Sliced Turkey Rock

 Perhaps I'm getting delirious, but as I come across this boulder out on a solo hike to remote reaches of the desert, it reminds me of sliced turkey breast! Yes, one slice for me, please!! And perhaps some cloud gravy?

Do you notice anything on the boulder (above)? Next to the light color rock (which I placed there) is a lighter colored, smoothed out area on the boulder. Likely an area used by Native Americans many, many years ago for grinding seeds or nuts.

Wishing everyone who celebrates a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

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Slide Rock (Part 1)

 Today I'll be taking you along on a hike into the unknown. To a galaxy far far away. Well, perhaps not, but it seems like it when you get out there. The destination is based on viewing some interesting rock formations on Google Earth. As I've said many times, the boots-on-the-ground reality often looks totally different from the comfort-of-your-home satellite view. Not even sure we can get to the location we want to see, as the rocks look steep and challenging. But I can guarantee you it will be fun, regardless of where we end up!

Mitch, picking his way carefully across the boulders.

Travis (L) and Roger taking a break. I really didn't take any photos on the first half of the hike. As you can see, we picked a perfect day. A beautiful, partly cloudy sky, with a lot of blue. Warm but not hot. 

Travis is a professional guide and a young whipper-snapper (I think he's in his late 30's). Roger, on the other hand, will turn 75 on his next birthday and is just an amazing human being. A marathon runner, a daily hiker, and a gym rat, he's the most fit (by far) 75 year old that I've ever seen. Mitch and I call him our hero, and he can hike circles around me. I feel privileged and grateful to be able to hike with these guys. Trust me when I tell you I am the weak link!

 

The first big surprise of the day was the discovery of water! That's always a big deal in the desert. Not sure how long it had been since the last rain, but it appears to have been fairly recent. This area seems to be nearly solid rock, with lots of nooks and crannies for trapping water.
 

The second big surprise was finding this huge rocky chute, which we called "Slide Rock". How it was formed is a bit of a geologic mystery (at least to us). I figured there was likely a wash up on top that spilled over the top of this chute, and water flow over many, many, years formed it. But Travis, who climbed to the top of the chute, said there is no wash up there and no water source that he could see. Look really closely and you can see Travis nearly at the top of the chute. Just a stroll in the park for him!
 

The upper section of slide rock is nearly straight up and down. If you slipped and fell, your body would travel a long way before it came to a stop. No way was I going to attempt it, yet Travis and Roger made it look easy!
 

Travis, enjoying the view.

Uh-oh... Perhaps we're in for a change in weather??

More water!

Superman Roger, lifting a large boulder many times his own weight!

 

One of my favorites!

As you can see, things are really starting to cloud up. It should be an interesting hike back to the cars. Please join me next post for "Part 2" of Slide Rock hike. 

 

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Stay safe and stay healthy!

Seal Beach, CA

 I'm taking you away from the desert for this post. Hope you don't mind! We took a mini-vacation (2 nights) in Seal Beach over the summer. Just a quick, hassle-free get-away. As you probably guessed by the name, it's a beach town and still has a little of the "old California" beach vibe. A fun place to hang out for a couple days. I took camera and tripod, and was so lucky to have these beautiful skies during our visit. We were a short walk from the pier, so nearly all these photos were taken on or near the pier. Enjoy!

Cruise Ship by day, heading into Long Beach Harbor.

City of Long Beach on the horizon.

If you're wondering where that stuff is you ordered from Amazon...

Are you sticking your tongue out at me???

Same cruise ship, by night.

I like the way people turn into ghosts with long exposure photos!

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White Tank (Part II)

 I'm still wandering around White Tank Campground in Joshua Tree National Park, trying out my new (to me) camera body. I have more photos than I can share in a single post, hence the need for a "part II" post. No tripod (by design), so as the sun sets and things get darker, I have to continually push the ISO higher and higher in order to keep my shutter settings fast enough to avoid a blurry mess. The downside with high ISO is the potential for noise/grain. I'll let you be the judge about the noise level. I was so lucky to have some of the most beautiful skies I've seen in a while for this hike. A really fun outing, and one I will long remember. Enjoy!!

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