My wife and I visited Death Valley during the spring of 2009.  Having four wheel drive opens up a whole new world, where two wheel drive vehicles dare not tread!  Photos by Scott Schwartz.

What kind of aircraft is this?  Is it a North American T-6?  If you are inclined to answer "yes", look very closely at the photograph.  Notice the fixed landing gear and narrow cowling.  This is actually a North American BT-14.  The fuselage consists of the same basic structure as the T-6, but the BT-14 is powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine, which generates 450 HP.

Both the BT-14 and the T-6 are developments of an earlier fixed-gear training aircraft that was produced by North American.  The aircraft in the photo may be the only airworthy BT-14 in existence.  Prior to its restoration, the aircraft sat on a pole in front of a restaurant in Canada.  It was purchased by a pilot who planned to restore it, but never got around to it.  So, the BT-14 languished in a storage yard until its current owner bought it and actually completed the restoration.  The aircraft is based at Fox Airport in Lancaster, CA.

Photo by Scott Schwartz

Off-Road in a B-29....

One of two hundred, fifty B-29 Superfortresses that were flown out to China Lake in 1956, this one was retrieved by volunteers from an organization known as The United States Aviation Museum in 1998.  Note the use of the bulldozer and of the large tractor in towing the aircraft.

The obsolete aircraft were left out on the gunnery range to be used as ground targets-the Commemorative Air Force's Fifi was one of this batch.

The aircraft in the photo was towed from the China Lake Naval Weapons Station to nearby Inyokern Airport. The original plan was to restore it to flying condition at Inyokern, but Boeing made an offer that could not be refused-namely that they would dismantle and truck the aircraft (known as "Doc", because the Disney character was painted on the nose of the airplane) to its plant in Wichita, Kansas, where state-of-the-art facilities could be utilized for the restoration.

Most of the restoration is complete, but Boeing wound up needing the space.  So, the aircraft is being stored at an aviation museum in Kansas while attempts are made to locate another restoration facility.

Photo by Scott Schwartz.

Deep Into The Providence Mountains.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of this mesa. Photo by Scott Schwartz.

Deep Into The Providence Mountains..

Columnar Basalt- according to the rockhound-friend who accompanied me on my trip.

Photo by Scott Schwartz

Deep Into the Providence Mountains..

After waiting out high winds, a severe case of the flu, I finally made it into the Providence Mountains.

This appears to be the remains of an old miner's cabin- note the fireplace in the back wall.

Photo by Scott Schwartz

T-6 Texan....

Although its Marine Corps livery suggests that this aircraft is an SNJ, the canopy framework is spaced further apart than that of other T-6/SNJ's.  This suggests that this aircraft is actually a former USAF T-6G-T6G's were  T-6's that were re-manufactured by North American prior to the outbreak of the Korean War.

Photo by Scott Schwartz

El Paso Mountains -looking at old trash...

Look closely at this photo.  Do you see the large rivet in the center of the can? That is how cans were sealed during the 19th century. 
Photo by Scott Schwartz

More from the El Paso Mountains...

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this rocky dugout served as a home for miners working the diggings at Bonanza Gulch.  A tarp probably served as the dwellings roof, at the time.

Photo by Scott Schwartz