Day Three, Between Barstow and Lone Pine

I left Barstow about 5 AM, thinking that would give me time to get clear of traffic and get out in the desert to catch the sunrise. But, I was on vacation so being tardy isn't an actionable offense. It was just a bit farther than I expected, that's all.

This "near sunrise" was shot on the Trona - Wild Rose Rd and captured what I was looking for, the golden hour, a little lens flare, and a descriptive foreground.

As the sun got higher the lighting conditions got harder. This view of the Panamint Valley was taken coming out of the hills and looking towards Ballarat. Now, I didn't actually see it, but I read the historical marker. Founded as a supply base for local mines in 1896 or '97 because of a reliable nearby water source in use since the 1850's it was named by an Aussie immigrant for Ballarat, Victoria. In the eight years between then and 1905 the town had a population approaching 500, seven saloons, three hotels, a Wells Fargo station, a Post Office, a school, a jail, and a morgue - but no churches.

 I think of that pyramid-looking hill center stage as California's answer to Zeto Point, a peninsula 3 mi off the approach end of runway 23 on Adak. That was my first impression when I saw it 10 years ago. Now, a feature of the Mojave Desert reminding me of anything in Adak, Alaska strikes me as preposterous. Anyhow, this Zeto Point is about three mi north of Nadeau Trail (CA-190) where Panamint Valley Rd comes to an end.

Speaking of which, this is that very intersection looking east, where the road disappears into the mountains separating Death Valley from Panamint Valley. Up there (down there) the town of Furnace Creek, Headquarters and Visitors Center for Death Valley NP, has an elevation of 190 ft below sea level and the 2010 population was 24. The town has the record for the highest recorded temperature in the world,  134° on July 10, 1913, but of course, some meteorologists don't buy the accuracy of the 1913 measurement. Also, a ground temperature of 201° was recorded in Furnace Creek on July 15, 1972 and may be the highest natural ground surface temperature ever recorded. It can get hot.

These two shots both just happen to feature the same Joshua tree from the same angle, but there were plenty to choose from. I just wanted to get some shots without getting too far from my car (and water). Joshua Tree NP probably has better examples, but it's twice as far south of here as yesterday's Mojave National Preserve. These will have to do.

My first view this trip of Mt Whitney, topping out at 14,505 ft, the highest point in the contiguous United States. I spent the day fascinated  by it - all the views looked the same except for the foreground and middle ground. The surface elevation of nearby Owens Lake is 3,556 ft almost 11,000 ft lower than the peak.

I was so glad for the clear skies. Normally I'm hoping for interesting clouds for the pictures, but I would have been distraught had Mt Whitney been obscured even by interesting clouds. I like how, in this shot, the rust color of the hill intruding from the left matches the telephone pole perfectly. But then, I'm not very hard to please.

It was about here I became aware of the roar of Navy F/A-18 fighters that provided the continuing sound track for my visit to the Lone Pine area. I had forgotten from my time at NAS Lemoore that the footprint of the Military Operating Area (MOA) east of Mt Whitney was essentially the same as the footprint of the northern Mojave Desert itself.

Tomorrow's post will cover my possibly rash decision to shrug off my tether to the car and wander off on the trail to the Mobius Arch.