REPORTER; ACTING AS SAFETY PILOT ON NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT IN C152; EXPERIENCES IMC AND DISORIENTATION IN HIGH TERRAIN OF SOCAL.

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SAT R SEAT ACTING AS PIC MOST OF TRIP. L SEATER WAS FOREIGN NATIONAL; HERE FOR ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE AND ADVANCED FLT TRAINING. FOREIGNER'S INTENT WAS ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE WORK; AREA/RTE FAMILIARIZATION FLT; AND TIME-BUILDING. BRIEFING VIA VARIOUS INTERNET WX SOURCES' PROGS WERE PARTIAL OBSCURATION CLRING BY XB00. EFAS RADIOED ON OUTBOUND LEG APPROX XA30 FROM FRESNO AREA WITH FAVORABLE RPTS RETURNED AND PIREPS SOLICITED. LOST SIGHT OF TSP BEACON ONCE ABEAM BAKERSFIELD; BUT CONTINUED ON HDG; HAT OK. ENTERED MOJAVE DESERT FLOOR AREA BTWN TSP AND EDWARDS AFB; EVENTUALLY BECOMING DISORIENTED. THOUGHT I'D ALREADY TAKEN US INTO RIVERSIDE AREA BASED ON SUBSEQUENT HDG CHANGE TO R (S); ELAPSED TIME; AND GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES PERCEIVED TO BE DISCERNIBLE IN DARK CONDITIONS FROM SECTIONAL. EVENTUALLY DETERMINED LOST PROCS WERE CALLED FOR. RADIO COVERAGE IN AREA MINIMAL; AND ANSWERS FEW. EVENTUALLY RELAY-BIRD ASSISTED. ACCEPTED HIS SUGGESTION TO SQUAWK 7600 AND IDENT. SOCAL OR PROBABLY JOSHUA WAS ON OTHER END OF RELAYS AND DIRECT RADIO AND POS WAS EVENTUALLY ESTABLISHED. SOCAL OR PROBABLY JOSHUA INITIALLY VECTORED US 130 DEGS; CORRECTED TO 190 DEGS FOR WINDS AND EDWARDS AFB. AVOIDANCE. DIRECTED US TO CAJON PASS (I-15) INSTRUCTING US TO FOLLOW HWY UNTIL RADIO WAS ESTABLISHED BEYOND THE PASS; AND EXPECT A TEMPORARY COM LOSS AGAIN UNTIL BEYOND PASS TO S. MVFR OR IMC RAPIDLY DEVELOPED THROUGHOUT THE PASS; AND FOR 10-30 SECONDS RESIGNED SELF TO EVENTUAL CFIT SINCE STEEP 180 DEG INCREASED BAD ODDS. INTERMITTENTLY HAD SIGHT OF HWY TFC BELOW. FINALLY CLRED PASS AND IMC; AND RADIO PICKED UP AGAIN. VECTORED TO SAN BERNARDINO/SBD UPON RPTING BEACON IN SIGHT AT 11 O'CLOCK POS. ADVISED OF OTHER NEARBY TFC TO SBD; MADE AND RPTED VISUAL CONTACT RIGHT AWAY; AND FOLLOWED AS #2 AS DIRECTED. ASKED IF I WAS STUDENT. RPTED 'LOW TIME PVT;' ETC. DURING 270 DEG R TURN TO FINAL; WAS REQUESTED TO COPY PHONE NUMBER; BUT TOLD TO ABANDON IDEA AND RADIO FROM GND AFTER TOUCHDOWN. FORGOT ADVISED GND FREQ AND LOST COM FROM VECTORING FREQ ONCE ON GND; AT APPROX XC45. MADE NO FOLLOW-UP CONTACT EFFORTS; FEARING FAA; NTSB AND OTHER AUTHORITARIANS; FINES; PUNISHMENTS; ETC. DEBRIEFED AND RECEIVED AERONAUTICAL DECISION MAKING COUNSELING FROM COMMERCIAL PIC WHO LANDED AHEAD OF US. SAME ALSO MADE LCL CAB CALL FOR US. EXCHANGED CONTACT INFO. KISSED CONCRETE IN FRONT OF NOSE CONE; WHICH SEEMED TO SOFTLY KISS ME BACK. SAME ADVISED US HE'D RADIO IN FOR US ONCE ALOFT. SAID HE MONITORED AND THOUGHT WE WERE NEXT MONTHLY STATISTIC FOR THE PASS; BUT IT WASN'T OUR TIME TO GO. L-SEATER WANTED TO RETURN THAT NIGHT; FEARING HAVING PLANE BEYOND RESERVED TIME AND ANY CONSEQUENCES; BUT I OVERRULED HIS 'GET THEREITIS' EVEN THOUGH I WAS HIS GUEST IN THE RENTAL PLANE. BASIN WAS SEALED AND CLOUD-CAPPED; AND FLT OUT WOULD LIKELY BE FATAL. COMMERCIAL PIC GAVE FURTHER AERONAUTICAL DECISION MAKING COUNSEL TO HIM. DURING ENTIRE 60-90 MIN ORDEAL; PERCEIVED MILD FRUSTRATION AT LOSING BEARINGS AND UNKNOWN FUEL REMAINING (RPTED 1 HR REMAINING BEFORE TURN TO FINAL PER ATC REQUEST (HAD APPROX 5 GALLONS)). DIDN'T FEEL RESIGNATION; EXCEPT BRIEFLY WHILE IN MVFR OR IMC THROUGH THE I-15 CAJON PASS; DURING WHICH TIME I ONLY THOUGHT OF MY DAUGHTER. BACKTRACKED NEXT DAY WITHOUT INCIDENT; IN GOOD VMC WX.