a spiky sunset over the vastness of Mojave Preserve- established in 1994, Mojave National Preserve straddles somewhere between the rules and regulations of a National Park and the free-for-all of nearby Bureau of Land Management areas. On this day, we started driving by 8am and entered the western edge of the preserve and drove across the flat, rutted plain of Soda Dry Lake for five miles. From the lakebed, the rest of the day was spent climbing slowly through desert ecosystems that changed with elevation. We left behind the creosote and sparse vegetation of the low desert for joshua trees, cholla and finally piñon juniper woodlands in the canyons of the New York Mountains where we found camp.
