CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #12

[cazador]

Wash out area leads me to some Awesome rocks including a Cave.
Wonder if this cave is the one RT referred to.

 

[cazador]

I come back out of the wash out area. I take off down the road to the mountain of rock looking for the picture RT would like. Then I see what would be the picture RT would be after "in my opinion" So it is out there and I go after it.. I not only take pictures I am working the area all around it also.

 

[squareandrabbet]

The scenarios in my mind (that do not involve foul play) all come back to whether Barbara was upset, angry or at the end of her rope over something. With temps rising (and if they were hiking for an hour or more), she might have had a really hard time remembering which bush had the rock with the key (and it wouldn't have been any of the bushes we can see from the parking lot - that central bit of plant life appears to have no rocks in it, either). It's all gravel and it looks like it gets graded once in a while to keep larger, tire-puncturing rocks off of it. It's not like modern keys are tiny, either (unless we're speaking only of the trailer key, which we don't know). But even if it was the trailer key, all visible rocks in the parking lot are too small to successfully hide it. IMO.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking after perusing the pictures - I can see how someone frantically looking for another person could get confused. I can see how someone not sure where they are, if they are already agitated, could get lost.

What I have a problem envisioning now, is what type of obstruction would have hampered RT being able to see any sight of BT, up to and including BT's red hat, that could not be easily and/or quickly searchable. So far only a couple of iterations of rocks that could qualify for a person-hiding crevasse.

In short, I can imagine RT not being able to find any trace of Barb upon the day, and in the throes of frantic confusion. But how, then, do we explain LE's not being able to find any trace of BT on a hearty thorough search?

 

[cazador]

I promised a drone. I did purchase one, and I did practice and thought I had it down but this trip proved me wrong. When I first purchased it, one of my kids said Dad you are not a gamer ! I said why does that matter ? He said a gamer will have that drone down in a couple of hours But YOU are going on a learning curve !! I discounted that.. LOL Mistake..!! The drone was a disaster for me and I can give you some footage but not the whole road and back like I had planned.. I did have another person from SWARM who was supposed to show up that person is a perfectionist with drones. But that person could not make it at the last moment.. So I gave it a shot and before you know it, I am chasing a drone for 1/2 mile across the desert floor that is so high up I can not even see it anymore... I had to laugh when my sons words rang in my ear.. Lucky for me it ran out of battery and landed itself..
I might have to go back But I will load what I did on Youtube this evening after I get home.
There are other photos in my wife's phone and I will get those also..

 

[cazador]

I went back out Sunday.. My wife dropped me off and she and Jet went touring the park.. Alone I put the phone down and worked the area for 6 hours very fast. I left knowing in my heart BT is not here at this location.. From so many places you can see clearly the Asphalt parking area and the telephone poles.. There is no way in the world she got lost in my opinion..
With that I am considering the options.. I am sure LE is also..

 

[CSIDreamer]

I went back out Sunday.. My wife dropped me off and she and Jet went touring the park.. Alone I put the phone down and worked the area for 6 hours very fast. I left knowing in my heart BT is not here at this location.. From so many places you can see clearly the Asphalt parking area and the telephone poles.. There is no way in the world she got lost in my opinion..
With that I am considering the options.. I am sure LE is also..

How did you feel being alone? Were you concerned for your safety or getting lost?

 

[K9Enzo]

@cazador interesting pics. Thank you for posting them.

IMO, you went out there with a keen sense of awareness about your surroundings. You were on a mission per se. You were attempting to retrace the steps of someone who was reported missing from that area. I do think this matters when we consider your experience during your trip.

I personally look at those pics and see terrain that is not straightforward but that's just me. This terrain most likely looks different now that it's Fall, compared to Summer. We also do not know the state of mind, health or even the navigational capacity in general or under stress of the person that is missing. The individual person is a big deal to consider as well.

IMO, there are still many variables to consider.

Those rock formations. It's hard to tell scale. What do you estimate the height being?

 

[anneg]

I promised a drone. I did purchase one, and I did practice and thought I had it down but this trip proved me wrong. When I first purchased it, one of my kids said Dad you are not a gamer ! I said why does that matter ? He said a gamer will have that drone down in a couple of hours But YOU are going on a learning curve !! I discounted that.. LOL Mistake..!! The drone was a disaster for me and I can give you some footage but not the whole road and back like I had planned.. I did have another person from SWARM who was supposed to show up that person is a perfectionist with drones. But that person could not make it at the last moment.. So I gave it a shot and before you know it, I am chasing a drone for 1/2 mile across the desert floor that is so high up I can not even see it anymore... I had to laugh when my sons words rang in my ear.. Lucky for me it ran out of battery and landed itself..
I might have to go back But I will load what I did on Youtube this evening after I get home.
There are other photos in my wife's phone and I will get those also..

Too bad about the drone issues. I hadn't thought about the connection between gaming and using a drone (I'm not a gamer and know zip about drones). I think my grandkids have flown drones but I haven't seen them do it. Anyway, I'm still eager to see your drone footage!

 

[Kapua]

I’m watching an episode of “Relentless with Kate Snow” about Charli Scott, a young woman who went missing. Her mom as the leader, and other family and friends and community members, mounted search activities like I cannot believe. Her mom hounded LE. Such an amazing contrast to what is being done for Barb. I am glad to know via cazador that people have been searching for Barb but I do wonder how many of those searchers knew Barb or are simply concerned strangers.

I followed Charli's case very closely here on WS and I even made a lei for her. I remember the searches and thought they would never find any trace of her in the thick rainforest of east Maui. But thanks to her Life360 app and two cadaver dogs, they found some of her fingers and a jawbone - enough to arrest and convict her killer. I am thrilled to know that some are still searching for Barb and I remain convinced that she is findable. MOO

 

[Kapua]

I've posted this before, but it bears repeating. I can't imagine an experienced desert hiker veering off the dirt path into the area with all of those cholla cacti. MOO

 

[CSIDreamer]

I've posted this before, but it bears repeating. I can't imagine an experience desert hiker veering off the dirt path into the area with all of those cholla cacti. MOO

Me neither. I've said the same things. I'm pretty certain a bikini clad woman wandering/veering/tripping/falling into that would be scream worthy.

 

[anneg]

Next we find the line of telephone poles that run the whole length of the valley floor and are a road in themselves. You can see these poles from every place on our walk.

These photos are fabulous! It's so exciting to see them.

Are you looking north in the first photo? It looks like you were east of the big rock formation and the smaller formation is up there a ways to the north. Maybe the paved parking lot is up there beyond the formation but hard to see?

What about the second photo? It appears to be taken in a different spot, maybe looking south?

I'd love to have a reference map that shows where YOU were standing when you took the photos and the direction you were facing. I wonder if this would be feasible?

 

[cazador]

Oh one more thing.. I am out in the desert floor and I have My wife call out from various spots included is where we parked and I can hear her in most places.
The primitive camping area would not be accessible for the truck and 5th wheel. I think it would have had a hard time and possibly get stuck.
You can see the paved parking spot from where RT said he had last viewed Barbara. And you can see the paved parking from most positions with a few exceptions from the back near the mountain as it is higher then the road. Except when you are in the washout area then you are lower..

 

[anneg]

Oh one more thing.. I am out in the desert floor and I have My wife call out from various spots included is where we parked and I can hear her in most places.
The primitive camping area would not be accessible for the truck and 5th wheel. I think it would have had a hard time and possibly get stuck.

This makes me wonder where they were planning to camp. Supposedly they were going to be camping for a few days... I guess they could just camp at a pullout. I seem to recall some discussion about this quite a while back. JMO

 

[cazador]

This makes me wonder where they were planning to camp. Supposedly they were going to be camping for a few days... I guess they could just camp at a pullout. I seem to recall some discussion about this quite a while back. JMO

Sunday morning when we pulled in there was a group of people camping in the pull out area.

 

[squareandrabbet]

I went back out Sunday.. My wife dropped me off and she and Jet went touring the park.. Alone I put the phone down and worked the area for 6 hours very fast. I left knowing in my heart BT is not here at this location.. From so many places you can see clearly the Asphalt parking area and the telephone poles.. There is no way in the world she got lost in my opinion..
With that I am considering the options.. I am sure LE is also..

You and your family are great sports (even the dog!!). Bless you all for providing us with these invaluable insights.

 

[anneg]

From looking at the photos, I can definitely understand the attractiveness of those rock formations and the desert landscapes for hikers and photographers. I can see how RT could have got caught up in photographing the rocks and lost track of time, MOO. How I'd love to see the photos he took that day in July!

[ETA: And of course I'd love to know what happened to Barbara... ]

My own desert experience is minimal and tame. We visited Tucson once briefly and enjoyed the Arizona-Sonoma Desert Museum there, and we have visited the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. Both museums are very interesting. I've been wanting to visit the southwest and see national parks in that region for years but we haven't made it yet.

 

[1&2&3]

@cazador, many thanks for the outstanding pictures and narrative! Your time and search is greatly appreciated!

Having never seen the desert in person, these pictures reinforce my belief that an abduction did not take place in this area indicated. JMO.

 

[Seajay]

Next we find the line of telephone poles that run the whole length of the valley floor and are a road in themselves. You can see these poles from every place on our walk.

The path of the trail is still defined as being very clear where it is. She could not have lost the trail in this area, unless impaired. IMO

 

[Seajay]

The walking path splits at the rock. Off to the left leads further back to the mountain wall of rock and to the right leads to the wash out area. In and around this spot are these pics. I start looking for what RT would like to take pictures of .. I am also now realizing the Teddy Bear Cholla " TY mickey2942" .. The damn thing drops and the wind carries these very spiny thorns Everywhere !
In back of the rock was a fireplace with very little evidence of people. Pollution free for the most part. Just one very old can used for target practice many years ago. I decide to go walk the wash area.

I love how hikers since then have left the fireplace for someone else to use in an emergency. And the can. It shows that most hikers respect the land. Leave nothing there, take nothing that doesn’t belong to you.