Oh boy, there she goes again, rambling on about another trip instead of showing us what it is to be an artist in Central California. Well, artists have to take field trips for new sights and locations; it fuels creativity (so I’ve read).
We went to Death Valley to visit a dear friend. The desert doesn’t really appeal to me with all its dry brownness, but this is a very dear friend and visiting her makes this weirdly wonderful place appealing. Because of her, we got to see all sorts of things that we would not have experienced otherwise.
We headed East on 178 which is in the Kern River canyon and goes over Walker Pass. It is one of the only choices for crossing the Sierra Nevada on the southern end.The route took us through Trona, which might possibly be the ugliest town I’ve ever seen. Wow, those poor people who live there. . . there must be something to enjoy in that desolate place.
This is the view from the road in front of our friend’s house.
This is the evening view from our friend’s house. (The finger in the corner is a little bonus.)
Last week before the rain, the air was very clear. I had to work on Saturday, so in spite of having stuff to do in order to prepare for First Saturday, Trail Guy and I drove down to Lake Kaweah to enjoy the morning. This isn’t something I have done many paintings of; I’m not convinced anyone else will appreciate it, especially from the unfamiliar viewpoints of walking along the river in the lake bottom.
You can decide for yourselves if any of these views would appeal to people.
If I were a hobbyist, I could just paint what I want. I am a professional artist, so figuring out what my customer base is interested in is just part of the business of art.
After walking around Convict Lake, we headed toward the June Lake vacation rental. The Farmer was driving, and he suddenly said, “Are we ready to head back or should we go see the South Shore Tufa Towers at Mono Lake?”
I was sorry to have not seen that part of the lake, and after some discussion, we headed there. It was late afternoon, just about the time the light starts getting good.
We were all pretty happy to be back at Mono Lake. Maybe it is because Hiking Buddy broke out a stash of chocolate first.
There were many serious-looking photographers along the shoreline. They looked like retired school teachers, fierce and focused, with tripods, long lenses, and expensive looking outdoor gear. Being around them made me think I should whisper and tiptoe. I restrained myself from kicking off my shoes and splashing in the lake.
Trail Guy was captivated by the lenticular clouds.
The Farmer spotted a place where fresh water was bubbling up. That’s what creates the tufa.
On Day Four we drove home. I did a drive-by shooting of Mt. Whitney.
Mt. Whitney is to the right of what appears to be the tallest peak. It is 14,494′ above sea level.
This was a great trip to weird places on the East Side of the Sierra Nevada with great people. Thank you, Trail Guy, Hiking Buddy, and Farmer, for the best birthday weekend of my (gasp of horror) six decades!
P.S. I just watched a documentary called “The High Sierra Trail” and it states Whitney’s elevation as 14,505′!
After the very disappointing Devil’s Postpile and the terrific view of the Minarets, we headed to Convict Lake, hoping for fewer people, better parking, and fall color.
We found the fall color on the upper end of the lake, about 1/2 way through the 3 mile loop trail.
OF COURSE I put my feet in.
Trail Guy and The Farmer are holding the aspens up for us.
It looks deserty out there because it is.
I’d rather look up the canyon toward the mountains.
Once again, there were helpful boardwalks.
We were a bit early for truly excellent fall colors. So, following a tip from a stranger, we headed up the Rock Creek Road. The color was better and the turnouts were few.
The ubiquitous unknown yellow flower added to the brilliance.
On Tuesday, we will conclude this trip and your Central California artist will return to the drawing table and the easels.
None of us on the trip had ever been to the National Monument of Devil’s Postpile, a weird rock formation. (Have you noticed that the word “weird” can describe most of what we saw while on the East Side of the Sierra Nevada?)
Frankly speaking, this thing ain’t worth the trip. The entrance gate didn’t warn us to park above and catch a shuttle, and then after a long winding bumpy road, we got to an overfull parking lot. What?? We parked in one for overnight parking only and walked back to the trailhead. A poo-ranger decided to clean the women’s restroom at the busiest time of day and there was a very long line. The short trail was crowded and dusty, and then this is what we saw.
This is it.
Can we go now??
There was a touch of fall color along the trail.
We headed back up the road, looking forward to the view point for the Minarets. As we were leaving, the entrance station guy asked to see our permit! Well how do you think we got past you as we headed in, Mister Bossy-pants??
This was Trail Guy’s favorite part.
There were 2 awesomely simply viewing devices. When you lined up the pipe with a peak name, you could look through the pipe and see that peak. We spent some time trying to decide where to put such a thing in Mineral King.
This is Banner Peak, a mountain that is wildly popular in backcountry photos. It looks different from this angle, but I was thrilled to see it because it appears in a book I edited and designed, “Trail of Promises” by Louise A. Jackson.
After seeing those many photos of Bodie yesterday, do you wish I’d stop posting for awhile?
Don’t answer that.
After Bodie, we stopped for ice cream at a wildly popular Mobil gas station/convenience store/deli where the Tioga Pass Road intersects 395 (the highway that runs North-South along the East Side of the Sierra Nevada.) Its big claim to fame is the chef from LA who has turned the deli into a great place to eat.
Mono Lake is weirdly wonderful. For many years, the LA Dept. of Water and Power has been using water from the 4 main streams that fill Mono Lake. The lake was dying, and after a long legal battle, an understanding was reached in 1994. The LADWP has to reduce the amount of water it takes until the lake reaches a certain level, something that will take a few more years. (Ten? I don’t actually know.)
Who cares? It is a bizarre body of water, and it certainly isn’t potable with 2.5 times the salinity of the ocean.
Well, it is the largest lake in all of California (Tahoe doesn’t count because we share it with Nevada). It is an important stop for migrating birds. It is where most of the sea gulls hatch. It might be the only place in the world with brine shrimp, so if they all die, I’m sure there will be some horrific chain reaction which eventually will come down to no more ice cream or some other unimaginable catastrophe.
Stop talking, Central California Artist, and show us some photos!
While I was wading in the lake, my people were watching from the shore, all probably a little grossed out by my description of the squishy mud.
I was grossed out by the alkaline flies.
The boardwalks are really helpful, and as the lake level rises, they will be easily removed.
I wasn’t ready to return to our vacation rental in June Lake, so we stopped by Silver Lake on the way back. The light was too low for good photos, so I deleted all of mine except this one.
Tomorrow we will see new weird sights. The East Side of the Sierra Nevada is certainly full of peculiarities of nature.
Bodie was the first stop on Day Two of our trip to The East Side of the Sierra. It is a a mining ghost town, a California state park described as being in “a state of arrested decay”. This means they keep it from falling apart any further, but they don’t rebuild. It was finally abandoned in about 1942, due to the country’s needs for a different type of mining during the war. There were 20 years of looting, pillaging, squatting, and destruction before it became a state park in 1962. It is fascinating!
We passed two herds of sheep on the long paved-turned-to-dirt road into Bodie. The light was wonderful but there were no turnouts, so this is a drive-by-shooting.
By the parking lot.
Why is this all here? (Yesterday I told you my mind is flooded with questions, and I meant it.) This certainly isn’t beach glass. Ghost glass?
I have helped 3 different students with their drawings of this church in Bodie. It is the most noticeable building when you first arrive.
The fanciest house in town is also the most photographed.
Peeking in windows is the only way to see what’s inside. After a few inside peeks, Hiking Buddy said, “I can see that wallpaper doesn’t go the distance.”
These yellow flowers were everywhere we went on our road trip.
This exterior wall is sided with pressed tin, normally used in ceilings.
Ubiquitous unknown yellow wildflowers.
I helped one of my drawing students with this view too.
This is the stamp mill. If we had timed it right, we could have taken a tour, but we had many other places to see. Choices and consequences.
Desolate place. (Duh).
This is a leaf spring. I’ve heard the term but never understood it.
The wire fence keeping us out had holes big enough to put my camera through. (Ha ha, can’t keep me out.)
The colors!!
The wooden sphere is a globe inside the schoolhouse, last used in 1942.
The most common sight all over Bodie.
Hi, George.
How did this beautiful handle survive the looting??
The wooden facade is actually a museum and store. The brick building is a former hotel.
Inside the museum, I was drawn to the light coming through the glass, mostly because of the blue.
In conclusion, it was a great 1/2 day in a weirdly wonderful, somewhat melancholy, slightly creepy view into the mysterious past.
Hey Central California Artist, why don’t you stay home since you love Central California so much?
Great question. (That’s what most interviewees say to almost every question.) Central California has been my home for (gasp) six decades now, but that doesn’t mean I am a homebody. Well, I actually am a homebody, because leaving home almost physically hurts. But there is so much to see, and being in the center of this massive state means all of it is accessible with only a day’s drive.
Where did you go this time?
So glad you asked! (That’s the other thing most interviewees say to the other questions not answered by “great question”.) We (Trail Guy, The Farmer, Hiking Buddy, and I) went to The East Side.
What is “The East Side”?
Great question. That is how folks on the west side of the Sierra Nevada refer to the other side. Our side is gradual, with towns, irrigated farms, and layers of foothills (and lots of fat, poor, and uneducated people*, so I am very comfortable here). The East Side is deserty and dry, lined by massive pointy peaks.
To go to the other side, passing through Yosemite and then over Tioga Pass is the closest northern route from Three Rivers.
The valley floor is a bit like Cedar Grove, only much more crowded.
Tenaya Lake is the little blue strip off in the distance. I sort of wish my Mom had gone with her gut instinct and named me Tenaya instead of Jana Banana.
At the bottom of Tioga Pass is Mono Lake. We had planned to go there on Day 2, but I got excited to put my feet in, so we went off on some dirt roads, just exploring.
While exploring, we came to this sign. I thought it had been written especially for me, because that is how I live. We had to turn around there, because we didn’t want to see if Hiking Buddy’s car could float since we needed it to get around and then back home again.
*It’s true! Read the statistics about Tulare County, and you will be appalled at us (but don’t forget that food comes from farmers, not grocery stores).
Hey Central California artist, don’t you work anymore?
Of course I do! After I finish telling you about my trip to Sandy Eggo, I’ll show you that I do still work. So there.
My resourceful sister found an urban hike for us. 5.5 miles around San Diego, crossing bridges. It is called the Seven Bridge Hike. (or walk, more likely, because there are restaurants along the way so a pack with food and water isn’t required.)
The first bridge in the walk is on the eastern edge of Balboa Park.
Balboa Park is full of beautiful architecture. I had forgotten just how many gorgeous old buildings are there. We lingered after the first bridge because there were many distractions.
The next bridge was a driving bridge with sidewalks. It is ornate when you drive beneath it on the freeway, but the details don’t show when you walk across, leaving the park on its western edge.
More about our seven bridge walk tomorrow. Then maybe I’ll get back to being a working artist.
The Gaslamp Quarter was just beginning to be redeveloped when I lived in San Diego. I worked for an architect in a somewhat seedy part of town, in a fabulous building. My sister was game to explore, so we went looking for the Keating Building.
There it is!! I found it!
I boldly walked in and was asked if I was a “registered guest”. What? It is a hotel, and the desk guy graciously walked us upstairs and showed us some of the renovations.
The woodwork is the same; the office where I worked is now a hotel room, so we obviously didn’t go in.
My boss’s office was on the second floor in that corner. Our guide said that George Keating began the building in stone, and after he died, his widow finished the building in brick.
We walked down to the harbor to enjoy another sunset. I think we put in about 9 miles that day. Good thing, because there was a tremendous amount of very good restaurant food getting consumed on this trip.
