Friday, December 20, 2019

Lots of photos of our walk today....




Our Location: Near American Girl Mine Road, BLM, CA
 
A nice night, a bit on the cool side and I once again used my duvet to keep me warm and toasty. I didn't get up to greet the sun this morning, although I was wide awake, I enjoyed a few more chapters of my book instead. 
 
 One could still drive on this part of the road but we left the Dogsled and stepped onto the road way when I took this photo.


 A mine opening. We climbed up to it, not a far or hard climb but it was still a fair distance from the roadway. Easy to reach though.



I didn't go inside but turned on the flash and pointed the camera. It took me a few tries to get this photo, I kept pointing the camera too far to one side or the other, or too high and getting mostly ceiling. It doesn't appear to go any further than that pile of rocks off to the side but I can't say for sure. 


We decided we take a bit of a walk/hike this morning starting out near American Girl Mine Road. For those that know the area, we were back beyond where the road splits, right goes back to the current mine, and left goes back to the open pit mine no longer in use. We chose the left road of course, parked the Dogsled before the road narrowed to an off road vehicle type of road.
 
 You can't see the Dogsled from this photo but it is behind that small rise in the middle of the photo. A 5th wheel is off to the left and a small truck with camper is also a bit left and south of the Dogsled. We are standing atop of the hill over the mine photos above.


 Pretty awesome view. Those tan hills are the Imperial Dunes to the south. We are camped to off on the right of the photo but you can't see us. You can of course if you look to the middle right see the Dogsled waiting for us.


 We are camped off in this direction, toward the middle left in this photo.



We do a lot of walking in that area that looks so flat with the line of green growth through it. 
 
The Dogsled is down there but you can see it behind that pile of darker rocks to the left of center. 
 
 
 I have climbed and walked along a great deal of the area in this photo over the past couple of  years.


 Pale rock is of course tailings from that hole in the rock you can see above the pile.
 
 We are heading back toward the old open pit mine and the blue/green tailing pile but I turned to snap this photo. That would be to the southwest of us, those tan dunes show up pretty well.


 Shale like rock here, I would be afraid to hit with a hammer as I'm sure lots of chunks would splinter and fall. Not stable for mining for certain.


 The camera doesn't show the blue green of these tailings and the tailings themselves are now sliding down the sides with a great deal more brown showing through now.


 We are still heading toward the old open pit mine back in these hills but I turned around to snap this photo. We came through on the road that winds between the hills here. I love the edge of brown hill, looks the top of a tiki hut, don't ya think?


 We have reached the open pit mine now. You can see some of the sides are starting to fall now. Water, wind and time  has started to erode them and they are less defined. Along the middle bottom of the photo is narrow roadway which ends in a deep pool of water.


 This is the end point of the mine, you can still see the shelves here.



 A bit better view, the end of the pit in the photo above is directly to the right of this photo. The water as you can see has hollowed out under some of that side wall in the bottom middle of the photo. These photos are not the best as the sun is shining at us over those hills. It is too far a walk to do later in the heat of the day when the photos would be of better quality so we will make do with what I have.


 I would guess that is some kind of mineral leaching from the tailings but I don't know that for certain. You can see this hillside for a long way and it certainly draws your eye, catching your attention with the colour so evenly running down the hillside.


 Again, the sun interferes but it is what it is. You can see roads along the top of the mountains there but also see where the sides are starting to erode due to water, wind and time. 


 Down on the old road to the bottom of the mine but I think it has now become more of a wash than a roadway. You can see it is not easy walking down here, lots of course rock, stones and sand. Uneven footing and fairly steep high sides that you could not climb down or climb up.


 Turning around from the photo above, this is what lies behind me.


 It looks pretty rough down there doesn't it? The path to the bottom of the mine is off to the right out view of the photo.
 
 I think that is the side of a wash that comes off the multi coloured hillside. I think the wash is pretty deep there but I didn't walk far enough to check it out. Riley was having a rest back the path a short distance and I didn't want to keep her waiting too long.


 This leads to the area that is pictured in the photo above. I would have had to walk down this wash past those green Palo Verde trees to even begin to see the wash above. This was the farthest point for me, I turned here and headed back to join Riley at her seat on a large rock while she rested.  Can you see the 'spine'  or white line in the brown rock, keep that in mind as you continue on.


 Once damp dust now curling into mud curls as it continues to dry out.


 Looking behind us, we walked on this gravel roadway all the way to the wash I showed in the upper photos. It was a lot rougher than it looks. The open pit mine is a fair distance off to the right of this photo. Once again you can see the 'spines' or white line in the hills back there.


 I believe it is this kind of formation that causes the 'spine' look in these hills. It thrusts upward breaking the surface and looks like a spine or a serpentine chain against the dark of the hills.


 Heading back toward the Dogsled we can now start to see the desert floor and the Imperial Dunes between the edges.


 Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the walk! We travelled  just over 3.5 miles in 1 hour and 30 minutes. Did you break a sweat? 



 Yep, we are certainly going in the proper direction to find the Dogsled to take us home.


 Until next time.. take care, be safe,



 Who says the desert is brown and boring?
 
Deb 





18 comments:

  1. looks like you are ripe for some good geology books, if you like to read. John McPHee is a good start, and there's one recent one I can't remember the name of at this time. But there are surely others having to do with your current location which should be good. Your photos are interesting.....and not to mention, photogenic.

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    1. Thank you Judith, I appreciate the compliments. I'm sure it would do me good to read some geology books and at some point I might but for now I'm content to take photos that will in the future help me remember what I enjoyed about the southwest so very much. The views, the textures, the shapes, the stark and yet inviting mountains, the trails that beckon a finger saying 'walk on me', and just those things that strike my fancy. It is those things that pull me to click and snap the button on my phone or camera.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  2. We took the road to the east of the open pit mine when we went to valley of names. It is almost directly east of where you were but you have to go through a 4 or 5 mile dry river bed and then 4 or 5 miles across the desert! It was quite a trip to say the least. Don't try it with anything less than a 4 by 4. You have to visit the valley of names sometime. It is easily accessible from Yuma or you can follow the dirt road that is just east of you to the south around the mountain range and then head east and back north again. Have fun.

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    1. I remember reading your post about the Valley of Names and the drive to get there. I recall laughing and being a bit worried about how difficult it would be to get out if you got stuck. I think I would take the road from Winterhaven even though the Dogsled is 4 wheel drive.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  3. Pictures like this always make me wish I had become a geologist.

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    1. I have a friend that is a geologist and I'm sure she would love it out here. Although I will admit I'm more interested in the visual than the knowledge at this point. Perhaps when I'm less enamored with the visual I'll think more of the knowledge aspect and delve more deeply.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  4. Glad you two got out for a nice hike today. Great rocky pictures. :)

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    1. Thanks Patsy. We enjoyed it. I've been back there before but Riley hasn't. She enjoyed the views a great deal.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  5. It's certainly not lush but it certainly has a stark beauty.

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    1. There is a beauty here, without a doubt, or at least I think there is. It's hard to describe. I think barren is correct but not really, I think inviting but unfriendly. I find it fascinating.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  6. Some walk you two did. The pictures of the hike look great. I don't think I'm ready for a three miler yet but working on it.

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    1. Thanks Doug. It takes time and of course you know you can find places to rest while out there. Riley enjoys sitting and looking over a vast view for a while. While she does that I tend to keep exploring but at times I too find the need of some resting.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  7. Awesome photos. Those mud curls.....very interesting. Thanks for the info on your location. Jerry says he knows where you are.

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    1. I love the mud curls. I would like to take more of those photos but I'm not sure I can do them well.
      Thanks Elva for the compliments, I appreciate them very much.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  8. what an interesting hike you did and thanks so much for all those pictures of the mine. always wondered what it wa sake back there and the men as well.

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    1. You are most welcome George. I always enjoy seeing things that are little different and I think that qualifies for me at least.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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  9. That was quite a hike the two of you took. Lots of good information for anyone who would follow the same trail. Nice how you can see the dunes so clearly in a couple of pictures. Great pictures of the area.

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    1. Thanks Deb. WE enjoyed the hike. The views are always interesting in my opinion. It is something I never tire of seeing.

      Take care, be safe,
      Deb

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