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diminished · 08-24-2009, 01:48 AM

Time for an update.

We entered California after ditching our stash of bananas, that we might not attract attention to ourselves.

Initially, we made for L.A, after a little visit to the town of Joshua Tree, to have a quick look at Myrtle the Turtle (roadside statue of a turtle).Persistence called a halt around Perris (site of some smashing boulders painted up as apples), as she was finding the traffic more than a little intimidating.

We bounced back, towards Death Valley, overnighting in Barstow.Whilst there, we read a few things online about the town, which had us more than a little worried to step outside.Especially as the bolt on our motel room door had been torn off at some stage.

Next day, we headed for Death Valley, where things began to go wrong.

I take this opportunity to remind myself, that it is not an especially good idea to run off into the desert when the temperature is 122f, even when you have water stashed about your person.And that water is all well and good, but only tends to be useful when it is drank.

The Mesquite Dunes did look very photographically appealing however.And it did seem like a good idea at the time.

I began to have a little trouble keeping co-ordinated about halfway back to the car, I'd been feeling quite smug about some of the photos I'd got.Things got progressively more difficult the closer I got to the car.I just about crawled up onto the roadway.

Persistence had spotted me stumbling about, and brought the car alongside and helped me in.

It was probably less dramatic than it sounds, and I felt (slightly) better after the application of a couple of litres of water, which I promptly sweated back out.

I dozed for the next hour or so, as we headed towards Stovepipe Wells, with the intention of heading up to The Racetrack, to see Death Valley's mysterious moving stones.

I was required to make a navigational decision, which in my confused state, I really should have taken more time over.About an hour later, as we pulled up at the western entrance about 100 miles out from where we should have been, the error was realised.

We immediately set off back for The Racetrack, arriving at the entrance to the 31 miles of rough road about 6pm.

We should have known better than to set off down a very rough bladed earth track with around 90 minutes of daylight left.That road surely has to be the worst we've encountered in just shy of 24000 miles of motoring we've done over here.

We both called a halt an hour in, and around 9 miles short.There was a very real danger that our trusty vehicle was going to become crippled if we continued.Persistence gingerly backtracked along that crappy road in failing light, and we slowly realised that it would be at least 3 more hours before we got anywhere near a motel which would be of any use to us.That fuel would be marginal, and we didn't have much in any way to eat (although plenty of water).It also became apparent that our vehicle suffered from the little adventure.

The suspension is now considerably looser than it was before we set out there, and we get a much bouncier ride now.

We eventually made a motel, but if we'd continued on to our original goal, things could have been hairier.The deity that protects all naive fools pulled overtime that day.

Suitably self-chastised, we set out the next day on something of a curious mission.

We went to a forest in order to find a tree.

At once, a simple sounding thing, but when you're looking for one tree in particular, can also be a quite complicated thing.

We went to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine groves in Inyo National Forest, to search for the Oldest (non-clonal) living Thing on the Planet, the Methuselah Tree.

Methuselah is estimated, this year, to be 4500 years old.The problem searching for it, is that it's not marked on map, and Forest Rangers will not tell you where it is (with good reason.When they had a sign indicating which tree it was, it was vandalised) .Its also located between 10000 and 11000 ft above sea-level.

We went to the local ranger station, and found that there is a trail around the Methuselah Grove, and the Ranger informed us that the tree itself is between two of the numbered markers, but gave us no more information than that.

We'd done some research the previous night on the net, but that had just proved confusing.We'd turned up a set of GPS co-ordinates, and 4 different images purporting to show the tree itself.

The GPS co-ordinates we immediately discarded, on the grounds that they're in the wrong grove of Bristlecone Pines (Methuselah is reportedly in the Schulmann Grove, our co-ordinates indicated the Patriarch Grove), and when you're hiking at altitude and speed, one tree looks very much like another.

We did, however, find a group of big and old Bristlecones, in the area the Ranger had told us to look.Searching off the trail, I also found another very poorly defined and seldom used track that lead up to a group of 4-5 trees.These trees had metal tags attached to them, unlike the others we'd looked closely at, and we decided that if none of them were Methuselah itself, they were probably among the older ones of the grove.We left, breathless, hopeful, and reasonably satisfied that we probably have an image of the correct tree somewhere amongst our shots.

Bristlecone pines are quite interesting things, I think.I'd seen a documentary about them several years ago, and to refresh my knowlege, I bought a book when we got back to the ranger station (after crocking my ankle on the trail back).

I read that simply, these trees do not die of old age.They only die when something kills them.I also read that, to my chagrin, Methuselah is not the oldest amongst them.There is at least one older, known to a couple of researchers, who will not give out the location.

There was indeed, an older specimen, up until sometime in the 1960's called Prometheus, who was felled in an unfortunate incident by a scientist (he was taking core samples for dating, his coring-tool broke and he sought permission to cut this particular specimen down, which surprisingly the Forestry Service granted.They're apparently a lot more careful with their permissions now.).

Anyway, onward, and in conclusion.

Today, we set off with the intention of visiting Bodie, a ghost-town on the border between California and Nevada.To some extent, its not really a ghost town, in as much as that there are still a few residents, and that the town itself has been declared a State Park, and is held in its state of decay as a showpiece.

The last several miles to the town however, are across our old friend, bladed dirt road.After our previous experience, Persistence called a halt several hundred yards on from where we'd left the tarmac, and turned about.

As an alternative, we instead headed for Yosemite National Park, which we had intended to look at tomorrow.

I've got to say, Yosemite is quite spectacular, but very challenging to capture in photographs.More challenging yet to photograph in crappy weather.And by the time the weather clears, more challenging again becuase everything is smothered in people.

It was a shame to visit at the weekend.The sheer volume of people more or less ensured that the possibility of encountering large furry, or even medium-sized fluffy wild-lifes was at a minimum.

I think to get the best out of Yosemite, its more or less essential to go hiking out on the many trails around the place, which we weren't able to because of my crocked ankle (and today I seemed to be handling the altitude a lot less ably).

We left slightly disappointed, but at the same time frustrated, because we knew we hadn't been able to give ourselves the opportunity to experience the best that it could offer.

Time to sign off.My typing fingers are becoming tired, as are doubtless some of your eyes.I'm taking some Jack Daniels and shortbread cookies for my conditions.Find your own medecines

08-24-2009, 01:48 AM	#232
diminished Why Aye,Man! Join Date: May 2009 Location: At the moment,'Merika Posts: 101	Things not to do in Death Valley Time for an update. We entered California after ditching our stash of bananas, that we might not attract attention to ourselves. Initially, we made for L.A, after a little visit to the town of Joshua Tree, to have a quick look at Myrtle the Turtle (roadside statue of a turtle).Persistence called a halt around Perris (site of some smashing boulders painted up as apples), as she was finding the traffic more than a little intimidating. We bounced back, towards Death Valley, overnighting in Barstow.Whilst there, we read a few things online about the town, which had us more than a little worried to step outside.Especially as the bolt on our motel room door had been torn off at some stage. Next day, we headed for Death Valley, where things began to go wrong. I take this opportunity to remind myself, that it is not an especially good idea to run off into the desert when the temperature is 122f, even when you have water stashed about your person.And that water is all well and good, but only tends to be useful when it is drank. The Mesquite Dunes did look very photographically appealing however.And it did seem like a good idea at the time. I began to have a little trouble keeping co-ordinated about halfway back to the car, I'd been feeling quite smug about some of the photos I'd got.Things got progressively more difficult the closer I got to the car.I just about crawled up onto the roadway. Persistence had spotted me stumbling about, and brought the car alongside and helped me in. It was probably less dramatic than it sounds, and I felt (slightly) better after the application of a couple of litres of water, which I promptly sweated back out. I dozed for the next hour or so, as we headed towards Stovepipe Wells, with the intention of heading up to The Racetrack, to see Death Valley's mysterious moving stones. I was required to make a navigational decision, which in my confused state, I really should have taken more time over.About an hour later, as we pulled up at the western entrance about 100 miles out from where we should have been, the error was realised. We immediately set off back for The Racetrack, arriving at the entrance to the 31 miles of rough road about 6pm. We should have known better than to set off down a very rough bladed earth track with around 90 minutes of daylight left.That road surely has to be the worst we've encountered in just shy of 24000 miles of motoring we've done over here. We both called a halt an hour in, and around 9 miles short.There was a very real danger that our trusty vehicle was going to become crippled if we continued.Persistence gingerly backtracked along that crappy road in failing light, and we slowly realised that it would be at least 3 more hours before we got anywhere near a motel which would be of any use to us.That fuel would be marginal, and we didn't have much in any way to eat (although plenty of water).It also became apparent that our vehicle suffered from the little adventure. The suspension is now considerably looser than it was before we set out there, and we get a much bouncier ride now. We eventually made a motel, but if we'd continued on to our original goal, things could have been hairier.The deity that protects all naive fools pulled overtime that day. Suitably self-chastised, we set out the next day on something of a curious mission. We went to a forest in order to find a tree. At once, a simple sounding thing, but when you're looking for one tree in particular, can also be a quite complicated thing. We went to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine groves in Inyo National Forest, to search for the Oldest (non-clonal) living Thing on the Planet, the Methuselah Tree. Methuselah is estimated, this year, to be 4500 years old.The problem searching for it, is that it's not marked on map, and Forest Rangers will not tell you where it is (with good reason.When they had a sign indicating which tree it was, it was vandalised) .Its also located between 10000 and 11000 ft above sea-level. We went to the local ranger station, and found that there is a trail around the Methuselah Grove, and the Ranger informed us that the tree itself is between two of the numbered markers, but gave us no more information than that. We'd done some research the previous night on the net, but that had just proved confusing.We'd turned up a set of GPS co-ordinates, and 4 different images purporting to show the tree itself. The GPS co-ordinates we immediately discarded, on the grounds that they're in the wrong grove of Bristlecone Pines (Methuselah is reportedly in the Schulmann Grove, our co-ordinates indicated the Patriarch Grove), and when you're hiking at altitude and speed, one tree looks very much like another. We did, however, find a group of big and old Bristlecones, in the area the Ranger had told us to look.Searching off the trail, I also found another very poorly defined and seldom used track that lead up to a group of 4-5 trees.These trees had metal tags attached to them, unlike the others we'd looked closely at, and we decided that if none of them were Methuselah itself, they were probably among the older ones of the grove.We left, breathless, hopeful, and reasonably satisfied that we probably have an image of the correct tree somewhere amongst our shots. Bristlecone pines are quite interesting things, I think.I'd seen a documentary about them several years ago, and to refresh my knowlege, I bought a book when we got back to the ranger station (after crocking my ankle on the trail back). I read that simply, these trees do not die of old age.They only die when something kills them.I also read that, to my chagrin, Methuselah is not the oldest amongst them.There is at least one older, known to a couple of researchers, who will not give out the location. There was indeed, an older specimen, up until sometime in the 1960's called Prometheus, who was felled in an unfortunate incident by a scientist (he was taking core samples for dating, his coring-tool broke and he sought permission to cut this particular specimen down, which surprisingly the Forestry Service granted.They're apparently a lot more careful with their permissions now.). Anyway, onward, and in conclusion. Today, we set off with the intention of visiting Bodie, a ghost-town on the border between California and Nevada.To some extent, its not really a ghost town, in as much as that there are still a few residents, and that the town itself has been declared a State Park, and is held in its state of decay as a showpiece. The last several miles to the town however, are across our old friend, bladed dirt road.After our previous experience, Persistence called a halt several hundred yards on from where we'd left the tarmac, and turned about. As an alternative, we instead headed for Yosemite National Park, which we had intended to look at tomorrow. I've got to say, Yosemite is quite spectacular, but very challenging to capture in photographs.More challenging yet to photograph in crappy weather.And by the time the weather clears, more challenging again becuase everything is smothered in people. It was a shame to visit at the weekend.The sheer volume of people more or less ensured that the possibility of encountering large furry, or even medium-sized fluffy wild-lifes was at a minimum. I think to get the best out of Yosemite, its more or less essential to go hiking out on the many trails around the place, which we weren't able to because of my crocked ankle (and today I seemed to be handling the altitude a lot less ably). We left slightly disappointed, but at the same time frustrated, because we knew we hadn't been able to give ourselves the opportunity to experience the best that it could offer. Time to sign off.My typing fingers are becoming tired, as are doubtless some of your eyes.I'm taking some Jack Daniels and shortbread cookies for my conditions.Find your own medecines __________________ They [Young People] have exalted notions, because they have not been humbled by life or learned its necessary limitations; moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think themselves equal to great things.They would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones: Their lives are regulated more by moral feeling than by reasoning ...They overdo everything - they love too much, hate too much, and the same with everything else. Aristotle circa 350 BC Last edited by diminished; 08-24-2009 at 02:07 AM.