Eastern Sierra Trip 2006


PAGE 2 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.
There are no structures left in the town of Skidoo itself, but the surrounding area is perforated with mine shafts. A warning sign alerts you to the many unguarded and unposted holes in the ground.
		An overview of the Skidoo area shows little evidence of what went on, although here and there are piles of mine tailings and scars on the earth.
We did find this old ore loader still in existence, along with the remains of a car.
		After Skidoo, we descended into Death Valley. The heat built gradually as we lost altitude, and even though it was only 9 AM when we arrived, the temperature was already over 100 F. Visible in some areas are sand dunes such as these.
We visited Zabriskie Point, on the eastern side of the valley. The baked hills around here are many shades of color, and at first glance, not a thing appears to live here. The quiet is palpable.
		The view from Zabriskie Point across the valley is awesome. It must have given the pioneers pause as they contemplated what they were facing in travelling west.
Near Furnace Creek you can view the remains of the Harmony Borax Works, which began operation using 20-mule teams in the 1880s. Workers lived in tents, and it must have been a hard life.
		We decided to head out of the valley heat for a bit and drove into Nevada to examine the ghost town of Rhyolite. Rhyolite is unlike other ghost towns, as the town grew quite large and more permanent than most. This is the view as you arrive.
At one time, Rhyolite was served by three railroads. This depot remains and is one of the best buildings left. The classic Spanish style building was used as a casino in the 1940s, after the town had ceased to be. It is now private.
		Perhaps the most astonishing thing about Rhyolite is the fact that much of the remaining equipment suggests that everyone believed the town was here to stay. Underground water and sewer lines were laid (the photo is of an old fire hydrant), and buildings up to three stories high were built of block and concrete.
The most famous ruin in Rhyolite is that of the Cook Building, which served as a bank. Most of it is gone now, although exterior walls allow for photography opportunities.
		Rhyolite at one time had 10,000 people, but only for a short while. The cemetery is south of the townsite, and today is quite lonely. This is a view of the town from the grave of Mrs. Annie Sisk, who died at age 51 in 1908.
In the cemetery, I spotted a Clark's Nutcracker in the bushes. This was rather strange, as these birds usually are found at high altitudes in pine forests. The nearest tree from here was probably at least 20 miles away.
		Rhyolite sits on the Amargosa Desert, near some hills,and commands a view of the area to the south.
We continued wandering around Rhyolite, but kept coming back to the downtown. This is a view into the basement of the Cook Building, which at one time was the site of the Post Office for the town.
		We returned to Death Valley and went to the site of the Keene Wonder Mine. A lot of equipment still remains here, as can be seen in the photo. The things that look sort of like power poles used to hold an aerial tramway.
While wandering around the mine site, we came upon this chuckwalla slowly making its way along the ground.
		It was time to leave Death Valley and continue our trip. We headed west and stopped at the old, remote town of Darwin, former site of a large mining operation, the remains of which are pictured. Although inhabited, Darwin's nearest gas and store are over 20 miles away.
Descending into Owens Valley, an incredible view of the Sierras awaits. This panorama was taken from the highway.
		We decided to visit the Manzanar Internment Camp, since we were already so familiar with the camp at Tulelake. These camps were used to imprison Japanese-American citizens during World War II, an example of unfounded paranoia. The camp sits next to the scarp of the mountains.

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