I took a trip over the Inyos along Death Valley Road into the territory of BLM's Ridgecrest Field Office. The road is almost surreal as the pinyon-juniper forest transitions into some of the most dense Joshua trees I've ever seen. The above picture doesn't quite capture it, but all of those specks on the alluvial fans in the background are Joshua trees! Something about them just makes me happy...Old 4x4 roads have been closed to vehicle access, but allow you to hike through the area with relative ease. I headed up into one of the washes and climbed my way up and up...I was hoping to pop out on the other side and see Deep Springs Valley, but didn't quite make it. Bird highlights included a single Canyon Wren's song echoing in the rocks and a flock of 15 Pinyon Jays noisily escorting me out at the end of my day (shown below). I hope to return in the spring for wildflowers, herps, and rumored Scott's Orioles!
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I took the two track from the upper elevation down into Eureka Valley. Rough and rocky, but worth it. Some of the most remote canyons in CA. The Great Basin turns into the Mojave as you enter Eureka Valley. =)
ReplyDeleteI took the two track from the upper elevation down into Eureka Valley. Rough and rocky, but worth it. Some of the most remote canyons in CA. The Great Basin turns into the Mojave as you enter Eureka Valley. =)
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