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Our vacation in 2006 was spent exploring
along the eastern Sierra and around Death Valley. This travelogue
shows many photos taken from that trip. All photos were taken
with a Canon G5, and can be viewed as larger images by clicking on the
small photos.
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We left the Bay Area and headed south to Inyokern to begin
our trip. On the way through the Central Valley, we noticed these
antennas belonging to the Delano Transmitting Facility, which
broadcasts programs to the Caribbean, Latin America, and the
Pacific. The arrays are immense.
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We
continued around the southern edge of the Sierras through Tehachapi and
California City. Heading north, you pass through an area known as
Red Rock Canyon, a state park filled with interesting rock outcroppings.
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Dave's aunt lives near Inyokern in a dwelling that is
completely off the grid. Power is provided by solar panels, and
water by a windmill (with backup solar-powered pump). We stayed a
couple of days in this beautiful location. Shown is sunrise one
day.
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We
spent some time at three famous mining towns on Highway 395 south of
Inyokern: Randsburg, Johannesburg, and Red Mountain. The
towns grew up around gold mines near the start of the 20th
Century. Some mines remain in business, but the vast majority
were abandoned ages ago. This image shows some abandoned works in
Randsburg.
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There
are only a few people in Randsburg now, but the town is playing up its
history for tourists. This image was taken from a hill
overlooking
the town.
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We
drove north out of Inyokern, and saw a sign for "Fossil Falls".
We stopped and hiked to a precipice that used to be a waterfall of the
Owens River in ancient times, before a lava flow caused the river's
course to change. Evidence of water action is everywhere in these
rocks.
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Near Fossil Falls is a young, nearly-perfect cinder cone.
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Continuing
north, we encountered a historical marker for a pair of charcoal kilns
located near the town of Cartago. Wood was turned into charcoal
for the mines at Cerro Gordo here in the late 19th Century, then
transported by barge across Owens Lake, which at that time still had
water (Los Angeles' infamous diversion of Owens River water caused the
lake to dry in the early 20th Century). These kilns were adobe,
and weathering has taken its toll.
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Near the kilns I saw this tiny bouquet of flowers. The
entire plant was smaller than the size of a quarter.
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A
highway wraps around Owens Lake, and offers some spectacular
sights. This is a view on that road looking towards Dolomite,
site of a large mine for the rock of the same name.
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We
returned to Inyokern for another night, and the next day, headed east
towards Death Valley. On the way we stopped at the Trona
Pinnacles, which are tufa mounds similar to those found at Mono Lake,
but much older. The entire area around Searles Lake was once
under water, and these mounds are from that period.
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We
continued onto the Wildrose Road, and soon came upon the abandoned town
of Ballarat. This was a way station for miners, and was quite
lively in its day. Now, only one person lives there. This
view is from the lonely cemetery.
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We
wanted to camp at Mahogany Flat, so turned off Wildrose Road towards
the campground. On the way, we passed this section of the old
water line that ran to Skidoo, another abandoned mining town.
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Mahogany
Flat campground is at an elevation of 8,000 feet, and the road to it is
pretty rough towards the end. As a result, it is very quiet and
isolated, but offers spectacular views of Death Valley and the
surrounding areas.
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This
image shows the view to the west from the campground. Barely
visible in the clearing below are some more charcoal kilns.
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Near
the registration area was another tiny flowering plant.
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Looking
east from the campground, the Death Valley sink was easily seen, a
vertical mile and a half below.
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The
evening offered an incredible sunset. Although there were only a
few people in the campground, I wasn't the only one photographing this!
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Early
the next morning, we ventured down to the charcoal kilns in time for
sunrise. The Wildrose Charcoal Kilns, although older than the
adobe ones at Cartago, are much larger and in excellent shape (they
were restored about 35 years ago).
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After
the kilns, we headed on to the site of the town of Skidoo, a gold town
dating from the early 1900s. This view is from the road to the
site.
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