Driving around the area 50 miles or so south of Death Valley, we came upon a abandoned mining area. There was still mining going on (surface deposits) but they had upgraded the facilities. I liked this one better, though. Twenty miles farther north, Ballarat is a mining town that has a single inhabitant. The piano is sitting on the porch, and doesn’t get tuned often.
The town of Lone Pine, California is located along Highway 395 northwest of Death Valley National Park. Lone Pine was a location used in many western movies and some TV shows. It also provides one of the access points for climbing Mt Whitney (the highest point in the continental 48). The image above shows a clearing storm moving right to left across the Sierras. In the distance is just a sliver of Owens Lake (drained to provide water for Los Angeles).
The image below is taken from about the same location, but looking east towards the White Mountains. Lone Pine lies in the valley.
A final set of images from my visit to Fort Churchill, these showing the line of trees kept alive by the meager waters of the Carson River.
These are more shots from Fort Churchill State Park, Nevada. (see previous post) These images are more about the sky and clouds than the ruins of the old fort. I was lucky enough to visit just as a storm was blowing across the Sierra Nevada … lucky for photography, not so lucky with strong winds blowing dust and dirt.
Fort Churchill State Park is located south of Silver Springs, Nevada along the Carson River. It was originally an army supply base and provided some logistic support for the surrounding area. When the railroad came through, the need for the base disappeared and it was abandoned. It is now a state park and the buildings are maintained to keep them from further deterioration … but they are not restored.
