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.
The ruins of the Ashford Mill are within the boundary of Death Valley National Park. The mill was built in 1914 and was processing the ore from the Golden Treasure Mine about 5 miles to the east. The location is just south of Badwater and is below sea level and a hot and dry environment. Not a good location for processing ore.
This is the lowest point in the North American continent, Badwater, Death Valley National Park at 282 ft (86m) below sea level. It was 104 degrees (40 C) when I took this photo. The white color is caused by people walking out to the actual low point in the middle of the valley. It is an alkali salt and the white color reflects the heat and makes it seem that much warmer. Not a pleasant place to spend a lot of time, but a unique experience.
The mountains across the valley include the highest point in Death Valley National Park … Telescope Peak at 11, 043 feet (3366 m). Quite a contrast in elevation in a short distance.
I was just leaving Manzanar … the WWII Japanese Internment Camp … when I noticed a dust devil forming in the field just to the north. I found a good spot to pull the car over and grabbed my camera. It wasn’t long after I took this shot that it started to dissipate.
Looking east across the Owens River valley to the White Mountains, just north of Lone Pine, CA. There isn’t much rainfall in this area, and when there is rain, it often falls in isolated showers like this one. It lasted just a few minutes, but provided some needed moisture to that particular location.