Elliot Mine, In-Ko-Pah, Smuggler Cave: Sit. rep?

Family is going to spend Christmas in San Diego. We are going to take a couple of days and visit some of our favorite spots in the Desert while there. One place we are thinking of revisiting is south of In-Ko-Pah along the 8, the area where Smugglers Cave and Elliot mine are. This is pretty tight on the Mexican boarder and was an area to be cautious in 5 or 6 years ago. I doubt that the JK (they dont rent XJ's anymore) wont get us all the way up to Elliot mine so we would have to leave it and hike in little ways.

What it like along that section of the border now days? Back here in DC it sounds like war zone, bandits, coyotes and illegals stealing and shooting everything they see.

John

nosigma said:

What it like along that section of the border now days? Back here in DC it sounds like war zone, bandits, coyotes and illegals stealing and shooting everything they see.

John

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That about sums it up i would say..Keep your eyes open and don't leave the jeep sitting to long or it will be gone when you get back to it..

Hey John. I thought you guys were gonna move back to San Diego. Has that been put on hold?

Merry Xmas to you, Jo, and Emma.

In the past that area was known for people and drug smuggling. But it seems to have calmed down lately....

Your best bet is to contact BLM for that area. You might try CBP as well.

If they have completed the border fence in that area then it should be fine. The federal government has not exactly been anxious too see the fence completed.

Hey John!!

Good to hear from you!

I haven't seen you since the Rubicon

Thank you for the update on that area. I will contact the BLM office in El Centro and get some additional information. If I can find contact info for CBP I will try them as well.

Last time I drove that area extensively was in 06 with a small group after a Bronco Peak trip The trails 1/2-2 west of Smugglers and Elliot along the border looked they were well traveled with a lot of trash lying around from foot and vehicle traffic. Not much activity around Smugglers and Elliot mine. We did see some hikers who had parked above Smugglers and walked in. Took a small group up there a few weeks later and we got some great pictures of sharp, clear, fresh (but not too fresh) mountain lion tracks near smugglers cave. Elliot Mine is a pretty neat and very safe place as old mines go. I hope its not going to be flooded out. You all are really getting hammered.

Johnny,
We got very close to coming back out in 08 but the deal came apart at the last minute. Our deciding to come out for Christmas is a pretty good indicator that we still would like to return. I haven't put to much effort into it this past year since I have been super busy at work. I will be starting that search again this spring.

In about 18 months over 20,000 DoD and TSA employees who work in rental spaces all around the DC area are being forced into a huge complex (~ $1.2B) in the Anacostia area of South East DC. That would be OK except its in the highest crime area of DC with no on site parking, no public transportation and no place to eat inside the compound. Oh yeah its a 30 minute longer commute each way (today's traffic load) with only one highway leading in/out and its already jammed from 0630-0930 and 1500-1900. I cant wait for 10-15,000 more cars on that road.

The job search will begin again earnest thats for sure.

Cracker,

Yeah I missed you at Goatfest year before last, had a blast anyhow. I try and not post up on SoCal page much since I am stuck back here. Sorry to hear about Capt Ron having to bug out. The XJ based buggies were sure looking nice when I saw them just before he shut down operations.

John

nosigma said:

Cracker,

Yeah I missed you at Goatfest year before last, had a blast anyhow. I try and not post up on SoCal page much since I am stuck back here. Sorry to hear about Capt Ron having to bug out. The XJ based buggies were sure looking nice when I saw them just before he shut down operations.

John

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Yeah. I too miss that guy.

Hopefully we'll hook up next time you come up to LA. :cheers:

John, I hope to meet you when you are out here. I would love to tag along for your border run if you rent a suitable wheeler for the day or something.

jeeperjohn said:

John, I hope to meet you when you are out here. I would love to tag along for your border run if you rent a suitable wheeler for the day or something.

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That would be fantastic. Frankly I was hoping that someone else might be interested in going out there. The drive is easy enough, but going out there alone any time isnt such a great idea, especially if you dont have any of the normal recovery/survival gear that most (hopefully all of us carry). I have a JK on hold as my rental. I have spotted a ton of them through green/low blue or 1-2 level trails. The area to Smugglers and Elliot Mine is basically dirt track and suitable for stock vehicles except for the final 1/4 mile up to Elliot mine, which last time I was there was pretty badly rutted out with a large boulder in the middle which the silly wide/long JK bus isnt going to get around and without rails isnt going to climb. We were also thinking about revisiting the fossil shell beds in the Yuha basin south of the I-8.

Looking for more of a kid friendly, family fun, destination oriented trip rather than a test your skills off road experience. Leave SD early hit some good fossil/gem/mineral/scemic spots in the Yuha & Southern ABDSP, a late lunch in Ocotillo and then back to SD by 3-4 in the afternoon.

John

cracker said:

Yeah. I too miss that guy.

Hopefully we'll hook up next time you come up to LA. :cheers:

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We setting aside a day and a half to travel up LA so that might just be possible. See a few sites, show my daughter Griffith park observatory at night (it was closed for renovations while were living in SD) and then run out to Barstow that night. Visiting Calico Ghost town the next day, a favorite with my wife and daughter, and heading back to SD late in the afternoon (yeah, rush hour on the 15).

John

nosigma said:

That would be fantastic. Frankly I was hoping that someone else might be interested in going out there. The drive is easy enough, but going out there alone any time isnt such a great idea, especially if you dont have any of the normal recovery/survival gear that most (hopefully all of us carry). I have a JK on hold as my rental. I have spotted a ton of them through green/low blue or 1-2 level trails. The area to Smugglers and Elliot Mine is basically dirt track and suitable for stock vehicles except for the final 1/4 mile up to Elliot mine, which last time I was there was pretty badly rutted out with a large boulder in the middle which the silly wide/long JK bus isnt going to get around and without rails isnt going to climb. We were also thinking about revisiting the fossil shell beds in the Yuha basin south of the I-8.

Looking for more of a kid friendly, family fun, destination oriented trip rather than a test your skills off road experience. Leave SD early hit some good fossil/gem/mineral/scemic spots in the Yuha & Southern ABDSP, a late lunch in Ocotillo and then back to SD by 3-4 in the afternoon.

John

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Let me know, that sounds like a great time!

pm sent.

We just got back a couple of hours ago from our long over due return to the desert. Went to Smugglers, Ellliot Mine, Yuha basin and then up to Julian. Border fence is complete up to the mountain, gaps across the mountain and then picks up again on the east side of the mountain. Trails across the border are monitored heavily. Came across a couple of Border Patrol Agent on quads. Spoke with them quite bit about the area. They havent had any problem up there for several years.

Two other Jeeps cruised past us (I am in a stock rental JK so I'm going real easy). Parked and hiked down to Smugglers. Uneventful. Trail down to valley of the moon was about all the stock JK could handle without dragging the belly (long 4 dr version). Came across some rock climbers at the entrance to valley of the moon. Drove part way up to Elliot mine but had to stop short before climbing the hill that the mine is on. The road is very badly rutted and still has the big boulder in the middle. An armored XJ with one axle locked would make short work of it, but not the stock JK.

We hiked to the top in about 15 minutes. Explored some of the short shafts on the east side then entered the long shaft on the west side. My daughter was a bit apprehensive climbing down the vertical shaft that leads to the passage but she made it just fine. Towardst the back of the left passage is a great vein of clear and black mica that shines like diamonds in the head lamps we were using. Took some samples, hiked out and drove into the Yuha basin entering at Dunaway road and heading west.

The drive was a lot of fun but the sand was REAL loose and soft despite the rains in the arroyo's. The AT tires worked fine but the 3.8 motor leaves a lot to be desired. My daughter got some driving lessons on the packed mud trails and had a real good time. We got to the main wash down by the water wells and tanks on the west end of the main wash. I drove east on the main wash towards the power lines. Loose churned up sand with a little mud and wet mud/sand mix just below the surface. Some standing water that we stayed well clear off. The mud was surprisingly sticky but not greasy.

On the drive to the power lines I had the throttle floored on several occassions while we were loosing speed across some of the soft sand with muck underneath. We never dropped below 10mph but it takes a lot of drag to drop to 10 from 30 or 35. There is almost always hardpan off to the sides so while there is some risk of getting stuck is minimal.

Mud is pretty rare out there and there sure is a lot of it right now.

Followed the power lines back out, right turn to Dunaway and then up to Julian.

Great time. Good fun, especially in a stock or lightly built rig. A good trip with kids. If anyone wants picutres of the area and route marker numbers in the Yuha let me know. Thanks for letting me clutter up the SoCal forum for a little bit.

Take care

John

Sounds like an awesome time.... Thanks for the update!