06-Jan-2011 -- I took advantage of being in the area to visit and log this remote confluence, located northeast of the community of Goffs in California’s eastern Mojave Desert. I took a circuitous route to the confluence, following a series of powerline roads and lesser desert tracks, sometimes running up dead ends, before finding the right road that put me less than a mile from the confluence.

I started my drive from old US-66 about 6 miles east of Goffs, heading due north along a powerline road about 5 miles until coming to another road at a set of power lines going generally east-west. I went west-southwest along this second powerline road a couple more miles, entering into the Mojave National Preserve along the way. Quite by luck I spotted a very scant track that heads northeast and according to the map, would pass very near the confluence. I slowly drove this track for about 2.4 miles until my GPS had me within a mile of the confluence. I parked and made the pleasant walk amid low scrub and rocky ground to the confluence. The weather was very cold and breezy, but the sky was clear with beautiful views in all directions. The whole hiking journey took me about 30 minutes round trip.

The views from this confluence are of remote and distant hills. In the north photo, Homer Mountain is visible, while in the east photo, the Sacramento Mountains are seen, with big Hualapai Mountain in Arizona way in the background. The south view is into glare and general desert, while the west view shows the nearby Vontrigger Mountains. Despite the remoteness of these mountains, considerable mining took place here during the past 150 years. Many old ghost towns can be found within these hills, now all protected within the Mojave Preserve.

For the drive out, I rumbled back onto the powerline road and continued west until I came to the paved Lanfair Road, which I followed south into the town of Goffs, where I stopped briefly for photographs. Goffs was a stop along the old US-66 before the newer Interstate-40 was built in the 1960s, bypassing Goffs. Whereas most of these old towns along US-66 became abandoned, Goffs hangs on as an active railroad waypoint for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe line, and as an entry-point into the Mojave Preserve. No more than 20 people live there, but it sees steady traffic. Travelers from Southern California heading to Laughlin (Nevada) use old US-66 and Goffs as a shortcut.

Future visitors can find this confluence by following Lanfair Road north from Goffs about 2.2 miles to a major set of power lines, then go right (east) about 2.2 more miles, keeping an eye out for the diagonal track. Beware: it’s very scant and easy to miss. Most vehicles can handle the powerline road but the track needs 4-wheel drive. It has many ruts and arroyo crossings, and can be sandy in spots. Mature vegetation in the road suggests this track gets driven very rarely. It would also be possible to hike this track if your vehicle is not up for it.