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Carizzo Gorge Pictographs

Carizzo Gorge Pictographs

Overlooking the rocky wash of the Carrizo Gorge, down in Anza Borrego State Park, sits a small rock shelter with a unique set of fascinating pictographs hidden inside. The primarily black drawings are of anthropomorphs (human-like figures), suns, stars, nets, and other abstract designs. Some of the pictographs are amazing

Cupule Cave

Cupule Cave

While on a trip with the late great Roger Mitchell, we stopped to visit a little boulder cave in the Mojave Desert. The cave is only a few feet long, but a large, flat granite boulder is in the center. Its surface is covered with cupules and edges polished smooth

Fort Independence Soldier's Camp

Fort Independence Soldier's Camp

Back in 1862, Owens Valley was not quite as peaceful as it is today. White settlers were just moving in and starting up ranches. Prospectors were combing the hills in search of that elusive next big strike. The Paiute, Shoshone, and Kawaiisu people who lived here didn’t appreciate being

New Years Mine

New Years Mine

The mine was a minor producer of zinc, lead, silver, and gold. It was first located in 1913 but wasn’t worked until 1915. It was active only for a few short years and idle by 1918. The mine workings here are fairly small, but the mill near the top

Poinsettia Camp

Poinsettia Camp

Poinsettia was once a cinnabar mine. Reportedly, the mine was worked from 1929 to WWII, but information on it is hard to find, and no production was recorded. It is doubtful much cinnabar was ever mined here. Cinnabar is a primary ore for mercury, which is important in the gold

Harrisburg Flat Cabin

Harrisburg Flat Cabin

Back on a cool April day in 2013, Dan and I hiked out to a little cabin ruin near Harrisburg Flat in the Death Valley backcountry. (Harrisburg Flat is on the way to the old townsite of Skidoo.) These days, nothing much remains of that town or its former rival,

Weather Station Cabin

Weather Station Cabin

Dan and I started off a three-day trip into the Panamint and Death Valley region in 2013 by visiting an old miner’s cabin up in the hills. After spending the night at one of our favorite places down in Panamint Valley, we drove up into the mountains and parked