Ray and Deryl's
Story

Based on the reports given on the thunt email list and the signal we heard over the air,
we were heading towards the 10 freeway to head East.  Deryl received a call from Don KF6GQ
who was at the Summit Inn turn off of the 15.  Based on that call (thank you Don, we
really didn’t want to go east that way again) and that the signal (bounces) we heard
were coming from Mt. Wilson and Mt. Baldy, we decided that we would instead go over
highway 2 to the 14. The signal led us to the Jawbone Canyon area.

As we turned onto Jawbone Canyon Road at the visitor’s center, we saw a sign indicating
there was an historical marker there.  We wondered what the marker was about we stopped
to read it.  It was long about a woman named Bishop.  There was also information about
the area and a metal box for maps.  I checked the map box and as I expected there were
no maps.  On we went thru the Jawbone Canyon OHV Open Area.  It had been many years since
I had been out there on some transmitter hunt.  I was surprised to see the very nice
looking large visitor’s center.  As we drove on I was dismayed at the amount of regulations
we were constantly being reminded of and all of the redundant signage.  Including warning
off-roaders of fences.  I remembered the area as being very desolate and vacant of most
evidence of humans other than the dirt roads and occasional piles of things or things being
shot up and left behind.  Oh well, tax dollars and political climate at work.

We eventually turned onto what we think is Kelso Valley Road (more on this later), drove on
it for a few miles until we came to where we were close to a windmill farm.  We stopped to
take a bearing and looking at the GPS we decided we needed to go back a little ways to where
we saw a road with an information sign. We had said to make note of this road in case we
needed to go that way.  Well we did need to go that way, so we went to the road with the sign.  
It also had a metal box where maps were said to be and much to my surprise it was full of maps.  
I thought this map would be helpful, as time went on I was not so sure about that, but I digress.  
As we progressed on this dirt road we saw a white vehicle approaching us.  It was a Toyota
Forerunner the vintage of the hider Doug RJN or it could be Bob JPI.  At the rate of speed
it was heading towards us, I surmised it was Bob. He stopped in front of us and walked up to
the vehicle. He said he had found four of the six transmitters and that he was a bit lost, his
GPS wasn’t working properly.  He indicated we could find the transmitter we were hearing if we
continued on the way we were headed or at least it could lead us to roads that would get us there.  
We told him that we had not heard any other t’s.

Now back to the BLM map that I picked up at the information sign.  The map indicated we were on
SC123 and the road post confirmed this. It said we had turned onto this road near Butterbredt Spring.  
Bob said we were in Butterbredt Canyon.  The map indicated that to get to SC123 we had to be on
Jawbone Canyon Road, whereas the actual intersection did not look like the map and that we came
off of Kelso Valley Road directly onto SC123.  Since my memory is not very good and the map was
often a matter of confusion, I will not try to recount the exact route we went or where we found the t’s.


We met Don GQ and Steve LAJ on SC123, from that point on we were pretty much in each others dust
trail. They said they had missed the road to the main t. So we went on and they turned around and
we found the main T, T1.  JPI had signed into this T a couple of hours previously. We found all
six of the transmitters.

Much of the roads appeared to have become rivers for rain that had recently fallen in the area.  
The clouds were keeping things cooler, but as the afternoon went on, they became darker at times
which was a little disconcerting.  We never had any problems and the clouds did help keep the
temperatures lower.

The wonderful BLM map was often a frustrating source of confusion but it was somewhat helpful
as we found the transmitters.  As we were heading out I was still trying to use the BLM map
(after all this was BLM land, I thought their map would be accurate, but there I go thinking).  
Don knows this area very well and I eventually told Deryl just to follow him out.  If we had
used the map we would have gone the longer way on the dirt road because the map showed that
it was the shorter dirt road route!

We had dinner in Mojave around 5:30 pm at Denny’s with Don and Steve.  We had an enjoyable time.  
Thanks Doug for the hunt, no thanks to the BLM for their map.

Ray N6EKS