More California
I love you, California, you're the greatest state of all. I love you in the winter, summer, spring and in the fall.
I love your fertile valleys; your dear mountains I adore. I love your grand old ocean and I love her rugged shore.
“California’s been good to me. Hope it don’t fall into the sea.” …..Tom Petty
Ballarat - California
My plan was to stop at Ballarat and then continue north, connecting with CSR 190 and thence to Lone Pine to spend the night. I made it as far as Ballarat. Most plans don’t survive contact with the elements.
Wildrose Charcoal Kilns - Death Valley - California
What are these crazy dome things out in the wilderness of Death Valley?
Zabriskie Point - Death Valley - California
Spread out before me was a maze of wildly eroded and multi-colored badlands. I was home.
Owens Lake - California
And the answer is: Once a 110-square-mile lake, estimated at being over 1,000,000 years old.
Swansea - California
So much to see along 395, shame on those who claim everything’s dead in the desert….
Grave of the Unknown Prospector - California
I imagine there are probably hundreds of unmarked graves in the Mojave Desert, the final resting places of prospectors and others who traveled across the sands in search of their golden dreams.
Old Homestead - Lucerne Valley - California
This place literally screamed to me to take its picture. What could I do?
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest - California
High atop the White Mountains of the Inyo National Forest is where I was heading. I was looking for the oldest trees in the world,
Route 58 Stone Ruins - California
I was driving west on Route 58, out of Barstow, heading to I-395 and points north….
Crowley Lake - California
Crowley Lake is located about 15 miles south of Mammoth Lakes. There’s a nice viewpoint right alongside Hwy 395, I stopped to stretch my legs and take a couple photos.
Convict Lake - California
I’d seen the sign for Convict Lake numerous times while driving by on Hwy 395, but this trip was the time I would turn off the highway and check it out.
Lester Dale Mine - California
I’m not sure what attracts me to places like this, but I’m certainly glad they are still around to find and explore.
The Trona Pinnacles - California
After close to five miles of bouncing and rat-a-tat-tat-tating over a hardpacked, washboard dirt road, the strange landscape seen from a distance was now up close and personal.
Steam Wells Petroglyphs - California
Just north of Red Mountain on Hwy 395, I turned onto Trona Road and followed it for a mile to a small turnout on the east side of the highway….
King Clone Creosote - California
The Mojave Desert holds many secrets and today I was going to find one.
Reward - California
I found Reward just north of Lone Pine and a few miles east of Hwy 395 along the Manzanar Reward Road. Finding the old ghost town was a reward in itself. The first thing that caught my eye was the multi-colored slopes ahead of me as I drove towards the site.
Atolia - California
Located right on Hwy 395, I had never heard of the place and only caught a glimpse of a sign announcing its presence as I was speeding by…
Kearsarge Station - California
Citrus changed to Kearsarge Station in 1913. During the busy years, there was also a residence for the section boss and a bunkhouse for the workers near the depot. Even though the depot was torn down in 1955 and there isn’t much left to explore, I still found it an interesting place to visit.
Manzanar Airfield - California
Also known as Manzanar Airport and Inyo County Airport, the Manzanar Airfield is one of the best-kept secrets of Hwy 395. I chanced upon it by accident, while heading east on Manzanar Reward Road in search of gold mines.