Marble Mountains March 18-20, 2005
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Named for their appearance only, the Marble Mountains are actually
shale, limestone, and quartzite. There's no marble there.
This view is looking northeast from the dirt road leading from Chambless.
But, before heading to the mountain, we make a few stops at some local landmarks:
Roy's Cafe in Amboy is a hard-to-miss landmark along route 66
Nearby Amboy crater is a volcanic cindercone, one of many in the area.
You can hike all the way into the crater.
Another interesting side trip is Mitchell caverns. It's a bit to the north in the Providence Mountains.
Watch out for low hanging stalactites and bring a flashlight.
The tour is amateurish at best but caves are very cool to explore.
You just don't see ths kind of stuff anywhere else... :-|
Anyway, back to the Marble Mountains!
There's a particularly nice campsite just south in a spot east of Cadiz.
Here's a typical field camp. After a hearty breakfast, it's off to the mountains!
This is Chambless. The main road is old route 66 (National Trails Highway).
The dark road heading south is Cadiz Road and leads to Cadiz.
The light colored road heading north is gravel paved Mac Tul Road.
It curves east at this landmark:
This old waterheater should help you find your way.
The dirt road leads east so remember to take a turn to the north to get to the mountain.
Just keep an eye to the left for paths leading north.
Turning northward, the Marble Mountains loom in the distance.
As you get nearer, be sure to take the road that leads to the correct gully;
You'll never find the trilobite site if you go the wrong way.
Be certain you are on the road that cuts into the side of the foothill.
It's a fairly skinny road. That spot at the white truck is just wide enough to turn around.
Park your vehicle and proceed on foot to the outcrop.
Our intrepid hikers march over razor sharp limestone boulders
on their way to the Latham shale.
Hiking Northwest from the road, you can see the Latham Shale sandwiched between
the dark brown Zabriskie Quartzite and the gray blocks of Chambless Limestone.
The pinkish patch in the center of the image is the talus pile formed from years of collecting.
Find a nice, comfortable place to sit and start splitting shale.
Before long, you too will have your own Trilobite Fossil!
Maybe one as nice as this nearly complete Olenellus clarki.
See the trilobite page for more.
From high atop the locality, the grandeur of the green desert stretches into the distance.
As the sun starts to get low, we start heading back to the trucks.
The beauty of the desert landscape is an added bonus to the trip.
We return to our campsite just in time to watch a graet Mojave Sunset!
The cindercone of Amboy crater sits in the distance.
...and we kick back beside the fire and enjoy the wonders of being here.
The End
Images Copyright ©2005 Adriano DeFreitas
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