Stranded

Day 271

The rain continued to fall throughout the night leaving the campground and roads in a disarray of sand, leaves and small branches. One of the two 9 x 12 mats we had laid out in front of the Rv was actually floating in a giant shallow pool of water. In the morning the clouds were showing promise from the rain, so we decided to take a drive to a local tourist spot called the Maze Stone, located in foothills of the San Jacinto mountain range. 

On the way out of our isolated section of the campground, there was a large dip in the road where a once dry riverbed crossed. When we approached the dip, there was a front loader and grader working to clear the sand and debris that was now being washed onto the road by a fast paced river. Unsure if we should cross, I began to turn around and head back when the front loader operator turned and waved me to go through. Believing I should be able to make it, I put the truck into four wheel drive and began to cross the river. The water came up the the bottom of the doors and I could feel the water pushing the truck, but we crossed without incident and moved towards the exit of the campground. 

We made our way to the foothills, encountering several sections of road where the rain had washed sand, mud and rocks across the pavement. When we arrived close to the Maze Stone we were stopped by a barricade blocking access. We exited the truck, leaving the pups inside and walked past the barricade in hopes our destination was just around the bend. With nothing in site, we returned and did a little research on how far this Maze Stone was from the barricade. I found a few posts indicating it was just under a mile,  this was something we were not willing to walk that far for as it was more of a novelty tourist spot. 

First photographed in the 1930’s, the Maze Stone is a 46-inch square petroglyph carved into a boulder. The petroglyphs design is that of a maze formed out of interlocking shapes surrounded by a box. Theories on who actually created the Maze Stone are varied and range from the likely being Native American’s to the outlandish being Cascadians or aliens. The origin of the petroglyph is still unknown, however artifacts found near the Maze Stone have been dated to at least 500 years. 

We spent the balance of the morning exploring Hemet before return to the Rv. Back in the campground the workers were still doing their best to keep clear road clear of  mud as the river continued to flood across the road. We crossed with no issues and settled into for the afternoon with a good book and puzzle. Shortly before three o’clock, a campground attendant came to the Rv informing us that the workers at the flooded section will be going home and once they do the road will quickly fill with mud and be impassable until tomorrow when they returned. He informed us the campground was prepared to move us to another sections of the campground where we would not be stranded for the balance of the day and throughout the night. With no plans on going anywhere, we declined the offer and settled in for a peaceful evening.