Borrego Springs, CA bighorn sheep sculptures (# 0627)

California Desert

Folder: California
Most of the desert regions of Southeast California, with the exception of items from major areas covered by other albums (e.g., US 395, Death Valley, Coachella Valley (Palm Springs)).

Photos are in order by place name.
Afton Canyon Union Pacific railroad 0213a

Afton Canyon Union Pacific railroad 0213a

03 Jun 2011 1 206
Tanker car train headed west through Afton Canyon.
Afton Canyon, Union Pacific railroad

Afton Canyon, Union Pacific railroad

01 Jan 2005 1 1 238
Afton Canyon, off I-15, east of Barstow, CA
Algodones Dunes (1068)

Algodones Dunes (1068)

01 Jan 2007 208
Algodones Dunes
Algodones Dunes (1074)

Algodones Dunes (1074)

01 Jan 2007 261
Looking north from a rest stop on CA 78 in the Algodones Dunes.
Algodones Dunes (3104a)

Algodones Dunes (3104a)

01 Jan 2007 246
The first 'road' to cross the dunes wasn't exactly what we currently think of as a road (see the description in adjacent picture). This stretch of road is next to I-8 east of El Centro and west of the Arizona border.
Algodones Dunes (3108a)

Algodones Dunes (3108a)

01 Jan 2007 218
Imagine getting to this point after having crossed the U.S./Mexico border on foot at an unmarked location -- between you and the highway is part of the effort to make a border fence, and once you get across the highway, you have to find some way to cross the Imperial canal (which is swift, cold, and deep), and then trek across the very large, and confusing, expanse of the Algodones dunes...
Amboy Crater 3340a

Amboy Crater 3340a

07 Aug 2010 1 1 201
Amboy Crater and lava flow, from a point west of the crater on old US 66.
Amboy crater 4

Amboy crater 4

01 Jan 2005 205
Amboy Crater. Looking west from the rim of the crater through the vent. The lava field goes out about 2 miles (a very rough guess), and there is another volcanic crater in the distance. To give a sense of elevation, note the people walking on the path going into the crater. Link to BLM's page on Amboy: www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/needles/amboy.html
Amboy, CA

Amboy, CA

01 Jan 2005 1 249
The gas station (at the 'cafe' sign on the far left, not shown) is still active, but the older motel cafe (the swept roof building) and the motel cottages are not used. (see adjacent pictures on Amboy)
Barstow 1st St bridge (2750)

Barstow 1st St bridge (2750)

13 Jun 2012 221
Barstow 1st Street bridge. The bridge was opened in 1930 and crosses the major BNSF (formerly Santa Fe) railyards. The bridge is an interesting combination of steel truss, concrete, and wood.
Barstow 1st St bridge (2752)

Barstow 1st St bridge (2752)

13 Jun 2012 199
Barstow 1st Street bridge. The bridge was opened in 1930 and crosses the major BNSF (formerly Santa Fe) railyards. The bridge is an interesting combination of steel truss, concrete, and wood.
Barstow 1st St bridge (2753)

Barstow 1st St bridge (2753)

13 Jun 2012 183
Barstow 1st Street bridge. The bridge was opened in 1930 and crosses the major BNSF (formerly Santa Fe) railyards. The bridge is an interesting combination of steel truss, concrete, and wood.
Barstow BNSF yard (1377)

Barstow BNSF yard (1377)

18 Feb 2014 378
Westbound train pulling into Barstow yards, taken from 1st Avenue Bridge.
Barstow BNSF yard (1379)

Barstow BNSF yard (1379)

18 Feb 2014 1 453
Westbound BNSF train with an older CSX diesel in the second position.
Barstow BNSF yard (1382)

Barstow BNSF yard (1382)

18 Feb 2014 268
Westbound train as it passes under the 1st Avenue Bridge.
Barstow BNSF yard (1384)

Barstow BNSF yard (1384)

18 Feb 2014 2 265
"Toys Get Murderd", very elaborate graffiti on a hopper car, with "Happy Halloween" on the upper left.
Barstow Central High School (2742)

Barstow Central High School (2742)

13 Jun 2012 177
Barstow Central High school. Per city records it was built in 1938, I could not find any information regarding whether it was built with New Deal funds.
Barstow Depot (2741)

Barstow Depot (2741)

13 Jun 2012 222
Barstow station seen from across the railroad yard. The station is so large because is was the site of one of the famous Harvey houses.
570 items in total