I was driving from Susanville, CA to Klamath Falls, OR and saw this abandoned homestead off the roadway. I’m not sure if the tree is still alive, since it was early in the spring and a fairly high elevation. It is still an active cattle ranch. Hopefully, the family that homesteaded was able to continue ownership.
Heading back to the motel after freezing up at the Bristlecones (it was 39 degrees F with a 20mph wind blowing), we returned down the access road and down to Hwy 395 just outside of the town of Big Pine. I saw some great clouds over the Sierras … and a nice pasture scene in the foreground, so pulled off the side of the road and grabbed the camera.
The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is located in the White Mountains just north of Death Valley National Park. The Bristlecones here include the oldest living trees on the planet. They are only found at about 10,000 ft (3048 m) and above in a few isolated locations. There are a number of nature trails providing paths through the forest … the erosion caused by human presence off the trails results would result in many additional tree losses … natural loss of soil being one of the main causes of Bristlecone mortality. This view is looking SE across the Owens Valley (unseen) towards the Sierra Nevada.
This shot is looking west from the White Mountains (the Bristlecone Pine area) towards the Sierras in late April. Much earlier and the road up the White Mountains is still closed from snow most years. Elevation here is over 10,000 feet.
Not a lot to say about this, except that this is a great friend of mine and we were in the Death Valley area and saw this old wrecked truck. We both like taking photos of things that are old and falling apart. Maybe it’s that we can identify!