Heading east on the 60 freeway from the start point we made our way out to Moreno Valley towards Oak Glen.  Arriving at the intersection of Bryant Street and Highway 38. We stopped to take a bearing by the ranger station.  We started up 38 towards the mountains and very quickly saw the signal turn out to an open area away from the 38.  We drove out to where a road that was in very rough condition was.  We decided not to go on it and try to find another way to T2. After a fruitless search of a dirt road or passable path, we returned to the 38 and went back the way we came. We stopped at a turn out across from the ranger station. The signal was very strong off toward the brambles and nothingness.  We decided to go for a walk with a sniffing device and a handheld.  After what seemed like an endless hike thru the brambles we came across the semi-camouflaged T2.  There was a guy in a bright orange outfit nearby.  Not sure if he was a prisoner working in the field or just someone in a highly visible outfit, we chose not to inquire and went on our way. We signed into T2 with 71 miles.

After the return hike back to the vehicle, we determined the other transmitter was further out in the nothingness or the hills away from the 38.  So we started out and after a short way, down below the 38 we saw some vehicles making a river crossing.  The signal was coming from the other side of course, but we were not prepared to cross the fast moving water.  So we continued on and the signal was consistently out there.  For some reason the road powers at be decided to rebuild the only bridge in the area in the middle of winter.  We continued to look for a way across, any possibilities were cutoff by gates, cliffs, rocks or any combination there of.

We decided the only way other than crossing thru the river was to go all the way around and approach from the other side. We went over to Greesnspot road.  Made our way to the other side of the bridgework area and over to where the signal was strong again on Newport Road.  Except, greeting us was a huge No Trespassing sign with a county penal code number, along with smaller signs all along the dirt area.  We often encounter these types of signs that are ambiguously placed.  Since they appeared to indicate everywhere we needed to go was verboten, we turned around and were headed back for another look for away across from the 38 that didn’t require a water crossing.

Back on the 38, nearing the water crossing, we saw Doug RJN at a locked gate and a nearby large pile of boulders. Doug had found T2 and drove in from the side that was not horrible.  The three of us decided to walk in a ways with sniffing devices and determine if the transmitter was truly across the river.  A short walk later we came to the fast moving but shallow water.  The signal appeared to be indeed coming from way across the river where an illegible white sign was.  As we walked back to our vehicles we told Doug about the river crossing where we saw vehicles driving thru the river.  We decided to give it a try and if either of the vehicles got stuck the other could pull it out.  We crossed the river effortlessly, while it was fast moving it was not very deep.

We made our way over some hills on dirt roads. Eventually leading to a paved road. Could this be the same paved road with all the No Trespassing signs? Probably. Back onto a dirt road around a hill, soon it appeared we were on the wrong dirt road to get to the transmitter.  Doug following behind us, no easy way to turn around on soggy mud and no way to the other dirt road we drove on.  As we continued on I saw the paved road again and sure enough there was where we stopped previously amongst all of the No Trespassing official looking metal signs.  The dirt road was now parallel to the paved road and soon ran out.  We had to turn around.  As we were waiting for Doug to turn around we could feel the vehicle sinking.  Luckily Doug turned his vehicle around rather quickly and we were headed back.  We came out to the paved road on the other side of a hill.

From the direction were coming there were no signs. Just before all of the signs that stopped us coming from the opposite direction was a wide turn out that has seen a lot of use.  Deryl agreed to bail me out if we were arrested so onward behind Doug we went. In a short time we came to the transmitter with signs all around, No Trespassing.  We signed in with 122 miles.  Oh, the white sign that we saw from across the river said “No Trespassing”.

Ray N6EKS