Mojave Desert Photography: I hope that your New Year's Eve....

...really rocks!

1/200th sec. @ f/18.

Mojave Desert Photography: The Shadows Make Me Smile.

More from the Rodman Mountains.

1/125th sec. @ f/18.

Mojave Desert Photography: Rodman Mountains.

Hidden canyon.

1/80th sec. @ f/18.

Merry Christmas!

Mojave Desert Photography: The Rodman Mountains.

Smokethorn trees.

1/100 sec. @ f/18.

Mojave Desert Photography: send in the clouds...

1/160th sec. @ f/22.

Mojave Desert Photography: El Paso Mountains...

Solitary Plateau.

1/40th sec. @ f/22.

Mojave Desert Photography: El Paso Mountains...

1/200th sec. @ f/16.

Mojave Desert Photography: El Paso Mountains.

I look to what lies beyond the black ribbons of macadam.

1/50th sec. @ f/16.

Mojave Desert Photography: El Paso Mountains.

I prefer to wander.  If you wish to know where I am these days, I have found my home among the creosote and the Yucca.

1/160th sec. @ f/16.

Mojave Desert Photography.....

El Paso Mountains:  study in contrast.

1/50th sec. @ f.22.

Mojave Desert: El Paso Mountains...

Here's a craggy rock that I just had to photograph.

1/30th sec. @ f/18.

Mojave Desert Photography: Magic Light....

Successful landscape photography requires the patience of the hunter.  The photographer's quarry is sunlight, at just the right angle and intensity.

1/160th sec. @ f/14.

Cuddeback Air Field....

Practice-bomb remnants.

Forgotten Mojave: Abandoned Air Strip At Cuddeback Dry Lake...

Said to have been named for a friend of aviatrix Pancho Barnes, Leon Cuddeback, the origins of this former Air Force bombing range and emergency landing site date back to the late 1930's, although the exact date that operations began here seems to be unknown.  Evidently, this now-abandoned air field started out as a civilian airport and was listed as such in a 1937 airport directory.

Happy Thanksgiving....

to all of my readers and followers!!

Here's to having plenty of left-over turkey to eat while out on the trail!

Mojave Desert Dreams: Lockhart, CA.

Another view of the old warehouse in Lockhart, CA.

Broken Desert Dreams: The Ruins Of Lockhart, CA.

Abandoned warehouse.

Lockhart, CA.

Mojave Desert: The forgotten town of Lockhart.....

Abandoned warehouse in Lockhart.

....was the result of a post-World War Two attempt to bring agriculture to not-so-fertile land.

By 1953, there were enough turkey and alfalfa farms to warrant the creation of a post office here.

Decent water, which was originally thought to exist close to the surface, was deeper underground than expected.  Drilling for, and pumping the deep water caused the water table to descend further.  This, the heat, and the poor quality of the soil drove most of the inhabitants away from Lockhart.

Indeed, the Lockhart post office closed in 1957.

Today, the few remaining residents get their mail in the nearby town of Hinkley.

The El Paso Mountains: Other treasures....

Photograph by Scott Schwartz.
All rights reserved. 

One of the major tunnels of the Holly Mine is shown in this photograph.

The Holly Mine produced industrial-quality pumice from 1939 to 1945, and then from 1946 through the 1950's.

The pumice is actually hardened ash from a volcanic eruption that occurred approximately six million years ago.

Mojave Desert: Bonanza Gulch...

Here is the exterior of "Sears Cabin."

Mojave Desert: Old Cabin....

This is the interior of "Sears Cabin."  One of the many cabins that are still standing in the El Paso Mountains, this one was built by a prospector during the 1950's.  He is supposed to have used old packing crates from a Los Angeles Sears store in the cabin's construction.

The Mojave Desert isn't always hot...

...which is why one should always carry winter clothing, blankets, and a thermos full of hot coffee (or tea, if you prefer) when traveling through the desert during winter months.

In the photograph, the author's Jeep Cherokee is seen on an excursion through Sage Canyon.

Mojave Desert: Mining camp life...

Walt Bickel's Kitchen.

Bickel Camp.

El Paso Mountains.

Mojave Desert: Machine Graveyard: Bickel Camp...

Fordson tractor at Bickel Camp.  Note the bulldozer in the background.

Mojave Desert: Machine Reliquary At Bickel Camp...

Here is another view of the old bulldozer.  Note the heavy steel tracks and the remnants of insulation on the steering wheel.

Mojave Desert: The Silent Machines of Bickel Camp...

Once, this little bulldozer chugged along, helping Walt Bickel build a life for himself here in Last Chance Canyon.

Its treads are long frozen; it's engine is silent.

Mojave Desert: Bickel Camp Artifact...

Photograph by Scott Schwartz.

Do you remember the Packard car body referred to in the previous post?  Well, here's what became of the frame.  Walt mounted an air compressor on it!

Mojave Desert: One Man's Junk...

....Packard car body, sans frame, at Bickel Camp.

What happened to the frame?

More to come.

Mojave Desert Ruins: Goler Gulch.

This is one of the few remaining traces of Goler, a town that sprang up based on rumors of lost gold..

Goler Gulch, El Paso Mountains.

Mojave Desert: Walt Bickel...

Photograph by Scott Schwartz.  All rights reserved.

....adapted scores of small engines for use at his mining camp in the El Paso Mountains.  The photograph on the right shows an aircraft Auxiliary Power Unit ("APU") that is supposed to have come from a Boeing B-17 bomber.  Walt used it to generate electricity at the camp.

Mojave Desert Photography: Lockhart Rocks....

I snapped this photograph, while exploring the desert near the old town of Lockhart, CA.

1/250th sec. @ f/14.

It pays to drive slowly and keep your eyes open.

Mojave Desert Ruins: The Alvord Mine- Final Words, for now...

My friend Ron stares dejectedly at the ground, as I prepare for our departure.
Photograph by Scott Schwartz.

Alas, our time at the Alvord Mine was to be cut short, because my friend Ron began to feel ill.  The mine itself was a few hundred feet further, but we had to head for home.

But, we will return to this place.

Mojave Desert Ruins: The Alvord Mine, Continued....

After a rocky climb of about a mile in four-wheel-drive-Low, we reached a plateau, on which stands the building that has figured so prominently in this blog's photographs.

Mojave Desert Ruins: The Alvord Mine, continued...

Corporate logo on the floor of the ruined building.

Shortly after exiting Harvard Road and turning toward the Alvord Mountains, the pavement ended and I engaged the front axle.  The trail was mostly level, with occasional patches of deep sand.  I won't give turn-by-turn directions here; but, at one point, we crossed a very wide dirt road that is used by the Army to move its tanks and other vehicles from the railroad depot to the Fort Irwin training base.  On previous trips, I have seen very large tracks here, that were left by the huge M1 Abrams tank.

Within a mile of the Alvord Mine, the trail begins to ascend the mountain and becomes pretty rocky.  Here, I engaged my four-wheel-drive low-range gears.

More to follow....

Mojave Desert Ruins: The Alvord Mine...

So, I picked my buddy Ron up at ten o'clock, on Saturday.  The Alvord Mine lies roughly thirty miles north east of Barstow, CA, off Harvard Road.

The intense heat-wave we'd been experiencing here in southern California had finally broken, and the temperature was a mild eighty degrees as we tooled up Highway 15.

After a quick lunch at a Barstow Denny's, we were on the road again.

More to come....

Mojave Desert Ruins: The Alvord Mine...

My rock-hound friend asked me to take him to the Alvord Mine, so that he could look for, well, rocks.
I'd been to the Alvord Mine once before, and I welcomed the excuse to return and explore the area again.

The mine has its origins in the 1885 discovery of gold in the surrounding Alvord Mountains.  Within a few years of the discovery, an outfit called the Carter Mining Company was operating here.  The company ceased operations in 1891, after $50,000 in gold was extracted from the mine.

The Alvord mine was re-activated on several different occasions during the early twentieth century, with the last operations ceasing in 1952.

More to come.....

Mojave Desert Photography: "I really don't know clouds at all..."

Singer Judy Collins had it right; we don't know clouds even after looking at them for years.  But, I love them just the same!  There are few things as beautiful as a desert sky full of clouds!

1/100th sec. @ f/20.

Mojave Desert Photography: El Paso Mountains...

View from the trail, looking north east toward the Sierras.

1/60th sec. @ f/20.

Mojave Desert- The Hills Have (My) Eyes....

I love the views from the higher elevations.  When driving in the desert, I'm always looking for trails that lead to the tops of hills and mountains.

1/40th sec. @ f/20.

Mojave Desert Photography: El Paso Mountains-a landscape photographer's dream...

....because you never know when an unexplored trail will treat you to a fantastic view.  

As usual, when taking landscape photographs, my camera is set to the "Aperture Priority" mode.  Maximum depth of field is the goal, here.

I used a polarizing filter here.  The polarizing filter renders the blue sky and white clouds more pronounced.  I prefer to perform the majority of my photo editing when I take the photograph.

1/80th sec. @ f/20.

Mojave Desert Photographs: From my recent trip into the El Paso Mountains...

From the radio antenna site, another image.

1/60th sec. @ f/20.

As we journey through life's desert, it is necessary to stop and take in the view.

Mojave Desert Images....from a spot that I'd never visited before..

I am happy to report that there are many trails in the El Paso Mountains that have been opened, or re-opened, thus  exposing off-road drivers to a new world of beautiful vistas and fascinating rock formations.

One of these trails is EP33, which starts out as a paved road, taking drivers past the Air Force radar installation, all the way up to a radio tower site, from which a stunning panoramic view of the Sierras, the China Lake Naval Weapons Station, and the cities of Inyokern and Ridgecrest.  The pavement gives way to dirt again, as one heads down, and four wheel drive, along with the knowledge and experience to use it is recommended.

Here is one of the images that I created while I was at the radio tower site.

Camera settings:  1/80th sec. @ f/20.  Tripod and remote shutter release utilized order to minimize camera movement.

Mojave Desert Photography: Rock-strewn valley....

From the interior of the El Paso Mountains.

1/160th sec. @ f/14.

Mojave Desert: Deep in the heart of the El Paso Mountains...

...I came across this colorful hill side, with mysterious Black Mountain looming in the background.

1/80th sec.@ f/22.

Mojave Desert Photography: Over The Rainbow (Basin, that is!)

Another scene from Rainbow Basin.

1/80th sec. @ f/18.

Mojave Desert Photography: Afternoon Delight....

Timing is everything.

If one desires to create beautiful outdoor photographs, one has to conform to Mother Nature's schedule.

Photographers often speak of the early morning or afternoon "sweet light."  At these times, the sun is lower in the sky, the lighting is softer, and colors are more pronounced.

The photograph at right was taken on a November day at 4:45 PM.

1/50th sec. @ f/20.

Mojave Desert Black And White...

Mojave National Preserve:  Rainbow Basin.

1/100th sec. @ f/16.

Mojave Desert: Colored Rocks...

Rainbow Basin:  Mojave National Preserve.

1/50th sec. @ f/18.

Desert Photography...

Despite the heatwave that we in southern California are experiencing, the desert still calls to my heart.  It is never far from my mind.

Coso Mountain Range.

1/200th sec. @ f/13.

More Coso Ruins....

Note the sharpness of the wood's texture in the photograph.  I shot this at 1/320th sec, and held my breath as I depressed the shutter release.  The high shutter speed, coupled with nearly no camera movement yielded a sharp image.