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.