Fantastic run this morning! Perfect weather, cool breezes and enough cloud cover at daybreak to keep the temperatures just right for off road exploring. Sunrise brought with it a light show of colors and shapes as the sun rose among the dark clouds. Every color of the desert was visible as violet hues blanketed the landscape.
We'd been to Oak Creek Cabin before a few years ago, but we decided to go back for another look around. Oak Creek Cabin is located in the foothills of the Sierra Ancha Wilderness. It's off SR 288 (Desert To Tall Pines Scenic Highway) on
FR 189. We've been unable to find any history of the cabin, but it looks like it might have been a place to stay for cowboys tending the herd from one of the larger ranches in the area. Corrals, a small barn and barbed wire fences are still standing. There are several nice hiking trails just past the cabin, one going to Workman Creek, an area of Uranium mining and another leading to Parker Creek. Asbestos Point and the Asbestos mines can also be hiked from this starting point (bring a whole lot of energy and stamina for the long, steep, uphill climbs).
We noticed another trail on the way in and decided to take a look on our way out. FR 1497 heads south east from FR 189. It's a great Jeep trail, offering anyone with a high clearance vehicle a chance to strut their stuff. Along the way we stopped to admire the views and to check out a lovely pond nestled among the pines. Wildflowers were blooming, perfuming the air with a sweetness only found in the desert. I wish we could upload the scents for you, it's a wonderful sensory experience!
