Mojave Horror Stories (Orange, August, Joshua Tree: home, camping, living) - Los Angeles - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

nighthouse66 · 11-01-2010, 05:52 PM

Ok. i know its a day after halloween but i spent my halloween on the road, and so today i am going to pretend its yesterday. bear with me.
anyway, i did a fair amount of driving and it occurred to me, as it has in the past, that the mojave desert is a pretty spooky place. that stretch between needles and victorville especially. needles in general seemed a weird place- even in october when it isn't hot as a mother. one could be forgiven out there if you felt like you were on another planet. i lived in Joshua Tree for a year and that place is fantastic. but getting out beyond the reach of "services" can be a creepy thing.

anyway, i love hearing people's stories and i would love to hear about anyone's spooky encounters in the mojave. stories of auto breakdowns, or weird happenings, or just moments driving out there that gave you the willies. any thing and everything. Hit me!!!!

BlackShoe · 11-02-2010, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nighthouse66

i did a fair amount of driving and it occurred to me, as it has in the past, that the mojave desert is a pretty spooky place. that stretch between needles and victorville especially.

Funny, I have the opposite feeling, and enjoy the desert solitude and seek it out. At least two or three times a year drive from Orange County to Laughlin, and will often take the back door route for this reason. Will take the 29 Palms Highway, 62, and then into the desert. The area around Amboy is very remote, and actually frightens some people and makes them uneasy, I enjoy it. After hitting Amboy, will just stay on old historic Route 66 until it runs into I-40 instead of going north to hit it on Kelebaker Road. Have been this route in August when my car thermometer read 117. Do not own a cell phone, yet have no fear or hesitation in driving remote roads.

californio sur · 11-02-2010, 08:55 AM

The creepiest thing that happens in the Mojave desert is when idiots drive off down dirt roads without water; then breakdown and die of thirst. It's amazing that this still happens even with cell phones.

Lovehound · 11-02-2010, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackShoe

Funny, I have the opposite feeling, and enjoy the desert solitude and seek it out. ... The area around Amboy is very remote, and actually frightens some people and makes them uneasy, I enjoy it. After hitting Amboy, will just stay on old historic Route 66 until it runs into I-40 instead of going north to hit it on Kelebaker Road. Have been this route in August when my car thermometer read 117. Do not own a cell phone, yet have no fear or hesitation in driving remote roads.

I spent a week one time exploring and camping in the Mojave Preserve. I really love the solitude and scenery, but it's particularly great if I can find a camping spot away from other campers (there are plenty). The solitude at night is amazing!

One thing about camping like this, you get used to independent existence away from services and you learn to depend on yourself. It's a little spooky at first but I got used to it years ago.

ILdÐÆMcº³ · 11-02-2010, 03:52 PM

I find it really awesome. I feel like I should be driving it alone on a Harley at noon or something cliche. It's really a perfect start to a road trip to Vegas too. I would have to agree that it is kind of scary, but it should be, with out common sense you could die very easily. All of the popped tires along the road doesn't exactly instill confidence either.

nighthouse66 · 11-03-2010, 04:33 PM

no, no, don't get me wrong, like i said i lived in joshua tree for a year (also love amboy- ROY's DINER!!!!!) so i do love the desert, and i even love being spooked out. actually really genuinely seek it out. i belong to a paranormal group. it just occurred to me when i was out there again that it was a very mysterious place- somewhat almost unknowable by us regular humans who need to drink a certain amount of water everyday to survive. it makes you realize we can never tame nature (and only idiots would want to anyway)....but i digress....

its just the open space, at night, those huge skies- it just seems so perfect for spooky happenings.
and yes, it is amazingly stupid that people don't take simple precautions. on that road leading to twentynine palms, 62, right at the peak coming out of morongo valley there were ALWAYS cars pulled over overheating. some people don't even check their oil!
i am a chick so i do feel maybe a little more circumspect than my guy friends at times about exploring but that being said i have camped out for weeks at a time alone, driven cross country alone, etc- but i do feel i have my limits. : )

Troythomas85 · 11-17-2015, 01:02 AM

One evening while my cousin Gage and I*was driving back from Peris California we made a stop on the corner turning into Amboy. We just stepped outside to take a leak and noticed that the sky was so lit up with stars that we couldn't see that at home. Then I said we're so far away from people that we could get killed and no one would hear us screaming for help.

* Once we both realized that we started to head back to the van. As soon as we sat down and the doors shut directly behind us a set of head lights popped up. We both was terrified because there's no one out here and now there's been a truck parked behind us.

Gage threw that van in drive and gunned out of there like a bat out of hell or shall I say a man running for his life. We had those headlights become smaller in the review mirror so once we got done flipping out about that we calmed down.

Out of no where a set of head lights popped up behind. It had to been the same truck right? It turned out to be a big ol truck black and tinnted windows and it drove past us. Gage and I was dead silent holding whatever screw driver and shanks to protect us.

Gage slowed down to allow the truck to get some distance between us. We both was convinced that that man was a killer and he was stalking his prey. So we stayed wide awake looking for any chance that a truck may pop out and ram us off the road.

We made it home safe and sound. That night seemed as if my cousin and I was truly living a scene from a horror movie.