The Lester Dale Mine

A combination of having a new toy to play with and boredom makes sitting idle at home mundane after a while. A bit tiresome of the mountains, I decided to head to the desert even though the temps were getting up there. Ironically, M.O.R.E (Mojave Off-Road Racing Enthusiasts) was having a night time desert race on Saturday which worked out perfect as I wanted to be in the high desert. Although it was Friday, there would still be plenty of people there both getting pit setup as well as last minute pre-running/testing which would mean some free entertainment. Having been into desert racing, building my own truck and being apart of the community in simpler times, it’s fun to go out and be apart of it every now and then

Decided to isolate myself a bit to keep out of the way of pits and the race course, so I found a nice little spot just down from the activity.

There was a solid breeze all afternoon and into the evening which thankfully helped keep the heat in check until the cooler night air made it’s way in.

As I suspected, tons of racers and participants were out running the course giving quite the light show throughout the desert.

After a few beers, dinner and pictures called it a night.

On the way home I decided to go check out an area I’ve driven by hundreds of times – The Lester Dale Mine. Located on the northern slopes of Big Bear, it wouldn’t be too far out of the way and the 247 provided the perfect route to get there.

Although there was nothing technical, it was brutally rough and wash boarded a majority of the way. I’m usually one to air down to make the ride more comfortable, faster and forgiving for the vehicle/tires, but it was a short distance and didn’t want to bother with the time it takes to air back up. Getting to 65psi isn’t exactly the fastest process.

Passed numerous mines along the way, as well as some old structures and foundations far off in the distance.

Unfortunately, like many places throughout the desert, there’s basically zero information, history or photos of the Lester Dale Mine. I always find it fascinating that a place can be built, inhabited and die without any documentation. That being said as I know not everything makes it’s way online, I’ve been compiling a list of all the places I’ve visited without info and plan on going to the museums and libraries in the respective regions to hopefully fill in the blanks.

A few ruins are scattered about, most of them down to bare walls except for one. I cruised around the camp but didn’t venture back to where the actual mine and Terrace Spring are located.

Didn’t take long to see what was in the immediate area and figured it was time to head back home. I made a quick stop by the Silver Reef mine before calling it a day. Few more areas along the mountain side I want to get back to and check out so I’ll be back!