Ord Mountain, Rodman Mountains

11-Feb-56

By: Louis Werner

The dozen Desert Peakers who arrived early enough Saturday to join the climb to the top of the Rodman Range southeast of Barstow, found that a cinder-mining operation had cut a road to within a half-mile of the summit. Even four year old Ginny Bear made the top.

That night a visitor from Outer Space awakened some of the campers at the eastern foot of Ord Mountain.* The Crookstons reported that you could have read the paper by the light of the meteor that flashed by, presumably falling on the Mojave to the north.

Since leader Bob Bear had promised to wait until 9:00 Sunday morning for assistant Jerry Zagorites and the Hunts to join the party, Walt Heninger led those who wished to start at 7:30. Two parties, totaling about twenty each, made the summit about an hour apart. Weather was agreeably cool and visibility excellent.

* This is at least the third time that mysterious happenings have coincided with trips to desert peaks. Wallace (avacado) Smith reported that the night after Bill Henderson's famous death march over the top of the White Mountain Range in July '54, he (Smith) stayed in Fish Lake Valley and slept in his, car. He was awakened by something shaking the car as if a bear were scratching his back against it. Later he learned that there had been an earthquake.

From the same general area came the report of the 'flying saucer' episode of last September 10-11, when Pat Meixner and Lee Owings saw a burst of orange light in the form of a crescent coming toward them as they were descending from Boundary Peak after dark.

In July '53 we read several entries in the register on the summit of Boundary Peak, dated June 20th to July 3rd., 1950. All had to do with the launching of flying saucers. One said, "We launched three saucers into the air; they fell to the earth, we know not where, we lose more darn saucers that way". The entries were signed with six names.