that I decided not to speed it up or edit it much and just let it roll

Just in case someone may think I was there because I went around the road closed signs, it was my plan, from the beginning, to stay on the UTV trails the for whole day. I went from our camp on the east side of California City, all the way around the south and west side of the Desert Tortoise area, to where we all met up at Jawbone. From there, I stayed on the UTV trails all the way to Randsburg where I finally got on the pavement, for the first time, to get fuel in Johannesburg. Then, I stayed on the asphalt just long enough to get to Randsburg-Mojave Road, where it went back to dirt all the way back to our camp in California City.

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[Edge Haley]

Have visited Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, Manzanar dozens of times on motorcycle trips. Really like that area....especially Alabama Hills...so historic...most of the old Western movies were filmed at Alabama Hills.

 

[Bguy]

Here's a couple drone videos of me and my Maverick Tremor around California City. I was mostly solo on this trip because everyone else was on side-by-sides and dirt bikes. There was no way I was keeping up.

The first clip is a short one of a little hill I found on the way to Jawbone. I don't know why the drone footage always makes the hill look less steep that it really is but it was still fun playing with the object tracking on the drone.

The second is more drone object tracking of me cruising from Jawbone towards Randsburg. The middle part of this route follows along side Redrock Randsburg Rd for a bit. The part that I decided to record just so happened to go by where the asphalt road is washed out and closed. This is a longer clip that I decided not to speed it up or edit it much and just let it roll

Just in case someone may think I was there because I went around the road closed signs, it was my plan, from the beginning, to stay on the UTV trails the for whole day. I went from our camp on the east side of California City, all the way around the south and west side of the Desert Tortoise area, to where we all met up at Jawbone. From there, I stayed on the UTV trails all the way to Randsburg where I finally got on the pavement, for the first time, to get fuel in Johannesburg. Then, I stayed on the asphalt just long enough to get to Randsburg-Mojave Road, where it went back to dirt all the way back to our camp in California City.

What kind of animal or bird was that that crossed the trail after you stopped. I thought you stopped to let it cross but it was the end. The critter crossed the trail in front of your Mav near the left side of the film

 

[JasonDroninAround]

What kind of animal or bird was that that crossed the trail after you stopped. I thought you stopped to let it cross but it was the end. The critter crossed the trail in front of your Mav near the left side of the film

I watched the very end of the second clip over and over looking for the critter and I could not find what you were talking about. Then, I wondered if you were talking about the first clip and I think I saw right away what you are talking about. The shadow on the ground right at the end of the first clip is the shadow of my drone

 

[Bguy]

I watched the very end of the second clip over and over looking for the critter and I could not find what you were talking about. Then, I wondered if you were talking about the first clip and I think I saw right away what you are talking about. The shadow on the ground right at the end of the first clip is the shadow of my drone

aw...then i never saw the 2nd clip i saw only one link if that was the first clip.
chuckle....thats funny, so you stopped to let the drones shadow cross the trail.......I thought it looked like a quail, what a dummy i am.

 

[USMC Glenn]

Thanks for the memories. Our dirt bike club use to regularly go to Cal City in the 70s. It was wide open then.

 

[JasonDroninAround]

Thanks for the memories. Our dirt bike club use to regularly go to Cal City in the 70s. It was wide open then.

This was my first time here. It is still pretty wide open. It is crazy how all there streets are laid out with utilities and fire hydrants and almost no one lives there. If you look at it on OnX, you can see all the properties are purchased. 90% of the owners seem to be individuals, like some real estate investments that never worked out. Our camp was on a dozen different suburban lots owned by a dozen different people and all wide open. The only fences I saw was when I got to the Desert Tortoise area and some solar farms closer to Jawbone. They really do seem to be embracing the OHV scene. They have a couple dedicated OHV parks and all non highway off road vehicles are supposed to pay a permit fee. The problem with this area is that there is not much to in the immediate area. It seems more useful as a big free base camp for the RVs and toy haulers while you off road out and back to places like Jawbone, Dove Springs, Redrock, and Randsburg.

 

[USMC Glenn]

It is all laid out because in the 70s gambling was on the ballot. California City was going to be the Las Vegas of California. Didn't work out.

 

[Granger Ford]

Here's a couple drone videos of me and my Maverick Tremor around California City. I was mostly solo on this trip because everyone else was on side-by-sides and dirt bikes. There was no way I was keeping up.

The first clip is a short one of a little hill I found on the way to Jawbone. I don't know why the drone footage always makes the hill look less steep that it really is but it was still fun playing with the object tracking on the drone.

The second is more drone object tracking of me cruising from Jawbone towards Randsburg. The middle part of this route follows along side Redrock Randsburg Rd for a bit. The part that I decided to record just so happened to go by where the asphalt road is washed out and closed. This is a longer clip that I decided not to speed it up or edit it much and just let it roll

Just in case someone may think I was there because I went around the road closed signs, it was my plan, from the beginning, to stay on the UTV trails the for whole day. I went from our camp on the east side of California City, all the way around the south and west side of the Desert Tortoise area, to where we all met up at Jawbone. From there, I stayed on the UTV trails all the way to Randsburg where I finally got on the pavement, for the first time, to get fuel in Johannesburg. Then, I stayed on the asphalt just long enough to get to Randsburg-Mojave Road, where it went back to dirt all the way back to our camp in California City.

That looks fun and pretty adventurous! Thank you for sharing the video! Love to see what all the Maverick can do.

 

[OleFordGuy]

It is all laid out because in the 70s gambling was on the ballot. California City was going to be the Las Vegas of California. Didn't work out.

Imagine that. Imagine the $ spent Sounds sorta like the california high speed rail progress

 

[Phimosis]

Here's a couple drone videos of me and my Maverick Tremor around California City. I was mostly solo on this trip because everyone else was on side-by-sides and dirt bikes. There was no way I was keeping up.

The first clip is a short one of a little hill I found on the way to Jawbone. I don't know why the drone footage always makes the hill look less steep that it really is but it was still fun playing with the object tracking on the drone.

The second is more drone object tracking of me cruising from Jawbone towards Randsburg. The middle part of this route follows along side Redrock Randsburg Rd for a bit. The part that I decided to record just so happened to go by where the asphalt road is washed out and closed. This is a longer clip that I decided not to speed it up or edit it much and just let it roll

Just in case someone may think I was there because I went around the road closed signs, it was my plan, from the beginning, to stay on the UTV trails the for whole day. I went from our camp on the east side of California City, all the way around the south and west side of the Desert Tortoise area, to where we all met up at Jawbone. From there, I stayed on the UTV trails all the way to Randsburg where I finally got on the pavement, for the first time, to get fuel in Johannesburg. Then, I stayed on the asphalt just long enough to get to Randsburg-Mojave Road, where it went back to dirt all the way back to our camp in California City.

I didn’t watch the video because I’m in a building with little cell signal.

If you didn’t do this already, you should go to Last Chance Canyon, Bickel Camp and the Bonanaza Gulch post office.

Check out Google images for a preview.

 

[Phimosis]

Imagine that. Imagine the $ spent Sounds sorta like the california high speed rail progress

Dude. Your comment. You are owning the libs.

 

[JasonDroninAround]

I didn’t watch the video because I’m in a building with little cell signal.

If you didn’t do this already, you should go to Last Chance Canyon, Bickel Camp and the Bonanaza Gulch post office.

Check out Google images for a preview.

This is my second time camping in this area. The first time, I camped with a friend closer to Ridgecrest. That weekend, I did go to to Burro Schmidt Tunnel in my Maverick, via Mesquite Canyon Road. I did attempt to continue west after visiting the tunnel, towards Last Chance but that route was a little more technical. I only had the truck for a few months and I was unsure of its capabilities. I took a drone video on a peak just west of Burro Schmidt and I went back out the way I came in. Knowing what I know now about my truck, I feel I could definitely made it trough Last Chance. The only reason I did not go up there this time around is that a few recent OnX trail reports were saying that it was pretty washed out last month.

 

[Phimosis]

This is my second time camping in this area. The first time, I camped with a friend closer to Ridgecrest. That weekend, I did go to to Burro Schmidt Tunnel in my Maverick, via Mesquite Canyon Road. I did attempt to continue west after visiting the tunnel, towards Last Chance but that route was a little more technical. I only had the truck for a few months and I was unsure of its capabilities. I took a drone video on a peak just west of Burro Schmidt and I went back out the way I came in. Knowing what I know now about my truck, I feel I could definitely made it trough Last Chance. The only reason I did not go up there this time around is that a few recent OnX trail reports were saying that it was pretty washed out last month.

Agreed. That trail is kind of maxing out the Tremor. And would obviously be best with a trail buddy in another 4x4 to assist with recoveries. I did it in a jeep, with my local off-road club when I lived in Bakersfield. But the scenery is SO COOL. Maybe email a local off-road group in ridgecrest or Bakersfield and ask them when they’ll be going up there and join them.

Another really cool trip is up to the weather tower on Piute peak in the snow. That trail is open all year round. It would be doable, after fresh snow, in the tremor with a group, where the tremor was like the 4th or 5th vehicle through. You need big tires and big ground clearance to be the lead vehicle there.

 

[Rivers90]

This is my second time camping in this area. The first time, I camped with a friend closer to Ridgecrest. That weekend, I did go to to Burro Schmidt Tunnel in my Maverick, via Mesquite Canyon Road. I did attempt to continue west after visiting the tunnel, towards Last Chance but that route was a little more technical. I only had the truck for a few months and I was unsure of its capabilities. I took a drone video on a peak just west of Burro Schmidt and I went back out the way I came in. Knowing what I know now about my truck, I feel I could definitely made it trough Last Chance. The only reason I did not go up there this time around is that a few recent OnX trail reports were saying that it was pretty washed out last month.

Last chance would be too hard for the Maverick. But there are other trails and things to see in the same area you can do.

I just did EP-18 https://www.trailsoffroad.com/US/california/scout-routes/4796-ep-18
And stopped at the old opal mine and The Dutch Cleanser Mine.

Great drone video. I should get a drone some day, the videos from the really let you see the area well.

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