Pretty much every sign you see around many of the desert areas, and Barstow is no exception, have suffered from gunshot wounds. Even the 'no shooting' signs are ... shot up!

On the way south from town, I headed out on the Stoddard Wells road for a break from the pavement.
And found a unique 'grooming brush' that appeared to be used to smooth or groom either ATV trails or some of these backcountry roads?
It was found parked at the intersection of the Stoddard Wells road and the Lucerne cutoff.
After rejoining the pavement near Lucerne Valley and coming out on the north side of Joshua Tree at Yucca Valley, it was down the hill towards Morongo Valley, and Desert Hot Springs.
There was snow down to road level in the high country, but it was replaced with LA smog as the road decended towards Palm Springs. Fortunately, all the windmills around Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs were turned off, so it was fairly calm.
The sun was shining and the sky was blue, a fair cry from the -14 showing as the temperature at home in Alberta!
But the smog was still evident in the distant hills.
The flowers were blooming and there was finally some shirt sleeve weather to enjoy.
The plan is to kick back in Desert Hot Springs for a few days ...