One of our favorite hiking treks is the East Table Mountain road. This road ends at a 7500 ft. peak overlooking a majestic panoramic view of the High Desert below. Approximately 20 miles to the north, as the crow flies, lay the El Mirage dry lakebed. From our vantage point, we can soak in the massive expansions of this desert depression.

The powdery, white, alkaline soil outlines the contours of this ancient lakebed. Many people are familiar with El Mirage from the countless TV commercials and music videos that have been filmed there. The moonscape is a dramatic backdrop for nearly any photographic event, but this vast lakebed is far more than a visual curiosity.

For many people in Southern California, it is recreational ground zero. Dirt bikes, ATC's, hot-rods, and of course, land-sailors have made this their secondary home, but of all the activities on El Mirage, none is quite as exciting as land sailing. With El Mirage's vast, nearly endless terrain and like-clockwork prevailing winds, the lake attracts sailors from, literally, all around the world.

The Van der Stähl Scientific team's leader, Charlie A. Webb has always been an avid sailor. Twenty years ago, he was the co-founder of a college sailing club. Charlie also taught a basic sailing and seamanship course. After moving to Wrightwood, however, which is hundreds of miles away from the Pacific Ocean, finding suitable sailing area wasn't so easy. Fortunately, the dry lakebed is only a half an hour away. During the summer, sailors can still get a few hours of sailing in before dark, which is never a problem for Tim Mangus, whose favorite time to sail is from dusk to dawn on moonlit nights.

The rule "designers never stop designing" is always in play at Van der Stähl Scientific. Charlie purchased a basket case production land yacht and made significant design improvements. Not to be outdone, Tim built his boat from the ground up using off the shelf parts, like BMX wheels and plywood. "These are great engineering exercises", says Tim Mangus, "We love to play with different boat widths and sail configurations to see what makes the fastest boat."

Within a small quarter of the vast El Mirage lakebed lays Sailor's Bay. Every Saturday morning, the sailors rig their boats and wait for the Mojave Desert to heat up. The cooler air from the Los Angeles basin is now drawn in, usually by 11 o'clock, and a steady prevailing wind usually comes in from the Southwest. These strong and prevailing winds power the vessels back and forth. Watching the colorful sails tack back and forth on a beam-reach against the lunar landscape is an amazing sight to see.

During the working week at Van der Stähl Scientific, we keep one browser window open on our computers to check the latest wind conditions at El Mirage. Charlie suggests, "If you've never tried land-sailing, I'd highly recommend it. There's something very spiritual about flying across a dry lakebed, driven only by the wind. It's a testament to the human imagination when nature gives us a flat, windy, barren spot and we give it land-sailing."

It has been far too long sense we have sailed El Mirage, the tires on my boat our flat and it set still in the yard. The last many times a main sheet have crossed my hands they have trimmed the sails of a sailboat. With far too many interests and without limitless time land sailing has been sent to the bench. But this year something tells me my boat we be reanimated and land sailing will again be on the list of what I do.

For more information about land sailing, visit the Wind Wizards land sailing club.