Mojave National Preserve Kelbaker Rd (0011)

I wish we'd had time to continue our drive that passed through Baker last year a little farther south into the preserve. It looks like an interesting place, and it's popped up in my reading a lot in the last year.

It's very under-used and my explorations are even superficial since some of the most interesting parts are places where you really need to be traveling with at least one other high-clearance 4WD vehicle.

Haven't been that way in >20 years-- Did they get the Kelso station preserved as a historic site? Last I heard there were efforts along that line.

First time I was there, which was sometime in the 90's, the building was largely abandoned. But the park service has done an excellent job of converting it into a museum/park office:

Excellent! We first stumbled across the Kelso station in the mid 60s, on a day trip out from Vegas. The railroad was still running it as an actual station, and there was even an open snack bar. I still remember they had these enormous sugar cookies, as big as saucers. It was a bit surreal to find such an oasis--almost Twilight Zone, but in a good sense! Here's a pic from that trip:
www.ipernity.com/doc/289859/23619945/in/album/439041
The people are my kid sister and me on either side of our dad.