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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JUNE 2016 47 Our April trip was to explore the gold mines in the Pinto Mountains which are located east of Twentynine Palms between Route 62 and Joshua Tree National Monument. We exited the I-10 and stopped at the Cottonwood Visitor Center where we discovered that all National Parks were free that week. We left the paved road onto Old Dale Road, which is designated for four-wheel drive vehicles only. This is the main road through the Pinto Mountains. Gold was discovered in the 1880's and mining continued through the 1930s. A couple of mines continued into the 1950s. There are numerous mines in the area: one group is off the Brooklyn Mine Trail; the other is off the Old Dale Road. Because of time restraints we chose to explore the mines off of the Old Dale Road. The first mine we stopped at was one of the last mines to close. As you can see from the picture, there is modern equipment. The mine has a vertical shaft of about 150 feet with three horizontal shafts. We continued on Old Dale Road which led to various other mines. We stopped for a picnic lunch and enjoyed the beautiful day. Afterwards we explored the New Dale Mine. It employed approximately 2500 people during its heyday. All that remains now is a huge pile of rusted tin cans and numerous concrete foundations. This trip offered us the opportunity to use four-wheel drive. There were a couple of sections where a climb over boulders would tilt your vehicle towards large rocks on the opposite side of the trail. Some of those rocks bear marks of vehicle paint, showing where others were not so careful. We needed to use a spotter in some areas. This trail exited onto Route 62, 19 miles east of Twentynine Palms. If you are interested in learning more about this group, please join us for our meeting which is held the second Tuesday of the month at 7 pm at the Lodge. Our monthly trip is usually the third Thursday of every month. We meet in the north parking lot of the Lodge at 8 am. Anyone who has a four-wheel drive vehicle is welcome. If you have any questions call Bob Cooper at (951) 769-6352 or Steve Kenyon at (951) 660-1366. ~ Bob Cooper 4x4 Seasons The 4X4's are lined up for lunch The group explores a mine

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