--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "vriddle04" wrote:
>
> I'm heading to California the first weekend in June. Does anyone out
there have some must
> visit letterbox ideas for the area near Edwards Airforce Base? My
brother lives in Rosamond.
> I looked up the area but there are so many!! How do I pick? Only in
town for a couple of days.
> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
> V Riddle
>
Here are a few ideas.
Just north on Hwy 14, listed in Kern Co., you will find 10 Million
Dollar Baby, a drive by in Mojave. Just a bit further North is Desert
Tortoise another Drive by. At the junction of Hwy 14 and 178 you will
find two drive bys and access to two other in the Coyote Hole Stage
Robbery.
Burro Schmidt Tunnel is also nearby but we believe it may be missing
and you might need 4 wheel drive to reach it. There are two boxes in
Red Rock Canyon near the Desert Tortoise.

South of Lancaster is a very old box called Robbers Roost and it has
been several years since we visited it.

There are some others in the Lancaster area but we have never looked
for them.

Now if you want to spend the day in Kernville (about 1 1/2 hours from
Rosamond) we can keep you busy for several days.

Don

Thanks for the suggestions. I would love to spend the day letterboxing, unfortunately I only
have time for a few. I fly into LA on Friday afternoon and fly out on Monday afternoon.
Such a shame 'cause there are so many boxes in the area.
I'm gonna try to get the ones you've listed though. If you think of one I should absolutely not
visit the area without getting let me know. Thanks.

Yes, the Antelope Valley and western Mojave Desert do have some fine
LB opportunities :-) I would agree with Don's suggestions, but let me
add a couple of comments...

> Just north on Hwy 14, listed in Kern Co., you will find 10 Million
> Dollar Baby, a drive by in Mojave.

Be careful with this one! Highway 14 is quite busy here, and there is
not much parking in the area: narrow shoulders. I found it a lot
easier to pass it when headed north, and got it while headed south.
If you go to Red Rock Canyon SP, I would definitely suggest doing it
that way: grab it *after* the Park.

In Red Rock Canyon are two LBs that are worth a look: Red Rock, and
Dry Waterfall Letterbox Ver. 2.0. We've not gotten the latter,
although I spent a couple of hours working on the first version, and
got nothing for it, but the walk was certainly worth it! These are
both in Hagen Canyon, which has a parking pullout south of the
campground, right off CA Route 14. The main trail through the canyon
is well-marked and worth taking an hour or two for, and the Red Rock
box is just a few paces off the trail.

If you are a rail fan, then you really want to go after the Famous
Tehachapi Loop boxes west of Tehachapi. If you get really lucky, a
train will be coming through the loop, but even if not, the loop is a
stunning engineering feat.

> Burro Schmidt Tunnel is also nearby but we believe it may be missing
> and you might need 4 wheel drive to reach it.

Last I looked (which has admittedly been more than a year), the tunnel
was open to foot traffic, and the box should be accessible that way,
although things can change in the desert. Bring a flashlight or three
if you do this one.

And there is one LB in Rosamund, itself: Feline Friends

On a side note, if you are interested in The Degree Confluence
Project, N35 by W118 is a few miles west of Mojave, just south of CA
58, on good dirt roads. It's one of the most-visited Confluences in
the world, as it is very easy to reach. This assumes possession of a
GPSr, either hand-held or vehicle-installed. It's not on AF land.
There is a geocache nearby. One of these days, I'm going to plant an
LB nearby, one which will require standing on the confluence to get
started.

If you get the urge to actually leave an LB some place in the AV, be
assured that there are several of us who will keep an eye on it :-)

Final note: prepare for very warm weather during the day, but cool in
the evenings. June can be quite variable in the Antelope Valley;
we'll put in a request for sunny days with high clouds and a nice
breeze for your visit, but no guarantees that anyone will actually
read the request! ;-)

chaosmanor

> add a couple of comments...
>
> > Just north on Hwy 14, listed in Kern Co., you will find 10 Million
> > Dollar Baby, a drive by in Mojave.
>
> Be careful with this one! Highway 14 is quite busy here, and there is
> not much parking in the area: narrow shoulders. I found it a lot
> easier to pass it when headed north, and got it while headed south.

There is a good dirt road that parallels Hwy 14 so that parking isn't
required on the shoulder of the road. The clues advise where to find
the connection to the dirt road.

RE: Desert Tortoise......THE SIGN IS BACK!!!!!!!
To understand this will take an on site viewing.

Don