California
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Californian varieties
Having failed to reach Cerro Gordo through the ridge road blocked by snow, we drove up the classic route. This is an abandoned mining town that was home to 2,000 people between 1856 and 1930. It had up to 7 saloons and the basement is dug over 35 miles (55 km) of galleries. It generated the largest amounts of silver from all the American West at this time.
1. Some buildings of this mining Ghost Town are made of corrugated sheet.
2. General Store transformed in a museum.
3. A 1946 truck.
4. Splendid furnace in hotel.
5. A restroom…
6. The next day, we stopped at Trona Pinnacles.
7. the sun is going Under the clouds.
8. This is tuff chimneys such as Mono Lake, which formed in a lake between 100,000 and 10,000 years before our area.
9. Some are 140 feet high.
10. Flaming sunset.
11. Unlikely colors…
12. Light reflected by the purpled clouds…
13. Another discovery : Red Cliffs Canyon.
14. The errosion sculpted amazing forms, sometimes colored…
15. … sometimes gray.
Change of scenery! We stayed for three days at the “King of the Hammers”, an off road race! The event takes place in the desert and alternates very fast sections on sandy tracks and pure rock crowling passages in canyons full of large blocks and obstacles. The winner took almost 9 hours to browse through three rounds of 45 miles.
16. Vehicles are buggies which most are between 800 and 1,000 hp!
17. This one has a distant silhouette of Jeep…
18. Back Door canyon entry.
19. Winching an obstacle, here a more than 10 feet high step! The co-driver is also the one that will tie the winch.
20. Some buggies are single seater.
21. Power passing…
22. Up in Back Door canyon, more than 600 feet above the desert.
23. Another obstacle that seems less impressive than reality on this image.
24. It is a city of nearly 30,000 inhabitants that rises from the desert during the race week.
Here is a short video taken with my cell phone…
Once the race is over, dozens of private vehicles are trying to hit obstacles of the race with the encouragement of hundreds of spectators that beer makes quite noisy ..! Here are two more videos, just to give you an idea of the atmosphere. They were shot around midnight…
After this fun experience, VivaLaVida began his eastward migration toward East travelling back to Arizona for a few days, still followed by Baja Shaker… To come soon. 😉
Salt Tram…
I met Andrew with whom I went to Baja last year. He’s gonna make a little way with VivaLaVida before I hit the road toward East…
1. Beautiful colors to the first camp together near hot springs.
2. Stop at Alabama Hills that I discovered last spring with Jean-Luc.
3. This place is really fun with these conglomerate concretions.
4. Withney Portal Arch.
5. These hills are located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada.
6. Visit of Mobius Arch I had already presented here.
We then went to discover the Salt Tram, a construction that I wanted to explore. We had seen some pylons with Jean-Luc in the Saline Valley, thinking it was an elevator built for mining. In fact, it was a tram designed to exploit the salt deposit of the Saline Valley. Built between 1911 and 1913, the numbers are just amazing! It starts from 3,300 feet above sea level in Swansea, in the Owens Valley, rises more than 8,000 feet and goes down the other side of the mountain in the Saline Valley. The hauling cable was 27 miles long!
7. Up the Swansea Grade, above Owens Valley.
8. The Sierras received some snow three days ago.
9. Owens Valley with VLV and Baja Shaker camping at 5,500 feet elevation.
10. I approach a first pylon.
11. Assembly.
12. The dry climate has preserved the wood for over a hundred years.
13. Second pylon.
14. One of the intermediate stations to cross a ridge.
15. The construction is very similar to modern lifts excepted it’s made of wood.
16. Hauling cable detail.
17. Framework.
18. Pylons alignment with the top station at the bottom.
19. View of a lower intermediate station in front of the saline still in use today.
20. Graphics of saline.
21. Baja Shacker going down the Swansea Grade quite steep and dissected in places.
To be followed in some days… 😀
Behind the Sierras…
1. Sunrise over Eureka Dunes.
2. Contrasts between dark cliffs and clear dunes…
3. … and between the softness of the sand and the harshness of the rock.
I then went to explore volcanic craters near Mono Lake, the few snow this year allowing to access it easier than usually in this season.
4. On the road, I spent a night near Hot Creek, a river warmed by hot springs.
5. I’m over 6,000 feet elevation and there is no snow…
6. It’s cold at night however, 10F that night – and lakes freeze…
7. Boondocking behind Crater Mountain, at 7,900 feet elevation.
8. Mounted in steep scree of porous and rather light volcanic stones. Worse than the sand: making three steps up, you descend two! 😀
9. at about 8,500 feet, I see Mono Lake in the distance.
10. The north slopes keep some patches of snow.
11. Patchwork…
12. Sierra Nevada is close toward West.
13. Scoria cone in front of Mono Lake.
14. Remnant cornice under the summit slope.
15. Arrival on the main crater or what remains.
16. There were many of such black stones that looked like vitrified coal, rather light for their size with smooth and shiny texture.
17. One of the only plants that manage to grow in this hostile environment. Tiny but pretty…
18. View of the crater from the highest point at 9,400 feet elevation.
19. The panoramic view of emerald color Mono Lake is impressive!
20. Going down on the way to some hot springs, VivaLaVida went through Benton Hot Springs, a historic place of passage.
After soaking in hot water two hours under the stars (what a joy!), I took a one day break to make an oïl change to VivaLaVida. Andrew (the guy with whom I had discovered the Baja California early last year) is being announced, I should meet him in the coming days to discover some new corners with Baja-Shacker.
To discover soon in a future update… 😀
Petroglyphs and sand of Death Valley…
1. Intense sunrise at Lookout City.
2. Softer colors over Panamint Valley.
3. Treasure of Death Valley, a waterfall going down Darwin Canyon.
4. End of the day near Hunter Mountain, in a beautiful forest of Joshua trees.
5. We discovered the Blackrock Canyon Well, a little-known petroglyph site.
6. This representation of wild sheep with her calf mouflon backs almost 3,000 years BC.
7. Shoshone Indians were admiring wild sheeps.
8. There are other representations which we don’t know the meaning on this site.
9. The change of patterns is amazing in some fifty petroglyphs we spoted.
10. Here is the largest of the canyon, near 10 feet high!
11. Likely a butterfly…
12. There are even some representations on detached blocks.
13. Jeff a little tense on the Road Linpincott…
14. We arrive at the top at sunset.
15. Stop near Eureka Dunes I had discovered with Jean-Luc last spring.
16. Wind pattern…
17. … and shadows…
18. Ripples…
19. Vegetal graphism on mineral.
20. Last sunrays lengthen the shadows…
21. Dune…
22. Sand waves…
This concludes the eight days spent with Jeff & Janet who continued their journey toward North. It was nice to share these few campfires and make them discover some hidden corners of this splendid Death valley.
Next of the journey coming soon… 😉
Death Valley
I went to join Jeff and Janet, an Alaskan couple who wanted discover some places of the Death Valley and preferred to do it in two vehicles. But before that, I installed the new compressor of VivaLaVida.
1. Beautiful sky over Arizona strip.
2. ARB was kind enough to replace the compressor with a new one, the previous being his fourth failure. Thanks to them.
3. To try to prevent this from happening again, I installed a “house made” air filter which should limit the amount of dust that it swallows…
4. On the road to Las Vegas Where I met my friend Christian for dinner, I heard a big “bang” and the back of VLV sagged while I was driving at 70 mph.
5. A tire suffered a carcass break, probably the result of fatigue of the carcass. Admittedly, these tires have rolled some 10,000 miles of trails at reduced pressure…
6. Met Jeff and Janet in Bed Springs Cabin, a pretty little miners cabin.
7. Saratoga Springs, south of Death Valley. There were a few ducks and a lot of frogs croaking! 😀
8. Arctictraveller going up to Black Magic Mine.
9. Wild donkeys or “burros”, presumably a mother and her young.
10. Late afternoon on the trail to Owlshead Mountains where we spent the night.
11. Diversity of mineral colors is pretty amazing in places.
12. One of the few stone cabinss, the Geologist Cabin.
13. Camp at about 4,000 feet above sea level, near the Striped Butte.
14. Raking light…
15. Striped Butte at sunset.
16. Twilight on this desert of rocks…
17. Jeff & Janet joined me in the night after going to fill Arctictraveller’s tank.
18. Jeff on Mengel Pass tral. It is not very experienced in offroading, I have therefore spoted him on tricky places…
19. There was quite a few steps!
20. And some quite off camber path to…
21. Panamint Valley.
22. Dusk from Lookout City, an old mining town over Panamint Valley.
And for a change, here are two videos of VLV in action. Thanksu to Jeff for having sent me. 😉
To be follwed in some days… 😉
Mono Lake, Bristlecone Pines & Death Valley…
Waiting on the flange that had to be replaced on Vivalavida, we rented a car and went to visit Mono Lake, about seventhy miles north of Bishop. This lake is unusual to see since it have calcareous concretions created by source, like kind of stalagmites visible today. This lake is also very salty, which limits the underwater life.
1. High country near Mono Lake.
2. Salt foam on the shore.
3. Concretions have surprising forms.
4. Vivid colors created by the minerals dissolved in water.
5. Nice cloud in the lake area…
The driveshaft of Vivalavida reinstalled, the next day we drove to the White Mountains to see the Bristlecone Pines, incredible trees since it is actually the oldest known form of life on the planet. Some of them are more than 5,000 years old and still alive!
6. Some roots are exposed, the erosion of loose soil is important here.
7. A section showing the trunk which growths only a few tenths of a millimeter each year. This dead tree lived more than 3,600 years.
8. Plateau at Shulman Grove.
9. Tormented but beautiful growth…
10. This ancestor has ceased to live…
11. Continuing our journey through Death Valley, we took a walk in the Titus Canyon…
12. … before joining the inevitable Zabriskie Point at sunset.
13. Sweetness of these eroded hills…
14. The sun disappears for an image a little different from this so much photographed spot.
15. We found a place to sleep in the wild near abandoned mines.
16. Track makes pretty curves…
17. The next morning, we went up Dante’s View, a spot overlooking Death Valley that FredW, a friend of mine, adviced me. What a panorama ! (stiched panoramic of 9 vertical images)
18. Drawings in Death Valley
That’s it for the Death Valley area. We then spent an afternoon in Las Vegas before taking the direction of the Grand Canyon. To Come soon…
PS: The trip map is up to date… 😉
Saline Valley & Eureka Dunes
1. Arrived in the Saline Valley, we made a stop on the shores of the salt lake.
2. The salt crust is impressive.
3. Little enjoyable break to relax in one hot springs.
4. High Saline Valley towards the Steel Pass.
5. Awesome colors…
6. High end of the valley…
7. A flower which parasites rare bushes.
8. Colored lezard.
9. Narrow and leaning pasage…
10. Going down behind the Steel Pass.
11. In the descent, bad noise and Vivalavida stops … Dazed, the rear driveshaft git down. The threads of the flange have been uprooted!
12. No other way than taking it appart and prosecute on the front axle only.
13. Not obvious because the “Cascade” that we must cross have big steps…
14. … Fortunately we went down it.
15. Passage narrower than Vivalavida!
16. Axle crossing…
17. We finally managed to join the Eureka Dunes where we spend the night.
18. What a beautiful place!
19. Mineral contrats…
20. Sunset light on the dunes…
21. .. and Moon rise over the cliffs.
22. Last sun ray on our boondocking site…
23. … and on the mountains behind us.
24. The morning was clear, the light playing with dunes…
25. all of curves…
26. … and smoothness…
27. Back in the valley behind the Sierras, in Bishop, to repair the driveshaft.
To be continued soon… 😉
Alabama Hills & Racetrack
Before to cross the border to Canada later today, here is still an update from the US. 😀
After visiting the Pinnacles, we went East of the Sierra Nevada. We stopped at the Alabama Hills, nice site just next to Lone Pine.
1. Contrasts with the snowy Sierras…
2. Mobius Arch.
3. Valley near Lone Pine.
4. Tiny plant growing in the sand.
5. VivaLaVida on the Hunter Mountain trail.
6. We’re now in the Death Valley National Park but in more remote places…
7. Wonderful altitude desert…
8. Photo stop at Tea Pot Junction. Unfortunately we forgot to bring a teapot… 🙁
9. Arrival at Racetrack after several hours of stony track and with a leaden sky..!
10. Racetrack, this unique site where rocks move leaving traces without anyone being able to date to explain the phenomenon. Some assumptions, such as high winds on a wet and therefore slippery surface, seem plausible…
11. Interwoven traces…
12. We camped on the site of a disused mine just a few miles away to return to Racetrack in the morning hoping for a better light.
13. And it is the sun that welcomes us!
14. VivaLaVida seems so small..!
15. Light highlights the tracks.
16. Don’t they look like they are racing..? 😀
17. We then borrow the Linpintcott Road, a little-used track to join the Saline Valley.
18. Cactus flower.
19. Another “hairy” flower…
20. Exposed portion of the Linpincott Road. Some passages were quite narrow but Vivalavida managed to crawl through.
Stay tuned for more to come soon in Saline Valley… 😉
Yosemite NP
I continue with close updates to try to catch a bit of my late…
After replacing VivaLaVida’s tank in Fresno, I had a few days before the arrival of my brother Jean-Luc. So I went in Yosemite Mounains, hoping to see those in the snow…
1. Ray of light on El Capitan…
2. Mirror Lake a snowy day.
3. Colored rock in monochrome lanscape…
4. Some grass in the meadow.
After meeting Jean-Luc in San Francisco, we stopped next to a pond to see the birdlife before returning to Yosemite. It should be mentioned here that Jean-Luc is an avid and well informed birder and an excellent climber..! So Yosemite was a must see!
5. An elegant black-necked stilt.
6. Nice light when we arrived in Yosemite Valley !
7. Ray on the cliff.
8. The Half Dome is still in the clouds…
9. Dusk…
10. Hike in Little Yosemite Valley with the Half Dome in the back.
11. Cooling in the Merced River.
The next day, we had a great surprise. Attempting to reach the summit of El Capitan, we gave up after an almost ten miles walk because the snow still there has really become too thick. Every step sank above the knee and at 16:30 we had to take the way back to reach Vivalavida before nightfall.
The sun had set over twenty minutes when I stopped. There, about twenty yards away, I had just seen a bear busy to search some insects on a dead tree. Jean-Luc perceiving it the same time, he had stopped 30 feet behind me. The bear was a big male. He didn’t sens us yet. I walked a few steps back to add some distance so that it doesn’t discover me too closely. Fifteen seconds later, he felt us and turned his head towards us. I then raised the voice and he ran away, turning once to see us before resuming its course further…
What emotion, our first wild bear any two! It lasted only a few seconds but will remain engraved in my memory …
It was too dark for me to attempt to photograph it and the camera was in the bag…
12. The next morning, at the base of El Capitan, a myth for climbers … More than 3,000 feet of superb granite!
13. Merced River.
14. We will still visit Mariposa Grove for Jean-Luc to discover giant sequoias…
15. Curious plant which doesn’t make photosynthesis, hence its color fuchsia.
We then returned to Pinnacles NP to try to see a condor…
16. Jean-Luc discovering the Pinnacles.
17. Before the condor, we will see the smallest bird here, a hummingbird… 😀
18. There is more flowers than two weeks earlier.
19. While we had a snack break, he arrived, majestic! This is the largest bird in North America. It has almost disappeared and was saved in extremis thirty years ago. Reintroduced in several sites, it is still not out of danger. I quoted his Majesty the Californian condor.
20. A second passed just behind, probably a couple that we have the chance to observe about half an hour.
21. Ravens are everywhere here, like crows in Europe.
22. Nice flower along the trail.
23. A rather aesthetic reservoir…
24. Meet along the trail which bring us back to VivaLaVida.
25. Californina quail in our campground, just a few feet away.
The following will take you to discover the Alabama Hills and the famous Racetrack. To come very soon… 😉
Pinnacles and Kings Canyon NP
Since I had to go through Fresno to change the main tank of Vivalavida which continued to leak despite several repairs, I took the opportunity to visit a few sites on the way to San Francisco. Starting with the Pinnacles National Park, the last National Park created to date.
1. Crossing the mountains behind the Big Sur…
2. … Vivalavida crosses beautiful forest of “red wood” sequoias.
3. Behind these mountains which condense rains of the Pacific, the hills have been cleared to create pastures…
4. … quite photogenic.
5. A beautiful lone tree … This phicture has earned me the remonstrances of a farmer not happy to find me in his field even if I did not do much wrong.
6. In the Pinnacles NP, a mountain range which houses californina condors that I haven’t seen on this occasion…
7. They are already some flowers…
8. Going further on my way, the land looks more desert.
9. However, a few scattered farms try to exploit it.
10. Along the road, the Coalinga solar plant and the strange and spectacular concentration of sunlight near the tower.
I then went to see the Kings Canyon National Park and its giant sequoias, not far from Fresno.
11. Pretty Hume Lake.
12. VivaLaVida under the giants.
13. And a penguin in front of the 6th largest tree of the USA! About 40 feet in diameter at its base!!!
14. Likely tracks of a lynx or a bobcat.
15. I found a nice boondocking area above Lake Hume up a nice 4×4 drive and surprise in the next morning: more than one foot of fresh snow!
16. This is what is called a return of winter!
17. I tryed to go through the pass…
18. … but there was to much snow and I drove back.
19. Lanscape is beautiful…
20. … since the weather is getting better.
21. I learned that the Highway was closed after having traveled more than twenty miles without a single trace in front of Vivalavida’s wheels. What a pleasure! 😀
22. Back to the Hume Lake that has changed in appearance since yesterday!
23. It feels like the middle of winter…
24. Going back down to Fresno…
To be continued in a few days… Thank you for your loyalty! 😀
D5 Creation