Losing myself in the Mojave Desert...

Photograph by Scott Schwarz.

The anonymous desert...

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Mojave Desert in a Jeep..

A comfortable chair, and the quiet beauty of the El Paso Mountains.

My Jeep Cherokee is almost completely stock.  I say "almost", because I did install a VHF/UHF ham radio transceiver in the vehicle.

An alternate means of communications is a must.  Cellular telephone reception is spotty, in certain parts of the Mojave Desert.

Mojave National Preserve: Unidentified ruins...

One never knows what one will come across when exploring the Mojave Desert.

I came across these mysterious ruins in the Mojave National Preserve.  I suspect that this was once a prospector's cabin.

Shot at 1/160th sec. at f/13.  Nikon D70.

Coso Mountains: Trees and tips...

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From a trip to the Coso Mountain range.

1/40 second at F.16.

Nikon D70.

An angels view of Joshua Tree...

I rented a small airplane in Sunday, from which I snapped this photograph of Joshua Tree National Park.

Since I was flying the airplane, I had to quickly point my phone-camera at the window and hope for the best.

Joshua Tree: Squaw Tank...

As the owner of a four-wheel-drive vehicle, I was naturally obligated to explore the geology tour road in Joshua Tree National Park. 

Despite the signs stating that four-wheel-drive is recommended, the trail is really just a graded dirt road that is sandy in places.  This makes the trail passable-probably with some difficulty- in a two- wheel -drive vehicle. 

Four-wheel-drive enthusiasts expecting a challenging trail will be disappointed.  Here, four-wheel-drive merely provides additional traction-especially on sections of the trail that are sandy, uphill grades.  And, that's ok, especially because the destination is sometimes more important than the journey.

" Squaw Tank" is one stop along the trail.  The "tank" is actually a dammed area that was used by early twentieth century cattlemen to gather run-off water for their herds.

View from the Coso Mountain Range...

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After climbing a long, steep grade, we were rewarded with this view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

1/30th sec. @ F/16.

Photograph by Scott Schwartz.

Dusky El Paso Mountains.....

Photograph by Scott Schwartz.

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I don't have too much to say about this photograph.  It is one of the many that I have taken during my trips to the El Paso's over the years.

As is usual when I shoot landscape photographs, my Nikon D70 was set in the "aperture priority" mode.  For landscapes, I want maximum depth of field, so I use very small apertures.

In this case, my aperture was set at F20, and the shutter speed was 1/40th of a second.  I don't remember if I used a tripod.

I do remember that I took the photograph during the late-afternoon "sweet-light", when the sun is lower in the sky, thus resulting in softer lighting.

Timeless El Paso's.....

Photograph by Scott Schwartz.

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Beginning with the native Americans, man has occupied the El Paso Mountains for over 1,000 years.

If one knows where to look, and what to look for, traces of the native American presence can still be found.

There is much more ample evidence of the more recent white man's activities here, in the form of mining ruins.  These ruins can be found throughout the area.

I pack my old Jeep Cherokee and visit the El Paso's all year round-even during the summer, when the temperature reaches blast-furnace proportions.  It is then that I especially marvel at those who lived here.  Indeed, there were active mining operations in the El Paso's through 1960's.  

Now, the El Paso's are the domain of the weekend prospector/hobbyist and the off-road enthusiast.  Which is fine with me.

Ghost town ruins: New York Mountains...

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Another image from that abandoned homestead.

Shot with my Nikon D70.  F.14 @ 1/1000 sec.

Photograph by Scott Schwartz.

The camera was set in the aperture priority mode.

El Paso Mountains: Bonanza Gulch.

This is the Lundquist cabin.  Like most of the old cabins in the Mojave Desert, it was built in connection with a nearby mining claim.

In this case, the builders were a man and woman from Sweden, who utilized local rocks and a concrete floor in the cabin's construction.  It is believed that this cabin was built during the 1940's or during the 1950's.

Today, the Lundquist cabin is more widely (I suppose that this depends upon one's definition of "widely") known as the "Jonie-Jack" cabin, in honor of the the folks who owned it during the 1960's.

Today, off-road enthusiasts can visit this cabin and spend the night in it, if they desire.

Desert Ruins: Broken dreams...

Old water tank at the ruins of an abandoned homestead.  Mojave Desert.

Photograph by Scott Schwartz.

Mojave Desert Image...

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Mojave National Preserve:  New York Mountains.

Photograph by Scott Schwartz.

1/250 sec. @ F.14.

Nikon D70 set in the "Aperture Priority" mode.

Mojave Desert: More from the New York Mountains.

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The road to New York.  Well, the New York Mountains, that is.

Photograph by Scott Schwartz.






Photographs like these can't be taken from your vehicle.  Composing good photographs takes time.

                                  

All photographs by Scott Schwartz.  They were taken with a Nikon D70 single-lens reflex camera.

Mojave Desert Images...

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New York Mountains, in the Mojave Desert.:  

The image on the right was taken with a Nikon D70.

The aperture was set at F11, and the shutter speed was 1/200th of a second.  Photograph by Scott Schwartz.

                                                         

One never knows what one will come across while driving off-road.  New York Mountains.  Photograph by Scott Schwartz.

El Paso Mountains: From a Nikon Digital SLR....

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President's Day, 2014:  There was a lot of activity in the El Paso Mountains on this day.  We encountered many motorcycles, off-highway vehicles, and of course, other four-wheel drive vehicles.  However,

 the El Paso range covers an area large enough to find solitude, even during the "in" season.    

The area shown in the photograph on the right, is deep in the heart of the El Paso's.     I call this spot "the plateau."  On this day, my friend any I found ourselves completely alone.  The only sounds were the distant growls of motorcycles and the wind buffeting our ears.  

This photograph was taken with my Nikon D70 digital camera.  I used a 70-300 millimeter telephoto lens, which was set at the 105 millimeter focal length.  The shutter speed was 1/125th of a second, and the aperture was set at F16.  

Generally, smaller aperture openings (which are denoted by higher numbers, i.e. F16 is a smaller opening that F8, etc.) give greater depth of field.  In other words, distant subjects remain in focus at a greater distance when smaller openings are used.