Chocolate Mountain Scrappers (34 images)

Bombarded day and night, the Chocolate Mountain Bombing range in California's low desert stands on the cutting edge of America's global war on terror. But with each lull in the bombing and strafing shadowy groups of scrappers infiltrate this no-man's land in Mad Max-like trucks and dune buggies, to scrape together a desperate existence scavenging the impact areas. -Michael DiGregorio

Originally published in the L.A. Times Magazine 12/11/2005. (www.scrapperfilm.com)