February 13-15, 2016 Shoshone, California

 

I went on the bird walk led by Len the area bird expert in the am. There is a weekend long Sierra Club meeting going on so it was packed with Sierra Club member.  They have it every week at 8am, which is usually when I get up, but I got up early to go, it was very worth it. Len also paints birds, he is getting ready for an exhibition at the gallery at Tecopa Hot springs. These are a few of his painting.

We had dinner with Jeff and my sister Judy at the Crowbar. Today I went on the birdwalk this morning again. I may actually remember some of these birds now. In the afternoon I went on a walk led by Susan Sorrels of some of the areas archaeological sights. Four generations of Susan’s family have owned Shoshone. It was founded by her great grandfather.

Here is Ila in the door way of a room where they kept the dinamite for one of the mines. Grafitti on one of the canyon walls.

The white formations  are seismatites. This area was at one time below Lake Tecopa. The white layer is volcanic ash from the Yellowstone caldera. It was mud at the bottom of the lake.  When there were seismic events the mud rippled and distorted, then fossilized. Since they know when the volcanic ash fell it helps pinpoint when and where events happened. Susan with her husband Robbie.

I am making mini baskets now for the art show next month. Last light on the Kingston mountains.

Sunset through the what is left of the historic garage.  Some of todays sights.  A red naped sap sucker eating dates from the bird walk. The reflections of the bullrushes in the pupfish ponds. I was trying to photograph the little pupfish but the camera kept focusing on  the reflections. There are little fish under there.

Another pupfish pond reflection, a fossilized mammoth foot print. You can see where the mud squished up between its toes A whirled piece of grass in the pond, and the middle of a palm tree.  Mud dripping down the layers of rocks, another seismitite, a colored layer and fossilezed wave marks from the shore of ancient lake Tecopa.

Judy and I signed up for an art/writing workshop is Shosone. Here is the painting part. It was taught by David Ohlerking who is the resident artist in Shoshone right now and our neighbor.  Here we are painiting. In the second photo the paintings on the right are mine and the left are Judy’s. Ila is working on hers across the table.

David is chatting with George Ross who gave a talk after the painting on edible and medicinal plants the indians ate in the area. After the workshop we hopped in the car and headed to Beatty , Nevada. Here is a roadside view.

John and my sister Judy are going on a 13 day, 170 mile back pack trip along the route of theAmargosa river. You can read about this hike at http://www.b2bhike.net/.  It is called the Beatty to Badwater  or B2B. My sister has been going every year for years. This is John’s first time.  John and Judy are cacheing some water along the way.  Sunset at 630 pm in Beatty.

We stayed the night at the Death Valley Inn in Beatty. Either the pre trip, or first night of it. John and Judy leaving in the morning.  I will be joining them at their next motel stop in Death Valley Junction on Friday.