OP
OP
Thanks, all, for the kind words. I post trip reports because I enjoy it -- I'm glad that others do, too.
i have always thought that it would be a great spot for a wander the west get together
as it is a central location for a lot of folks on this site.
as someone who has spent a lot of time in the area there are a lot of exploring to do
for those who like to do more than drive,neat mining areas,hiking,and much history.
Yes -- lots of potential as a Rally spot! Probably best in the cooler months of the year.
I did little off-road-on-foot exploring on this trip (my first), other than to scamper up on a couple of small ridges for photo-advantage, so I need to return more times to see what's really there.
...I was digging the spheroidal weathering of the granite. The psoriasis-like surface is the result of spheroidal weathering and the resulting exfoliation, where onion-skin like sheets spall off of the rock. Happens commonly with plutonic rock from the granite family. Back here in the East, we see much of the same, but deep soils hide much of it.
.....
If there is a broader and deeper cornucopia of petrology, mineralogy, structural geology, and economic geology within a fairly small area (north of Bishop to west of Lone Pine to Cerro Gordo) elsewhere within the Lower 48, I'd like to know where it is. Flat-out awesome.
Even though I'm not a geologist...the visible, naked, geology is one of the things I love most about the area. And the visible landforms (without all that messy vegetation and decayed vegetation
) are what I love about the arid lands in general.
...
We like the Volcanic Tablelands too, as Benton aficionados. Lot's of easy to locate petroglyphs there and apparently a good number that are off the beaten path. I know of the Rowell image; hope you get there some day.
Pine Creek canyon has a large active (when I was there last) mining operation, BTW. I believe it's a tungsten mine. As a hiking destination I have found it less than ideal due to the mining impact.
I'll definitely seek out the Sky Rock next time -- I have the exact spot marked/saved on Google Earth -- just a short hike up from the Chalk Bluff road.
Thanks for the tip/warning about Pine Creek. Looking at it from a distance the narrow relief looked appealing -- I was thinking it would be cool to do a 360 panorama in there. So, maybe I will do that...but not plan on camping there.
A couple of weeks ago, when my wife and I drove to LA and back we were eyeballing several places along 395 to explore this coming season.
And in the warm season there're a lot more places accessible and campgrounds open (if you like campgrounds)
I really need to make it to the alabama hills. How was the weather there? How were the roads in the volcanic table lands? I skipped those last time I was in the area due to not having a spare.
Looks like winter camping may be in my future. I'm already working six days a week
The weather was fine -- unseasonably fine, I'd say. I expect that in summer it gets too warm there -- for me, anyway. The main roads in the Volcanic Tablelands are graded and maintained -- high speed...although there was washboard in the usual kind of spots that breed washboard. I took a lower-grade road when I thought I could use it as a shortcut to the Sky Rock. It was exposed-rock rough in a few spots, but nothing that would cut a tire (at reasonable speeds).
On the plus side: Doesn't extra-work-time mean extra/overtime pay -- more money for trip-fuel? But I guess that doesn't matter if you don't get the time to take trips!
In your nice twilight photo of Venus & Jupiter, Mercury is hiding behind the peak in the twilight. If folks haven't seen Mercury before, head out in twilight soon. By mid-March it will be getting close to the Sun and hard to see. You can use Jupiter and Venus as pointers toward Mercury (pointing toward the horizon).
Thanks for the "pointer", highz! I'll seek out a vantage point with a clear view of the western horizon.
I've only spotted Mercury a couple of times in the past (that I'm aware of). I usually forget that there's something else visible sunward of Venus.
i have always thought that it would be a great spot for a wander the west get together
as it is a central location for a lot of folks on this site.
as someone who has spent a lot of time in the area there are a lot of exploring to do
for those who like to do more than drive,neat mining areas,hiking,and much history.
Yes -- lots of potential as a Rally spot! Probably best in the cooler months of the year.
I did little off-road-on-foot exploring on this trip (my first), other than to scamper up on a couple of small ridges for photo-advantage, so I need to return more times to see what's really there.
...I was digging the spheroidal weathering of the granite. The psoriasis-like surface is the result of spheroidal weathering and the resulting exfoliation, where onion-skin like sheets spall off of the rock. Happens commonly with plutonic rock from the granite family. Back here in the East, we see much of the same, but deep soils hide much of it.
.....
If there is a broader and deeper cornucopia of petrology, mineralogy, structural geology, and economic geology within a fairly small area (north of Bishop to west of Lone Pine to Cerro Gordo) elsewhere within the Lower 48, I'd like to know where it is. Flat-out awesome.
Even though I'm not a geologist...the visible, naked, geology is one of the things I love most about the area. And the visible landforms (without all that messy vegetation and decayed vegetation
...
We like the Volcanic Tablelands too, as Benton aficionados. Lot's of easy to locate petroglyphs there and apparently a good number that are off the beaten path. I know of the Rowell image; hope you get there some day.
Pine Creek canyon has a large active (when I was there last) mining operation, BTW. I believe it's a tungsten mine. As a hiking destination I have found it less than ideal due to the mining impact.
I'll definitely seek out the Sky Rock next time -- I have the exact spot marked/saved on Google Earth -- just a short hike up from the Chalk Bluff road.
Thanks for the tip/warning about Pine Creek. Looking at it from a distance the narrow relief looked appealing -- I was thinking it would be cool to do a 360 panorama in there. So, maybe I will do that...but not plan on camping there.
A couple of weeks ago, when my wife and I drove to LA and back we were eyeballing several places along 395 to explore this coming season.
And in the warm season there're a lot more places accessible and campgrounds open (if you like campgrounds)
I really need to make it to the alabama hills. How was the weather there? How were the roads in the volcanic table lands? I skipped those last time I was in the area due to not having a spare.
Looks like winter camping may be in my future. I'm already working six days a week
The weather was fine -- unseasonably fine, I'd say. I expect that in summer it gets too warm there -- for me, anyway. The main roads in the Volcanic Tablelands are graded and maintained -- high speed...although there was washboard in the usual kind of spots that breed washboard. I took a lower-grade road when I thought I could use it as a shortcut to the Sky Rock. It was exposed-rock rough in a few spots, but nothing that would cut a tire (at reasonable speeds).
On the plus side: Doesn't extra-work-time mean extra/overtime pay -- more money for trip-fuel? But I guess that doesn't matter if you don't get the time to take trips!
In your nice twilight photo of Venus & Jupiter, Mercury is hiding behind the peak in the twilight. If folks haven't seen Mercury before, head out in twilight soon. By mid-March it will be getting close to the Sun and hard to see. You can use Jupiter and Venus as pointers toward Mercury (pointing toward the horizon).
Thanks for the "pointer", highz! I'll seek out a vantage point with a clear view of the western horizon.
