Death Valley Day: The road to Badwater...and pupfish!

I woke up this morning to the beautiful sight of Mt. Whitney in the sunshine.  That's an everyday thing when you're in the town of Lone Pine, CA.

After filling up the tank, I headed east for my very first visit to Death Valley National Park.  I really, REALLY hate hot weather, but I decided to brave the milder spring temps and give it a shot.  Once there, I first stopped briefly to take a few photos of Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.  I saw people walking on the dunes, but I didn't have the time to do that.  The photos would have to suffice. 

The clouds hid the sun for most of the day, which helped to keep the temperatures bearable, in the mid-80s.  This helped a lot when I took a few short walks.  I checked out the remnants of the Harmony Borax Works, including the wagon that was once pulled by a 20-mule team.  Well, mostly mules anyway.  Sometimes there was a horse or two in the team.

But, what I really came to Death Valley to see was the desert pupfish.  Yes, fish in the desert! The easiest place to view pupfish is Salt Creek.  I took the gravel road about one mile in from the main highway, then walked along the 1/2 mile boardwalk trail.

As soon as I glanced in the creek, I saw them!  There were hundreds, no, more like thousands of the Salt Creek variety of pupfish.  The females were rather drab, but the males were much more colorful.  I saw many of the males chasing other fish away as they tried to defend their little pieces of creek territory.

Most of the people walking the trail only went halfway, but I decided to do the entire loop on the off chance I might see something interesting.  And, I did!  Yes, a lizard again.  I think this is a type of sagebrush lizard.

By the time I finished lunch, the sun was trying to break through the cloud layer and the temperature was creeping up into the high 80s.  I can only imagine what it's like in the summertime.  The other must see attraction of the park was located at Badwater...namely Badwater Basin.  The salt flats here is the lowest point in North America...282 feet below sea level!

As I walked out to the edge of the salt flats, the sun was beating off the surface of the ground.  But, it only took me about a half hour to walk out and back.  As I approached the parking lot, I saw the sign up on the cliff designating sea level.  Hey, I'm underwater...well, hypothetically.  You can see the sign a little above the middle of the cliff. 

I need to revisit Death Valley again in the future because there are other things I need to see and do.  As for tomorrow, I finally arrive in Los Angeles!  I'll be attending the Conan Show at Warner Brothers Studios in the afternoon.  It will be the first of several live show tapings I'll be doing during my one week stay in the big city.  I'm just glad I won't have to drive so much or so far.  Anyway, if you happen to watch Conan tomorrow, keep your eyes peeled on the audience.  You might just see me!

Manzanar: Our country's shameful past

When I left Carson City, NV this morning, I headed south on the picturesque U.S. 395.  I was treated to the sight of snow covered peaks on either side of me, and I stopped briefly at Mono Lake to enjoy the beauty and take a few pics of the tufas.

My main destination of the day was a visit to Manzanar National Historic Site just south of Independence, CA.  But, before going there, I checked out the Eastern California Museum in that town.  It was housed in a rather nondescript building, but it had a lot of things to see.  Besides artifacts from Manzanar's past, there were other exhibits of local history.  I was particularly amused by the set of dentures made with coyote teeth! Too bad they don't do that now...I mean, make dentures with animal teeth.  Think of the possibilities!

 

Before leaving, I walked around the museum's native plant garden.  I took photos of some flowers and a lizard, and got a wonderful panoramic shot of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Things got more serious when I arrived at Manzanar, known at the Manzanar War Relocation Center when it was established in 1942.  This historic site preserves one of the most shameful periods in this country's history.  After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, the U.S. government interred more than 110,000 men, women and children of Japanese descent.  AMERICAN CITIZENS!  They were housed in tar paper covered wooden barracks in the middle of the high desert, exposed to dust, wind, and extreme cold and heat.  My family was fortunate to be living in Hawaii, so they didn't experience such hardships, and they weren't interred either.

The site's visitor center is housed in the camp's original gym, and has excellent displays explaining what the Japanese Americans went through. Afterward, I looked at their recreated examples of a typical blockhouse and the mess hall.  The small signs lined up in a row represent how the barracks were stationed in one area.

I continued my experience there by taking the auto tour...driving along the site's roads and viewing the remnants of what used to be.  Here are photos of Merritt Park...named after the camp's director...and the cemetery.  While I was walking the short distance to the park, I spotted a wasp toting a caterpillar bigger than itself!  I thought it was cool!

I left Manzanar through what used to be the main gate.  The original guard shacks are still standing, one of the last remnants of a historical past that shouldn't be forgotten...and never repeated.

Virginia City: The Washoe Club

The sun was shining when I left Rogue River, OR this morning.  Before crossing the border into California, I filled my Outback's tank...or rather, the guy working at the gas station did. You can't pump your own gas in Oregon, which is fine with me.  Gas is also cheaper than in California.  When I reached agriculture inspection at the California border, I declared my cut up apples and bag of carrots and was waved through.  I got off the interstate at Redding, and headed east on Highway 44.  Driving through forested areas, I thought it would be best to keep my eye out for deer.  After all, it never hurts to be careful.  Next thing I know, there's a young doe standing in the opposite lane, eating something off the road!  What the hell?  Talk about premonition.  I quickly slowed down, and it ran off the road.  

My only fun activity of the day was visiting the old mining town of Virginia City, NV.  To get there, you drive up a winding road.  I stopped at the Geiger Lookout and took in the beautiful vista with the Sierra Nevadas in the distance and the valley below.

Once I reached Virginia City, I went to The Washoe Club for their haunted museum tour.  This historic saloon was featured on the TV show Ghost Adventures, and it's well known for the ghosts and spirits of its previous occupants.

The tour started in the saloon area, where a huge mirror made from diamond dust has a prominent place on the wall.  Since I was the only one on the tour, it made things more enjoyable, I think.  People have seen ghostly images in the mirror, but I saw nothing today.

The tour guide took me upstairs and led me through the rooms.  Some walls showed the layers of previous renovations.  The newer wallpapers covered the original material, which was unique for the horse hair mixed in it. 

Buildings this old can often show their age in other ways.  One room was actually tilted to one side, which was pretty obvious to me.  Another room had an old doll in a rocking chair.  I was hoping maybe that it would move, but then again, I'm glad it didn't. 

The largest room was the ballroom, which was the location of some quality spirit activity on Ghost Adventures.  I didn't see or feel anything while I was in there, nor in any other part of the building.  The photos I took also came up negative.  Other visitors have experienced things, though.  Since I'm scared of ghosts and spirits, it's a good thing they left me alone today. 

Tomorrow, I head on down U.S. 395 with several sightseeing possibilities on my itinerary.  If the weather is favorable, I'll be spending some time outdoors for a change. 

Road trip: The fun begins in Oregon

Yes, it's that time of the year...time for my spring road trip.  It officially started yesterday, but all I did was drive down to Beaverton, OR where I spent the night.  When I left my hotel this morning, it was overcast and pretty much stayed that way for most of the day.  My morning destination was the Talking Water Gardens in Albany.  The wetlands of this project are part of what is called engineered water treatment.  Wastewater produced by the local cities goes to the water treatment facility, then it's further treated by the wetlands which cool and aerate the water before it returns to the Willamette River. 

I walked around the nice trail system at the gardens, and took pictures of the birds I encountered there. It was so peaceful and quiet, and other people were enjoying the morning there, too.  I saw American coots, green-winged teal, red-winged blackbirds, a solitary greater yellowlegs, a lone white egret and many mallards.

In the afternoon, I continued driving south on Interstate 5 and stopped in Eugene to check out the Museum of Natural and Cultural History located on the campus of University of Oregon.

They had an interesting exhibit on the history of beads around the world and in art. I was particularly impressed by a large art piece created by over 600,000 beads!

There was also a cool exhibit on the prehistoric Helicoprion, also known as buzz saw sharks.  Now, I admit I've never heard of such sharks, and they were definitely different than most shark-like creatures with their unusual tooth configuration.  The exhibit included a model of what Helicoprion might have looked like, as well as casts of their tooth patterns. 

Tomorrow, I continue traveling south...I'll be driving most of the day with just one place of interest on my itinerary.  I'll be looking forward to getting off the interstate and into more scenery, too!