HIGH DESERT IN MAY
I
was asked to travel to Lancaster, CA, to judge the Lancaster Photography Association (LPA) spring assignment, "Desert Wildflowers and
Desert Scenes". So off I went this past Tuesday, May 16th.
Lancaster
is located in Northern Los Angeles County in the high desert region of the Western
Mojave Desert. It is about a three hour drive from my home in San Diego. I left
mid-morning after the morning commute. The drive went smoothly though it was
quite windy. Before reaching Lancaster, I was attracted to Saddleback Butte
State Park.
Saddleback
Butte State Park is located about 15 miles East of Lancaster, and protects the
butte and Joshua trees that dot the high desert landscape. Regrettably the
wildflowers were mostly gone. I saw California coreopsis in bloom, a couple of
very small blue flowers which were very much past their prime, and a variety of
fiddleneck. I hiked the Saddleback Butte
Peak Trail starting from the campground. The trail was quite easy to follow
though it was also quite sandy. Due to time constraints I had to turn around
before reaching the peak, but I had a commanding view to the West where I
stopped to enjoy a tangerine and some water before returning to my car.
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| Saddleback Butte |
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| Joshua Tree in Saddleback Butte S.P. |
Once
in Lancaster I checked into my “no tell” Motel and then was off to an early
dinner with members of the Lancaster Photography Association. Dinner was at the
Greenhouse Café. The club’s meeting was at the Antelope Valley Senior Center which has a number
of programs, and facilities for the Senior population to make use of. After the
business meeting I was introduced and given the privilege of evaluating both
prints and digitally projected images. Hopefully I gave a constructive critique
and the makers learned a little from each image. Afterwards I was given a
certificate of appreciation, a coffee mug with the LPA logo, and an honorarium
to help defray the cost of my travel to and from Lancaster.
My eye glasses had broken down in that one of
the screws holding the ear bar had fallen out. I was able to stop at a drug
store on my way back to the motel for a repair kit, and then with the help of
the desk clerk at the motel got them repaired so that I could use them for
reading, etc. I had them checked and retightened by my optometrist when I got home.
Wednesday
morning I was off before sunrise to get to Red Rock State Park which is located
about 55 miles North of Lancaster. I had driven through it once before as CA-14
runs right through the park.
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| Highlighted Clouds |
I
did not make it to the park for sunrise, but was not too late to capture low
light on the formations around Hagen Canyon. I had been delayed in part by the phenomenal
rainbows that were to the West of the highway. Though I did not get rained
upon, the low clouds and light mist worked to create some beautiful rainbows.
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| Double Rainbow and Windmills |
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| Rainbow and Windmills |
The cliffs at Red Rock State Park are the result of wind and rain eroding
the softer materials beneath the dark caprocks which were formed by a harder
lava flow layer.
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| Red Rock Canyon Wall |
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| Cloud and Rolling Hills |
It
was very windy this morning with wind speeds of 25 plus mph. Several times I
really got blown around, and the sand also was blowing but generally just at ground
level. Though I did not explore much of the park on foot due to the wind, I did
enjoy my time there photographing the landscape and enjoying the quiet of the
desert.
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| Hagen Canyon Formation |
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| Hagen Canyon, A Closer View |
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| Layers, Hagen Canyon |
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| Low Cliff, High Cloud |
Early
this morning I discovered that I had lost my “Tillie Hat” out of the car. I
figured that when the back of the car was open that it must have blown out!!
Where could it be? The last I remember seeing it and debating using it or a sun
bonnet was at Saddleback Butte. So
after getting a coffee in Mojave and then having my breakfast in the car as it
was too windy to be enjoyable outside, I decided that on my way home I would
take the time to swing back by Saddleback Butte S.P. to see if it was there or
that the camp host had picked it up. I refueled before I left Palmdale.
The
luck of the Irish was with me!! When I drove into the park and stopped almost
exactly where I had parked yesterday, lo and behold there was the hat sitting
right on the ground, not having been moved by the wind or a critter!! To say the least, I was very happy.
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| High Desert and Rainbow |
The
drive home went smoothly and the traffic was moving quite smoothly. I was home
in time for a late lunch. I will have to return to the area at an earlier
spring time for desert wildflowers, poppy fields, and further exploration of
the various parks in the area.
