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Please click here for - Part One
Ground Control to Major Tom
On the aforementioned 2011 trip, we made our first visit to the Saline Valley Warm Springs. We met and talked with Major Tom, an enduring fixture in the Saline Valley Warm Springs community. As he learned we’d driven up Dedeckera Canyon and spent time at Steel Pass hiking and exploring, he shared that he knew of petroglyphs in a canyon that ran north from Steel Pass down to the Eureka Dunes. These we wanted to find and we headed out from camp the following morning.
We reached the top of Major Tom Canyon and looked down over the dry fall that blocked easy passage.
During pre-trip planning, Steve had discovered sites he wished to find up on the western plateau above the canyon’s rimrock. We headed out in that direction.
Also during pre-trip planning, Steve sent me a photo he’d found online and asked if I could figure out where the photo was taken. After a quick investigation, I sent back coordinates to Steve. When we reached the point, we confirmed that the view matched the online photo.
Steve was interested in the trace of an old trail (visible in the center right above) and a nearby site that contained lithic scatter from obsidian point and tool making. We went in search of that lithic scatter. The view north into Eureka Valley was fantastic.
And we found the site.
The view west toward Saline Peak from this plateau was also pretty dandy.
This broad plateau is composed of layers of volcanics, both lava flows and welded ash.
We also came upon delightful wildflowers across this barren landscape. Fremont’s Phacelia (Phacelia fremontii).
Reaching the north end of the plateau and a view of the Eureka Dunes (far upper right), it was time to drop down into Major Tom Canyon. And that is White Mountain Peak in the upper center of the photo.
The long soft ash slope made the drop into the canyon straightforward.
After a break for water and food, we explored down canyon.
The west side of the canyon was volcanics, but the east side was layers of limestone.
Turning and hiking up canyon, in the wash we came upon an outcrop of limestone filled with fossils.
During our time in the canyon we kept searching for the petroglyphs Major Tom had spoke of. The high dry falls we encountered just added to our fun. I remember what my Dad always told me when I was a boy, “Find yourself a woman that loves to climb and yours will be a happy life.” Deb followed the Lady up.
We reached the dry fall at the top of the canyon we encountered early in the day. We still had found no Storied Rock. Had Major Tom led us astray? It was an easy climb up the dry fall and then we started to see petroglyphs.
Some were so old that desert varnish recovered the deep grooves.
We had spent the day exploring the length of the canyon searching for the storied rock, so we all laughed that we’d walked close by Major Tom’s rock art early in the day and not noticed it. This was a fine end to our exploration of Major Tom Canyon.
Petroglyph and metate.
Along with the basalt were displays of Desert Paintbrush (Castilleja angustifolia)
The next day we relocated to the top of Dedeckera Canyon. The canyon is named in honor of Mary Dedecker, an environmentalist. Mention of her in the introduction to the book “The California Deserts, An Ecological Rediscovery,” put her - and this remote canyon - high on our list of noteworthy people. After a brief search for rock art, we hiked down Dedeckera Canyon.
The temperature was in the mid nineties - hot. There are four steps that vehicles need to climb to make their way up Dedeckera Canyon from the Eureka Dunes. Here’s photos - view up canyon - of the fourth and first steps.
Steve had data on an ancient rock alignment he believed to be just south of the Eureka Dunes and this was our destination. We would search for this alignment. I mentioned it was hot, correct? Deb was the smartest of our group and decided to stay in the, relatively, cool shadows of the canyon. The rest of us exited the shadows and headed for the sand dunes. It was now around noon.
The stunning wildflowers helped with distracting us from the heat.
Notch-leaf Phacelia (Phacelia crenulata)
We made several passes, back and forth, and did not find a rock alignment.
The dunes are incredible, even on a blistering hot day. We’re experienced with heat and cross country travel, and still take both very seriously. At one point, taking cover in the meager shade of a spindly creosote brush, we said, “Look, we are just like old time Death Valley prospectors! But, let’s not become a statistic.”
We made it safely back into the shade of the canyon and took a 20 minute break to cool down and re-hydrate before feeling like eating and adding calories back into our systems. Steve moved ahead to find Deb, and the Lady and I enjoyed moseying back up Dedeckera Canyon. Note: another pair of Peregrine Falcons are nesting in the lower canyon. They screamed at our intrusion and we moved through their area quickly to disturb them as little as possible.
The first step.
Second step.
The lady, above, has a Navy fighter jet in view, roaring over us.
The third step.
View back down the second step.
What a delightful mosey it was!
We found the storied rock we had searched for earlier.
We set up camp higher in Dedeckera Canyon for closer access to the hike we planned for the next day. The cooling air and beautiful evening light capped off another excellent day.
Our adventure continues in the upcoming Part Three.
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