Old Desert Fire Ring
I was out in the desert north of Joshua Tree, Ca checking out some old trails when I stopped to "water the cactus". I walked up onto a little hill top and found this-
It's an old fire ring. This was obviously somebody's campsite way back when. You can tell it's old because there is not much charring and blackening of the rocks. There's a fine patina of lichen growing over them. That's one thing about the desert, and why you have to treat it so gently, things last FOREVER out there. This fire ring could be well over five hundred years old!
I suspect it was built during the mid-1800's though, when the area was a hot bed of mining and prospecting. Indian fire rings are usually smaller. This looks like the work of white men.
The Indian's have a saying out here - "Indian builds a small fire and sits close, white man builds a big fire and sits far away".
I'd love to use a metal detector around the base of this fire ring, I bet there's all sorts of cool stuff to be found. People always had things drop out of their pockets when they sat around a fire for any length of time outdoors.
Maybe I'll rent one and go give it a try!
DB
Posted: Saturday 4th February 2006, 10:28 PM
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