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searching for the middle of nowhere

~ loving the wonders of the world

searching for the middle of nowhere

Tag Archives: California

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

24 Sunday Apr 2022

Posted by searching in Spring 2022

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Ancient Bristlecone Pines, California, White Mountains

There I was, sitting in my trailer during a dust storm in Mina, Nevada surfing the internet.  And I read that someone had visited the ancient Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains weeks ago.  What?  Could this be correct?  It was.  

I’ve always wanted to see the ancient Bristlecone Pine trees, ever since I heard about them.  They are the oldest known living plant on earth.  Some are older than 4,000 years old.  They live at 10,000 feet elevation where the snow doesn’t leave the roads until June usually.  When I left on this trip, I didn’t think there was any possibility that I could see them.  I was too early in the year for the roads to be open.  And then I heard it was possible to drive to the trees.  My travel plans got flipped, instead of going north, I headed south to Big Pine.

Driving east on Hwy 168 to see the pines. Photo credit Thoms G., Google Earth.
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Death Valley Exploring

07 Sunday Mar 2021

Posted by searching in Winter 2021

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Artist Drive, California, Death Valley, Keane Wonder Mill, Mosaic Canyon, Salt Creek, Titus Canyon, Twenty Mule Team Road

I had read that Death Valley was big.  I knew Death Valley was big.  I knew that it was over 5,000 feet between the valley floor and some view points.  But until I saw it, it didn’t sink in.  It is impressive. And I only saw a portion of Death Valley.

I happened to be in Death Valley during a hot period.  Highs near 85 degrees.  Too hot to leave the dogs behind or in the truck except for early in the morning.   So most of my exploring was by driving.  I thought of this as my introduction and recon trip to Death Valley; saving places to explore for the next trip. Here are a few things I saw.

The Keane Wonder Mill site
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Doing Something Really Dumb

02 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by searching in camping site, Winter 2021

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California, Death Valley

Searching for the perfect camping spot, I drove on a road with my trailer that I shouldn’t have been on.  As I usually do before my travels, I research where I can potentially camp before I leave.  I had found a good camping spot that looked like it fit into the middle of nowhere category.  I wouldn’t have to stay in the Death Valley National Park’s parking lot campground at Stovepipe Wells.  But somehow in my research I missed the information that it was not a good road to travel with a trailer.  I’m puzzled how I missed that critical information because I am typically very cautious.  But I missed it.

What I was searching for.  The view from the campsite I sought.
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Panamint Range

28 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by searching in Winter 2021

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California, Death Valley

I picked a warm sunny day to head up into the Panamint Range of Death Valley. This would be an easy day to see some of the top tourist sights. My first introduction to Death Valley. I headed up the Wildrose Canyon aiming to see the charcoal kilns. My first surprise was to see broad somewhat flat valleys on top. I had created in my mind an image of steep sharp valleys. That image was so very wrong.

The road to the Wildrose Kilns
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Panamint Valley Exploring

26 Friday Feb 2021

Posted by searching in Winter 2021

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California, Panamint Valley

It was time to explore some of the history of the area.  I had done my research by searching the web and looked at aerials.  I was ready I thought.  My first stop would be Clair Camp up Pleasant Canyon by Ballarat.  I stopped at Ballarat and confirmed with the friendly store proprietor that my truck could make it with no problem.  I bought a cold drink to help “pay” for this information and left to go see Clair Camp.   

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Life Happens

24 Wednesday Feb 2021

Posted by searching in camping site, Winter 2021

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Tags

California

I learned long ago that life doesn’t stop happening while traveling.  Things break, dogs need to go to vets, and…  tires need to be fixed.  It is all part of the adventure.  I try to laugh and go with the flow.

Trailer tire shredded and rim bent. Not good.
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It Is a GO

21 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by searching in camping site, Winter 2021

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California, Oregon

Back in the fall of 2020 I hatched a plan to head south the first of February in 2021.  The plan was to get away from the Pacific Northwest cold and wet weather.  I would drive south on I-5 to Bakersfield and then head eastward towards Death Valley and explore. Then covid hit California hard.  Driving through California didn’t seem responsible with the ICUs full and I didn’t want to drive down the east side of the sierras pulling a trailer with the potential of icy roads. Surprisingly, California started recovering from covid in February.  I made the decision to go south.  

I started driving from Seattle and it took me five days to get to what I thought of as the beginning of the trip – Red Rock Canyon, California. This included an extra day waiting on the north side of the Siskiyous for the road conditions to improve.  When I read the Oregon DOT site at 1:00 pm; it was 30 degrees at the pass, snowing hard, bumper to bumper traffic with a 60 minute delay. It was not a hard decision to check into the Valley of the Rogue Campground to wait the weather out.  The next day was much better.  

It was a long slog south, but I made it to Red Rock Canyon.  

Red Rock Canyon State Park, California
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Lava Beds NM and More

20 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by searching in camping site

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Tags

California, Glass Mountain, Lava Beds NM, Oregon, Tule Lake NWR

I came to the Lava Beds National Monument to see the caves and found so much more. The area is full of surprises, contradictions, and irony with a complicated history of war mixed in.

The geology of the lava tube caves was interesting but unexpectly it didn’t grab my interest. I felt an uneasyness as I ventured into the dark caves. And with my headlamp and a large flashlight both on, I couldn’t light up the cave to see the details of the rock. So I stopped visiting the caves and ventured out to see other sights I had heard about.

2019-09-18 11.16.07

This tree is living in about two feet of rock over a cave.  And it looks healthy!

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Recent Posts

  • Fall Trip November 1, 2022
  • Stopping in Oregon May 1, 2022
  • Grimes Point Area April 26, 2022
  • Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest April 24, 2022
  • Mina, Nevada April 21, 2022

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