Monday, December 29, 2008

Gunsight, Columbia and Noonday Mines

"Airing down" the tires before heading out to three mines in the Tecopa, CA mining region. The white peak in the background is Telescope Peak, the highest point in the Panamint Mtns. at 11,049ft. This range is on the westernmost side of Death Valley.Still "airing down" with the Gunsight Mine in the distance.
Jim, Jerry and Vic - who will go in first?
One of the bunkers where the ore was held. What is left of equipment at the Columbia Mine.
Noonday Mine
The holes shown in this photo let in the light for the hole in the next photo.
The third mine for the day and the most amazing to all of us. Daylight can be seen looking down into this part of the mine. There were many openings on the hillside and one above provided the light.
While not entirely comfy on this narrow trail, I was more afraid I'd miss something. It was well worth the climb!
This is the tramway below a large bunker. Ore cars were pulled up by cable for loading.
Our last stop of the day is at China Ranch, one of our favorite places. Date palms of many varieties are grown and dates, date shakes (mnnn), date breads and cookies are sold. A year ago they added a nice gift shop. China Ranch is in a mind-boggling canyon and the drive has to be experienced. For all the many times that we have been there we still find the last 1-2 miles to be an awesome experience.
Other times we have hiked one of their breathtaking trails but we were too late in the day this time.
Here are a few of the cacti that they grow and sell.
Each cluster of dates wears a skirt to protect the individual dates from the birds. They look so neat blowing in the breeze.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

A Full Day

Stop #1 - Salt Creek, an ACEC (Area of Critical Environmental Concern). Part of the Old Spanish Trail, a blacksmith shop was located at this site. The Amargosa River comes to the surface here which provided the necessary water. The Athel trees provide a shady shelter from the heat of day. Of course that isn't a problem for us in December. Stop #2
Saratoga Spring in Death Valley National Park - surely a land of diversity. We had no idea when parking that this would be our view at the top of the small hill. Past mining activity is evident center right.Desert HollyJim inspecting the remains of an old cabin. This one and another similar may date over 100 years to the 20-mule team borax period.
Prehistoric man lived here from 1-1100AD in relatively large numbers.
The next stop ....
Ibex Spring - This was the location of a large mining camp during the talc mining boom.I've found no information on the actual size of this camp but the number of buildings leads one to believe it was extensive. Another good site for a picnic lunch.....
Ibex Mill - In 1883 a mill was set up to process silver ore. After 8 years the ore ran out and the mill was shut down. A new boom in the early 1800's brought renewed interest but that one also went bust. In the 1930's the demand for talc, a major ingredient of ceramic tile which was gaining popularity, brought the reopening of the mine. Extensive talc deposits were found in the Ibex Hills. This mine lasted from from 1940 to the 1970s and was the area's biggest producer.
This wasn't a big deal to drive but was fun and made for a good photo op.
The last adventure of the day - definitely tense at times but beautiful too.
Note the switchback above the two vehicles and it kept going up and up....
The uppermost part of the drive back down after the track ended. It was getting late.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Wood Canyon on Christmas Eve Day

This was as far as we could reasonably go into Wood Canyon. It was 10.7 miles from where we left the pavement. We struck off on foot as we had been told that 1/4 mile farther up the canyon we would find petroglyphs. The snow started to get deep for two folks without boots so we gave up without finding them, ate our lunch and headed back out. Not too far along Vic spotted a rock with petroglyphs and then another. We were surrounded by them. They were on both sides of the canyon well within easy reach.The Southern Paiute Indians made their home here in the Spring Mountains for generations. With the nearby spring as a source for water it was the perfect place to live in summer. The prickly pear cactus and ephedra seemingly are growing out of the rockbed. A cricket, perhaps?
Christmas Day we learned that the folks who told us about the petroglyphs near the spring didn't see the ones we did. Perhaps we'll go back in spring and find theirs.....

Monday, December 22, 2008

Spring Mtns Tie House

It's hard to imagine that someone, probably a family, lived miles and miles off the pavement in such a remote location in the mountains. But, oh, the view! The home is built from railroad ties and is roomy with a lovely brick fireplace and all the amenities from the time it was inhabited.This is what remains of the corral. We found a large chicken house and root cellars also.

Hard Luck Mine Castle

Had it not been for the Jeep Junkies we would not have had this opportunity. The Castle is an incredible place being built by a lone individual, Randy Johnston. He began the actual building in 2000. It is four stories high and is quite a remarkable feat of engineering. We so much enjoyed his personal tour.
This builder/owner has quite the sense of humor and obviously loves what he is doing. The Castle is off the pavement nine miles on a dirt road that he maintains himself. Along the way are some insights into his humor. One was a scenic turnout which went around a few large rocks. Another was a funny Desert Sanctuary with a female Buddha - rub her belly and become pregnant, male or female, the sign warns.
And, "Rest Area"
Here is the "Emergency Call Box" which contains a tin can on a string.
The main entrance.

View from the entrance.

Rooms are built around a central core. He built all the doors and hardware and has done all the welding, laid all the blocks..... He owns and plays a theatre organ which will be installed in the house.

The center of the core. When the railings are painted he will be installing a fountain in this area.

After leaving the Hard Luck Mine Castle we continued past and had lunch on the top of the pass leading to Goldpoint. This town has a rich mining past. Rather than being a ghost town as so many towns are, Goldpoint currently has 9 residents and many buildings.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Winter event

Death Valley is one of my very favorite places. A special project will find me there one day each week for a short time. Last Tuesday was one of those days. One of the best things is the color of the geography which changes with the time of day. This is the highway going to the valley. Looks like there had been a shower during the night. I love the reddish-orange of the rocks.In the late afternoon on the return trip snow was falling in the higher elevations. By the time I reached the top of the pass at 3,000' it was sleeting but lasted only 3-4 miles.
Unbelievable! We were here for "the" winter event, the following morning. The Amargosa Valley saw 1" of the fluffy white stuff Wednesday morning - the first measurable snow since the mid-1990's. Although the mountains still have snow at the higher elevations and will have until spring the snow here on the refuge was mostly gone by 11 a.m.
One of our staff saw children out playing in the snow at 7 a.m. and the mom was out taking pictures of them. Clark County which includes Las Vegas closed all schools. This is the second largest school system in the country.
Below is King's Pool at Point of Rocks, one of the 30 seeps or springs here on the refuge. Endangered pupfish live here. The rocks behind are often where desert bighorn sheep can be viewed.
This is Crystal Spring which keeps a near constant 86F temperature. Steam can be seen rising from the water. The spring is 24' deep and has a flow rate of 2600 gallons per second. This is also home to an endangered pupfish.
A pretty site near the two Bradford Springs.