Saturday, April 5, 2008

Titus Canyon, Death Valley

P1040437Grapevine Mountains

We started driving on Titus Canyon road because we noticed there was a geocache on it. What we didn't know was that Titus Canyon Road is a 27 mile long one way street leading though an incredible canyon.


P1040441My pictures really don't do the drive justice. The colors were incredible. Blues, greens reds... I really need to get a polarizing filter for my camera. While this camera does great in the Oregon rainforest, it tends to overexpose things in the sunny desert.


P1040442We should have stopped to take pictures in Red Pass, but there were already a lot of cars there so we didn't. That was the main problem with taking photos in Titus Canyon. We felt like we couldn't safely park without preventing other cars from passing.


P1040445About halfway though our drive we stopped in the ghost town of Leadfield. The sign says it all.


P1040444I wouldn't want to live here.


P1040448Sami stands in front of the mine entrance with the GPS to claim a virtual geocache find.


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P1040460The old outhouse.


P1040477I dont' remember if I've seen a lizard eating plants before, but this one was. He kept nibbling on this green leaf.


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We saw a butterfly here too, although it was too fas for us to get a close up.

P1040494Petroglyph near Klare Spring


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Click here to see entire lizard.


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P1040511Interesting Rocks


P1040514Heading back to the car after investigating the petroglyphs and wildlife.


P1040521Entering the narrows of Titus Canyon

We passed a large group of Japanese tourists hiking through this part of the the canyon. They looked very hot and tired. I wondered how far they had to hike.


Video going though the narrows.

I apologize for bad video quality and the bird poop and glare on the windshield. It does give you an idea of our drive though.

We came out of the canyon just seconds before I stopped the video. I didn't know though, so I ruined a good shot by ending it too early.

Rhyolite, NV

P1040389Prospector and Penguin?

Tribute to Shorty Harris (1994) -
by Fred Bervoets

Before entering Death Valley we passed though the ghost town of Rhyolite. It was a booming mining town around the turn of the century.




P1040391Ghost Rider -
by Albert Szukalski

These sculptures are part of the Goldwell Open Air Museum and were created by a group of Belgian Artists.


P1040394Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada (1992) -
by Dr. Hugo Heyrman


P1040396Rhyolite Last Supper -
by Albert Szukalski


P1040398Sit Here! (2000) - by Sophie Siegmann


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P1040409Rhyolite Train Station

The train station is privately owned and guarded by a tall chain link fence.

Most of the other buildings in town are just ruins (and unfortunately it seems that I didn't take a picture of any of them).


P1040413Bottle House - built by Tom Kelly in 1906


P1040418Hopefully I will be able to ID some of these plants. Check back over the next few days.

After looking at the sculptures and the ruins of the ghost town we found another geocache in the area and enjoyed more desert wildflowers.


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These flowers were extremely tiny. Click here to see them next to a toothpick.


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Beatty, NV

P1040308We arrived in Las Vegas late Friday night and drove to Beatty, Nevada just north of Death Valley.

We spent the night in the Stagecoach - it had good reviews online but our room was near the laundry facilities or something. Loud machine noises kept us awake, and I accidentally set the time on the alarm clock and we woke up 2 hours earlier than we intended.


P1040310Bird in a palm tree outside the Stagecoach.

There were lots of these birds in the trees and on the Stagecoach sign. They were very noisy and made strange sounds.

Beatty has it's own "B" up on the mountain, just like the Hollywood sign.


P1040361Desert Paintbrush - Castilleja chromosa

Location of our first Nevada geocache.

Shortly after leaving the hotel we stopped at this rocky area along the roadside to search for a geocache.


P1040359View from the top.

Closeup of mountain.


P1040336Mormon Tea - Ephedra torreyana



P1040340Narrow-Leaf Crypanth -
Crypantha angustifolia -
AKA White Forget-Me-Nots


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P1040370Gravel Ghost - Atrichoseris platyphylla

Friday, April 4, 2008

Rainbow over PDX

P1040280 View from I-5 N looking eastward

Actually this rainbow was much better looking in real life. It was actually a double rainbow and we could see both ends touch the ground.

Unfortunately I'm not practiced enough to know the right settings for this weather phenomenon and my camera doesn't have a "rainbow setting". Here's another view.

Oh yeah, I'm making this post using the free wireless we have at the airport. We're on our way to Vegas tonight and we'll be in Death Valley tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Afternoon with Amanda

P1040243 Amanda in front of her house.

I was feeling kind of bad about all the unfinished projects we have at our house, and my friend Amanda said "oh, you should see mine... we're in the middle of all kinds of projects."




P1040234Amanda's back yard.

She gave me a tour of the house and the yard, and then we walked over to the pond behind her neighbors house. Unfortunately the ducks and heron were uncooperative so I don't have any photos.




P1040246cWhite violets.

Back at the front door, I noticed these violets. I stopped to take a picture and Amanda wondered why I was inspecting "the weeds". I don't know. I just love violets.

P1040253Ornamental cherries

There were a bunch of chickadees and other little birds in the trees and the weather was beautiful.

Amanda and I planted a few rows of peas, carrots and radishes in her garden.



P1040259Double daffodils

When I left Amanda gave me a big bunch of her daffodils. They really brighten up our living room.