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JPFreek - Index

JPFreek - magazine - Index

All during the journey down the mountain, the weather remained
perfectly clear and the views were breathtaking. From the edge of the
vistas, we watched the horizon open up to an awesome display of the
millions of open acres of the Mojave Desert below. The temperature
continuously rose as we maintained our steady decent. Remember, in
addition to the Guest Adventurers Cathe and Paul, our Host Mark
Skowronski, and our Expert Tom Severin of Badland Off-Road
Adventures (www.4x4training.com), we had six production vehicles
(mostly jeeps) carrying the crew and everything we needed for the
production and another long day filled with discovery.
One of our primary goals is to help people understand the
importance of learning how to leave these vital places the way we
find them to ensure they will be open to future explorers for
generations to come. By practicing the tenets of Tread Lightly and
having respect for the challenges presented, we hope to help our
viewers understand that it is possible to fully enjoy the outdoor
adventure experience while minimizing its impact.
After a few hours, we finally reached the base of the mountains and
began our fabulous exploration of the harsh lower elevations of the
Mojave Desert! We found ourselves in the desolate, yet gorgeously
painted sandstone walled canyons and some of the most historical
areas of the Gold Rush of the 1800’s. At the beginning of the day
when we awoke, the temperature was near freezing – now it was well
over 100 degrees and our production crew was feeling the strain of
lugging our big high definition cameras and sound gear around. This
was a herculean effort and the results are evident in the fabulous
footage we were able to record for your enjoyment.
This day’s adventures where focused in the historic area of the
Mojave called the Bonanza Gulch where hundreds of prospectors
lived during the late 19 th century. All were vying for their share of
wealth and riches in the last years of the California Gold Rush. We
visited many of the points of interest of the area; the Holly Ash
Cleanser Mine that provided soap for much of the Wild West during
the 1800’s, the Bonanza Gulch Post Office – the original building of the
post office remains that served the local inhabitants, the Open-air