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LATE SUMMER I'm told that if I want to call this, a 'summer' issue, it should be sent in the summer -- figures. It has been a busy summer too. Usually I try to stay in the shade and catch up on the photos I took in the spring and winter before. I had pretty much been caught up by the time summer arrived. Wanting to try something new, I started out at Stateline with a little gambling. It must have been beginner's luck. I walked away from the black jack table a winner with $40. Of course, it was right after losing $90. BIG MORONGO RESERVE There was riparian habitat, with plenty of lizards and birds and the like. http://digital-desert.com/big-morongo-canyon/ It is a shame that the place burned down the next day. However, I stopped by again in August on a trip to Twenty-nine Palms. The fire seemed to have burned through the hills in the reserve quickly enough, so recovery should be somewhat in the near future. Most of the wetland area is still intact. I heard that since some of the thicker brush burned down, that Indian cultural artifacts have been found. Until the burned bare area is scoured I imagine portions of the lower trails will remain closed. ALL OVER THE PLACE To celebrate the summer, this year I planned a big trip before all the schools were out and summer vacation was wholly underway. Down Low - Up High Death Valley I've been to Death Valley a number of times in all of the seasons. I hadn't ever been there when the sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells weren't scarred with countless footprints. I come into the valley from Beatty, Nevada and could see a windstorm sweeping across the valley at Hell's Gate. This was good news. The next morning found me at the dunes before sunrise - they were absolutely pristine. The windstorm had wiped the footprints clean. Panamint Springs & Father Crowley Point The food and service were great in Panamint Springs where we had a late morning breakfast. After hanging out for an extra cup of coffee we drove up to Father Crowley Point. The point affords great views of the northern end of the Panamint Valley. Very few drive or hike all the way out to the actual point. The road sort of droops off and out into nowhere and it would be a lousy place for someone in a rental car to get stuck. Lone Pine I like the visitor center. The staff is always helpful, friendly and courteous. Actually, I usually see the same girl each time I've been there. I don't know her name (she don't know mine either) but she has always been great and I stop by every time I go by. They have a very good selection of books and maps. Bristlecone Pine Forest Outside of Bishop at Big Pine, the road forks off to either the north pass at Saline Valley/Eureka Dunes or up toward the White Mountains and the Bristlecone pine forest. These trees have been growing nearly 5,000 years in the alkaline soil at 11,000' above sea level. These trees aren't the oldest or the largest living plants, but they sure are impressive. Bishop When we checked into our room in town that evening, I realized we had started our day below sea level before sunrise, and ended it with sunset over two miles above. No big deal, I just thought I would mention it. The Next Day... Four petroglyph sites in the Long Valley area and a sightseeing excursion around the June Lake loop. And the Next Day... Sunrise on Mono Lake, then to Bodie ghost town. Finished up the day with a party boat on Convict Lake. Back to Bishop. Not bad. Lots of fun, home before the weekend. Most of the photos of the above locations haven't been put online. Some of them that have been can be found at: http://digital-desert.com/bristlecone-pine-forest/ http://digital-desert.com/bodie-ghost-town/ http://digital-desert.com/mono-lake/ http://digital-desert.com/convict-lake/ MOUNTAIN TIME In July, things were a little slower. I made a few trips up into the Angeles National Forest and also took the little boat out to Silverwood Lake. I've been trying to learn to shoot photos of wildlife from the boat while cruising the shoreline in the early morning. It's worked out pretty well except shear pins for the prop are getting harder to find. The Angeles National Forest found me hiking in a few favorite spots. Nothing to speak about, just trying out a new camera lense. BACK TO THE DESERT I made two trips out to Twenty-nine Palms. I know the way I have it spelled isn’t correct, but this word processor keeps underlining it unless it’s hyphenated. The mid-July trip was to build on my stock of prey photos. I’ve had the best, and most consistent luck snapping shots of quail and cottontail out there. I have a few places I know I look when I’m out there. In late August I went out for another three days. This time I wanted to visit the museum to do a little research – however, summer hours didn’t include the days I was there. The museum is only open weekends. That’s when I stay home. I’ll probably head back out there in November. I took a nice shot of a hummingbird so the trip wasn’t absolutely fruitless. In August I did another ‘All Over the Place’ tour. This one included a walking tour of Hoover Dam (which was no where near as complete as the one I took 20 years ago). After the dam tour, Boulder Bay on Lake Mead and a night in Henderson. The following day was dawn ‘til dusk along the lake again - Las Vegas Bay, Calleville, Echo and Overton Beach. I’m planning some boat trips and scouting out various points along the lake helped out considerably. Valley of Fire Totally impressive Nevada State Park. I will be back although I tried to do as much as possible in the over 100 degree heat. The park is beautiful and I’m looking forward to spending more time there. http://digital-desert.com/valley-of-fire/ I’ve been to Goffs school house northwest of Needles several times while passing through to other areas. This last time in August I was fortunate enough to meet Dennis Casebier and talk with him a bit. Just like everyone has said, he’s a very nice guy. THAT WAS ALL! This fall I have some classes and field trips planned. The more I get out there, the more I want to learn. The more I learn, the more I want to get out there. Regarding the Cabazon museum in Indio, great news. They had some of the priceless Indian cultural artifacts returned that were stolen late last year. Let’s all hope for the same for the Daggett museum, who has not heard or seen anything of the items that were swiped from them. Keep your eyes and ears open. ARGHHH… I wrote most of this down last month – but I can’t find the files on disk anywhere. FINAL NOTE From the Desert Rat Scrap Book; Mining Law In the good old days in Tonopah, Nevada, a miner came up before the Judge for highgrading gold. “Guilty or not guilty?” thundered the Judge. “Gosh I dunno,” replied the miner. “I ain’t heard the evidence yet.” |
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