Bristol Mountains Onyx 
Vivid
swirls and bands of reddish-pink characterize the strawberry
onyx from the old Ribbon Rock mine. This material has
often been referred to as the best onyx to come from the
Mojave Desert. We'd known about this mine for some
time. However, its relative isolation caused us to
pass it by in favor of easier trips. Finally, curiosity
got the better of us. After two weeks of incessant
rain we were ready for anything! Our guide was Mitchell's Gem
Trails of Southern California. We left Interstate
40 at Ludlow and traveled the power line road east for about
15 miles. The road is difficult, but nothing that the
average four wheel drive can't handle. We probably
experienced worse conditions due to the erosion from the
rains, but that will certainly be repaired in short order. As
we turned off the power line road and onto the old road leading
to the mine area we were struck by the solitude. The
pink of the Kelso Dunes and the lofty Providence Mountains
can be seen in the distance. We saw no cars or people
until later the next day as we approached Kelbaker Road on
our way back to the highway. Well, you're asking, was
the trip worth it? Read on!The
two mile hike through the wilderness area went quickly. The
desert was green due to all the rain, and colorful rock formations
abounded. As we approached the site we spotted the
cabin! It's made of old railroad ties and at one time
was covered with tar paper, chicken wire, and cement. Most
of that is peeling off now. There's a little wood burning
stove inside. The shaded porch made a great spot for
our base as we hiked into the surrounding hills to see what
was there. There was no one area where the onyx 
was
mined. It came from all over the hills, mainly to the
east of the cabin. If you prowl around you can find
huge boulders of it, find ledges of it, or look through the
smaller rocks remaining around the quarry areas. The
onyx is indeed beautiful! However, there is even more. If
you follow a dim road further south from the cabin you will
come to an area that has colorful jasper and agate. Some
of the material here was very nice and was quite plentiful. Much
of the jasper is tan with quartz stringers, but a reddish
variety can also be found. There are even pieces with
the two colors mixed together. Time was our biggest
enemy. By the time we had driven to the wilderness
boundary and then hiked in, we only had about four or five
hours to explore. We barely scratched the surface,
but were very impressed. There is plenty of quality
material, and the location is incredibly scenic. We'll
probably have to go back! We had a hard time deciding
what to take with us. In the end we took lots
of photographs and just brought a few pieces of onyx back
to polish.
was
mined. It came from all over the hills, mainly to the
east of the cabin. If you prowl around you can find
huge boulders of it, find ledges of it, or look through the
smaller rocks remaining around the quarry areas. The
onyx is indeed beautiful! However, there is even more. If
you follow a dim road further south from the cabin you will
come to an area that has colorful jasper and agate. Some
of the material here was very nice and was quite plentiful. Much
of the jasper is tan with quartz stringers, but a reddish
variety can also be found. There are even pieces with
the two colors mixed together. Time was our biggest
enemy. By the time we had driven to the wilderness
boundary and then hiked in, we only had about four or five
hours to explore. We barely scratched the surface,
but were very impressed. There is plenty of quality
material, and the location is incredibly scenic. We'll
probably have to go back! We had a hard time deciding
what to take with us. In the end we took lots
of photographs and just brought a few pieces of onyx back
to polish.For
the hike back to the car, we passed up the road and instead
explored a scenic wash which took us in the right direction. As
the shadows lengthened and the bats flitted about, we set
up camp just outside the wilderness boundary and spent a
lovely night around the campfire while the full moon lit
up the desert. The following morning
we decided to continue east along the power line road. This
would take us between the Kelso Dunes and the Granite Mountains
to Kelbaker Road. We took two side trips off of
Kelbaker Road before returning to Interstate 40. The
first was to explore the area around Arrowweed Spring, where
we hiked up a stream and found a huge cougar print. The
second was to the Granite Cove area where we found some WWII
memorabilia nestled amongst the boulders.
This was indeed
a great trip. If
you've wondered about what the area is like, click on the
link below to see some of the scenery and the rocks that
can be found there.