I don’t know where you’ll find a more spectacular range of mountains than the eastern edge of the mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains. This is where the gargantuan slab of granite from which the mountain range is formed plunges precipitously from the peaks along the crest into the Owens Valley below. Driving up the Valley on legendary highway US 395 is likely to give you a crick in your neck. Because you can’t take your eyes off the endless procession of towering summits.
I’ve camped and backpacked in these mountains since I was a young boy and I always love returning to them. And now that I come back with camera in hand I have an opportunity to capture and share with you the inspiration I receive here.
Mt Whitney is the tallest peak in the lower 48 and from your vantage point in the valley below it towers more than two vertical miles above your head. It’s nothing short of breathtaking in the morning sun.
But there’s more to the Eastern Sierra than the grandeur of these mighty peaks. Come with me on a journey as I show you the superlative and the sublime.
Tags: Alabama Hills, bristlecone pine, California, Eastern Sierra, land, Mono Lake, Mt Whitney, Owens River, Owens Valley, photography, photography workshops, Sierra Nevada
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The second entry into the Orange County Fair this year is one that I planned for well over a year – Bristlecone Moon. The bristlecone pine are the oldest living trees on the planet. The oldest of these is over 4,800 years old. Imagine, not only will it outlive you and I, not only has it outlived our ancestors, but it has outlived whole civilizations.
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Tags: bristlecone pine, California, earth shadow, full moon, moon, Orange County Fair, White Mountains
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The investigation of the Shulman Grove Visitor Center fire is complete but the results have not yet been released. Here’s a recent post. http://www.ksrw.sierrawave.net/site/content/view/1304/48/
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. The celebration in the Schulman Grove will continue as planned on September 20. Also, the Methuselah Trail that was closed for a while after the fire has been reopened. The Methuselah Trail winds its way through the oldest trees in the forest including the Methuselah tree whose age is determined to be 4,700 years old. However, the tree is not identified. Here’s the post from the Inyo National Forest regarding the celebration. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/recreation/bristlecone/index.shtml
Other postings announcing the celebration include:
http://www.inyoregister.com/content/view/117328/27/
http://yubanet.com/california/Celebration-of-50th-Anniversary-of-Ancient-Bristlecone-Pine-Forest-September-20th_printer.php
Following the John Christiana angle of the story, Christiana pleaded not guilty to felony charges of auto theft, grand theft and receiving stolen property. Sheriff’s investigators have enough hard evidence to link him to the rash of vandalisms that occurred in recent weeks in the Big Pine Creek and Bishop Creek areas. The Inyo Register reports the following…
http://www.inyoregister.com/content/view/116920/27/
Tags: bristlecone pine, fire, Inyo National Forest, Schulman Grove, visitor center, White Mountains
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