Sunday, January 13, 2019

Lots of pictures......




Our Location: BLM on Ogilby Road, Winterhaven, CA
 
A beautiful sunrise this morning splayed out in the eastern sky as I walked to Ogilby Road and back to the Igloo. So many wonderful shots but I have too many pictures to post today. So I'll cut them way down. 
 
The sun is starting to make it's presence known.
 
There was a lot of action between the first shot and this one.
 
We both decided that we needed to get out and do something and since Riley is feeling better she opted to once again walk to Ogilby Road and back to the Igloo. I on the other hand wanted to do something different. So I hopped in the Dogsled and took off for the Historic Townsite of Tumco just up Ogilby Road a couple of miles. 

It was not this dark but more of a pinky orange.

As you can see the Ocotillo is between me and the sun.

The road into the parking area is very rough and there was already one vehicle there when I arrived. At least 3 more would come after me. Numerous rigs were also scattered around the area as it is BLM land as well. I counted at least 8 people camping there, from tents and cars, to a cargo trailer, a van, and 3 fifth wheels. So it's a busy area for sure. 

This is the second 'sunrise' as those low lying clouds blocked it for a while.
 
This is all sand, very hard compacted sand.

 I started off at the first welcome sign for the townsite but truly didn't find much of interest there except the landscape. It was unlike anything I've seen before. I thought it was stone but it wasn't. It was very hard compacted sand. In some places it had been wind worn to a finish hard enough to step on and leave no imprint. You can see where water and wind have carved and curved along in this area to create a truly amazing type of landscape. 

It is sand.
Cut by wind and water and obviously humans. It's colour is a pinky, orange colour.

I did stop at a few of the townsite points but as I said I lost interest. The placards were hard to read and none of the sites had any labels of any kind so you didn't really know what you were looking at. Instead I wandered along on the roadways and found myself climbing of course into the hills. You knew that though, didn't you?

You can see how the water had cut it's way through here.
So many different colours here.

The views while not stunning were very scenic to see and I'm sure it would be a great deal of fun to walk farther than I did today. There are roads carved out of the hillsides and in places fill has been added to ensure the safety of the road but it's still a very nice way to spend a few hours and get some exercise. 


As you can see it's sand and the holes are obviously from insects, rain and nature.

The stuff in the foreground is very hard. They have used it to like cement in some places.

 I was back home about 3 1/2 hours after leaving. So not a bad way to spend some time today. We had lunch and just kind of rested for the rest of the day. I managed to get a couple of hours reading in on my newest book, End Game by David Baldacci. It's not his best but it's still pretty good. 

I followed the path in the very bottom of the picture but it swings left  and the whitish path you see branches off to the right and ended not far from the edge of the picture.
This is farther up the path in the last picture. The path you see at the bottom of the picture that goes left leads to a ventilation shaft.

This is the saddle part of the path where it goes from one side to the other side of the hill. That is looking toward Ogilby Road from where I am standing. So to the north west.
This is looking to the west. If you look off in the distance that line of light brown is the dunes we can see from the Igloo.
This is pretty deep and although you can see the paths along the edges I didn't walk those. I would like to but didn't.
A longer view and a slightly different angle.

A bit fuzzy but a nice view.
I would like to have followed this path farther but didn't have time.


 I hope you have enjoyed the pictures. If ever in the area and looking for some exercise it may be a nice leg stretch for you. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.

You can see a few of the rigs and the sand dunes again.

Lots of room to park out there. Can you see the car? The little red dot in the top middle of the photo.

I went across the trail you see coming from the top right and ended up coming down the trail on the left.

Until next time... take care,  be safe, 

Not a bad view for a little effort.

Posted with permission. This little fellow was coming in while I was going out. He asked what that was in my hand and pointed to the camera. His father explained that it was a camera and it's how I take pictures. When he word the word picture he automatically smiled and said 'cheese'. I couldn't resist taking his picture. He is a cutie. 



 Deb


 Sorry for the crowded pictures but I'm tired of fighting with blogger tonight.




12 comments:

  1. Great hike and awesome pictures. We gotta get over there some time.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Dave. I'm going back at some point, probably not this year but I'll be sure to park closer next year.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  2. So many wondeful areas to explore and things to see thank for all your great pictures .

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    1. Most welcome George. I'm glad you enjoyed them.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  3. It made me think of Doug when you were showing me your hike. Have you heard from him and Yuma? I would guess he is not coming south this year. Glad you had a great day. Cute little guy.

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    1. I think of Doug and Yuma many times too. I did hear from him and he isn't traveling this year.
      Thanks Lorne. He was a cutie.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  4. Great and interesting pictures. When I tour the desert and see what the water does in places, I always say to myself that sometime I would like to come here during the Monsoon season to see it. Although, talked to a local once who lived in the Parker area, and he said that the last 15 years the wash behind his house never had water in it. Guess I could become a storm chaser. Too bad we only get to spend 6 months here.

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    1. Thanks Peter. The camera of course doesn't do the views justice but it gives an idea. I've often thought about what it would be like to witness the water, I'm sure it's an amazing sight to see. I'm not sure just what you could actually see though unless you are at a high vantage point, I mean other than swift flowing water.
      I'm happy to be back in Ontario for 6 months, we see two or sometimes three springs and two falls as well. One summer and no winter. I'll take that for certain.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  5. Awesome landscape shots! We miss the west already but will probably be there again next winter!

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    1. Thanks Jim and Barb. Welcome to A long and lonesome highway. I hope you enjoy your visit.
      The camera of course doesn't do the views justice but it gives a pretty good idea.
      Where ever you may be I hope you have a fantastic day and if it's appropriate, safe travels!!

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  6. What a cutie that last picture! Love all the pictures and glad to hear Riley is feeling better and was able to do her own thing. Love the sunrise picture!

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    1. Thanks Shirley. He was a cutie pie. The second his dad said camera and picture he broke into that big smile and said Cheese!!
      Riley seems to be on the mend. She's feeling a bit better each day.
      Glad you liked the pictures I enjoyed taking them.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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