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looking over Rainbow Basin. which. at o ne time was s ubtro pica l. Ca mels live d there! Trailin' the "People who came before" . ,,H By Don Lemaster - up by sand and erosion , and now , as you can see by the sign, the rains and winds are once again uncovering th e fossil remains of the ancient animals. I even read that scientists have found bones of a camel in this basin that date all green with a mild climate and lots back II million years. That's thinking of animals . The colors on the back a few days , isn't it kid ?" mountain are still pretty, b ut there's My son La rry , Ron Peterson and I no lush greenery, now. What the heck were on our la test exploring trip in the happened to all the wildlife and the Mojave Desert. This time we planned stuff fo r them to eat?" to look at and photograph the fossil "Well Larry," I answered my ·14 · beds of age-old Rainbow Basin . th e year-old son , ."T here ha ve been lots of changes on this 01' ea rth in th e last ancient petroglyphs carved on the lava of Inscription Canyon a nd some latter severa l thousand years. At one tim e day momentos of th e go ld min ers at this Ra inbow Basin was subtrop ical , a nd the an ima lsthat resided here lived th e tu rn of this centu ry. We had a full d ay ahead of us so we started ou t soo n a nd d ied in a norma l life -cycle. . Even.tu ~lI y' ,. th.dr bones wer; . c;.o..:'e~c:d. . • a fte~daw '! l ~ !':e c~i lly d ....e':t al r -, ey Dad , look here. The sign says that in the olden days this part of the desert was Rainbow Basin, as the name implies. is bathed in multi -colored beauty. The sink where the creatures of old once lived is surrounded by hills painted and stacked layer upon layer in d ifferent hues by Mother Nature . If you go there, be sure to have color film in your camera. The narrow entrance to the basin is clearly marked by the Bureau of Land Management and is accessible by automobile but trailbikes are muc h more fun for a trip like thi s. Besides , if you wa nt to follow the ent ire route we too k you' ll have to have a two -wh eeler. Four-wheelers need not apply. T hey co u ld n' t make it , a nyway! Wher e is Rainbow Basin a nd its fo~i l. ~£gs: . y.o!:, sa)'?· 'Ye ll, j t~sj u.st .a. ~ • ways north of Barstow, California. To get to Barstow from Los Angeles, hop on the freeway between L.A. andLas Vegas , Nevada. Drive due north from Barstow on the Fort Irwin Road for ' about six miles and then make a left at Fossil Bed Road . There's no mistaking ' the colorful hills that circle the basin . They stand out boldly and seem to be close by because of the clear desert air. Actually, the hills are three m iles west of the turn-off from the Fort Irwin Road . , Just before you enter the narrow defil e a t th e beginning of th e four -mile loop through Ra inbow Basin there's a ' sign advisin g you tha t Owl Canyon ca m pgrou nd is to the right. It 's a good • '. , .- • .• _ . . • (Continu.ed.t 0 page )8) l