My hiking companion, Woody, and I stopped to rest a bit and drink some water. It was getting hotter and we needed to make sure we didn't overtax our aging bodies. As one looks around, it is hard to believe that we are in a major metropolitan area — the only sign of which is that small sign in the lower left quadrant of the photo. It was just telling us to stay on the active trails (those created by the CCC).

It was only a bit farther where we encountered two stone buildings — most certainly ones constructed by the CCC using building materials from the site — rocks and (my guess) some wood from trees cut down for roofing.

Walking just a few steps up the hill I took a separate photo of the upper, larger structure.

Here's a better view of the lower structure — a single room with openings for a door and windows. There is also a small porch outside the front door.

Next, we see a closer shot of the skillful way the workers put the rocks together with minimal use of mortar (probably mixed on-site with local sand found in the park).

The larger structure is just uphill and even exhibits arched window openings (no glass and I'd bet there were never glass windows in place). The design does provide a touch of elegance in what is otherwise a very plain structure.

Inside, one can view the surrounding hills. I love the views and I'll bet the builders took that into account when constructing this larger stone house.

This house has two rooms. The front room has a nice fireplace which could probably be used to heat water and cook dinner.

Here is the view from the window opening in the back room. The pile of rocks makes a very picturesque landscape.

From a different window, that same rock pile provides a familiar scene but with different framing.

Here we see the smaller fireplace located in the back room. My guess is that this one was used for warming the interior. Yes, the house is located in the middle of a desert where the temperature drops rapidly after sundown — so a fireplace (or an exterior firepit) would have been a necessity for those living onsite where they worked.

Time to head home — it was getting hotter and both Woody and I were a bit tired yet we still had a couple of miles to walk back to "civilization". We made it safely but were quite exhausted even with the excitement of our exploration.