©Bert Gildart: Oregon grape is now growing in profusion in our back yard, just as it is in areas all over the northwest.  It’s a harbinger of spring but also one of my favorite plants, a judgement that began years ago.

In a college botany class each student was required to create a plant collection then select one species from the collection and describe everything about it that might make it interesting.  I selected Majonia repens (Oregon grape) because it was not only beautiful but functional as well.

RECLASSIFICATION

As seen, the plant produces a cluster of small, bright yellow flowers, each of which contains six petals, nine sepals, six stamens.  Not too much prior to my college collection the plant was reclassified.

Previously the plant had been grouped with the genus Berberis, but because that genus also included 500 other plants botanists renamed Oregon grape and designated it Majonia.

Interestingly, come fall the plant produces a grape which is high in Vitamin C and was once used to treat scurvy. Many still collect the berry which is crushed and made into a jelly.  Indians crushed and dried the yellow roots to cure such maladies as heartburn, rheumatism, kidney problems, and some skin conditions.

PHOTO TECHNIQUES

With its yellow flowers the plant is a delight to photograph and to accentuate the vibrant yellow color I decided I wanted a black background.  As a result, I set my tripod mounted camera on manual, then set my two strobes to “slave.”  I went to the camera’s menu, found the appropriate window to designate my on-camera strobe to master, then chose an aperture of f32 to maximize depth of field.

Oregon grape, not only a harbinger of spring but one with an abundant number of uses.

Then, to completely overpower existing daylight, I set the shutter to 250^th of a second. Because I had no photo assistant I set the camera for a 15 second delayed exposure so I could step away from the camera and hand hold the strobes.  Recently fallen rain increased the plant’s color saturation.

It’s a technique that works well for me.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS FOUR YEARS AGO:

*Arctic Grayling Now Spawning

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©Bert Gildart: Almost the moment we departed our truck parked along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front, Janie shouted that we should stop.  “Stop,” she said.  “It’s a rattlesnake.”

Actually, that is what we were trying to find, but the observation was much sooner then we expected.  Several years ago our good friends, David and his wife VV, told us about a rattlesnake den they’d found while hiking. David said that subsequent to that time they’d often returned, for in the spring they had seen literally dozens of snakes near the mouth of the den.

Western Prairie Rattlesnake

OUT EARLY THIS YEAR

At this time of year, they were intertwined, still sharing the warmth of one another’s bodies.  But this year was different. Warm summer-like weather elevated temperatures and some snakes had apparently already left the den.  Still, we hoped some remained, and we continued our hike, passing a hole into which Janie’s snake had quickly disappeared.  “Snakes,” said David, “are generally defensive.  Given a chance, they’ll always scurry away.

Thirty minutes later we approached a rock-strewn slope.  It was located on the south side of a hill and so was warmed by the winter sun.  And, yes, we saw snakes, almost immediately.  They were the western prairie  rattlesnakes, and almost immediately they began to rattle.

L TO R: Rattlesnake country is beautiful country, highlighted by sedimentary rock often covered by colorful lichens; rattlesnake den in center of photo and at bottom; David surveying country from inside an eagle pit, once used by Native Americans for capturing eagles.

They were under rocks and in the crevasses of our sandstone hill.  But as we suspected, many had apparently departed, for last year at this time David had seen literally dozens of snake intertwined like so much spaghetti.

These snakes, however, were not happy about our presence. Simultaneously, one elevated its tail and head and we gave it a wide berth until it settled down.  Then with a long telephoto lens I approached it.  I wanted a close-up shot and because the close focusing distance of my lens was about eight feet I inserted an extension tube and was able to approach within about six feet.  David, who has made a study of snakes said they can’t strike more than about half their body length, and I was well beyond that distance.

PIT VIPERS

Rattlesnakes are classified as pit vipers, and the close-up images shown here reveal these pits just below their eyes.  They serve as heat sensors and when hunting, the pits inform snakes where they should strike their prey.  These pits have an effective range of approximately one foot, but they provide the rattlesnake with a distinct advantage in hunting for warm-blooded creatures at night.

One of the snakes posed nicely beside a translucent sheath and I realized it was a discarded skin, though probably not a recent one.  As snakes grow they shed their skins, and apparently do so several times a year.  Later I found a baby rattlesnake and David said to be careful.  “Before they can rattle,” said David, “they must have two rattles.”  This one had but a “button,” a single rattle.  Though it could shake its tail, there was nothing for the one rattle (the button) to rattle against.

L TO R:  Click pictures one and two for larger image and to easily see “pits” of snake located just below eyes.  Though rattlesnakes are defensive, when approached too close, they will assume aggressive posture, showing head elevated, tongue out and tail up.

Rattlesnakes travel with their rattles held up to protect them from damage, but in spite of this precaution, their day-to-day activities in the wild still cause them to regularly break off end segments. As a result there is no correlation between age and the number of rattles.

GIVE BIRTH TO LIVING YOUNG

Unlike many other snakes, rattlesnakes give birth to living young.  In other words, they are, according to an old college professor of mine, “viviperous.” Depending on size and age, females rattlesnakes produce from 10 to 20 young once every two to three years.  Most young don’t make it past their first year, and are preyed upon by a variety of different birds.

Rattlesnakes are also destroyed by people, and as we returned from our trip, a fellow drove up in a rundown truck and said he was out killing snakes.  “I’ve gotten two already,” said the fellow with a glazed look of one who had just stepped out of a bar. As snake defenders we said that without them the country would be overrun with rodents.  Realizing our opinions differed the man jammed his truck into gear and spun off in a cloud of dust and small rocks.

“So much for jerks,” we said, and recounted our day’s activities discussing the eagle pit (used by Native Americans to capture eagles) we’d seen and the beautiful country through which we hiked.  We were also fascinated by the incredible biology of snakes and concluded we’d had a most successful day.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS THREE YEARS AGO:

*Organ Pipe Restrospective

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©Bert Gildart: Twenty-one years ago today (OTHER THAN A CHANGE OF DATE, THIS IS A REPEAT OF LAST YEAR’S POST ), Janie and I were married at my sister’s in Poughkeepsie, New York. Somehow Forrest, my brother-in-law, managed to obtain reservations for us at the World Trade Center where we stayed the night of May 4th, 1991. Janie and I both enjoy Broadway hits, so that night we took in CATS.  As well, we dined in the restaurant once located at the top of one of the Twin Towers.

Obviously we’re saddened that we can no longer return to the World Trade Center. But our sadness is obscured by the immense tragedy of lives lost subsequent to the bombing on 9/11 and the way in which the lives of so many others were forever altered.

We’re reminded of the World Trade Center for obvious reasons, and last year on a blog posting that was similar to this one I wrote: Now, if we could only bring Osama Bin Laden to justice, alive — or dead!

Because we use these blogs as logs of our travels, I want to note that on Monday, May 2nd, 2011, we were on our way to Dulles Airport and that Washington DC was alive with the news of the death of Osama Bin Laden. About eight hours later we were landing at the airport in Kalispell, Montana.

And now I want to say that I am proud to have a friend who is a member (retired) of the Navy SEALS and a family member (also retired) who once served in the Army as a Ranger.

Since leaving the World Trade Center 20 years ago, our travels have been many, as links below suggest.

SHIFTING TO UPBEAT NOTE

On a less newsworthy — but equally as memorable note for us — since departing New York and returning to Montana, our lives have been made incredibly rich with many travels, and for those interested in a sampling, simply click on links provided below.

A few highlights might include experiences in the Arctic (boating Adventure) and the travels throughout Canada (Kayaking Bay of Fundy) and the U.S. (Dry Tortugas) in our Airstream.

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TWO YEARS AT THIS TIME

*Word Trade Center (ACTUALLY A HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TRAVELS OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, ONE THAT TELLS OF EXPERIENCES FROM ALASKA TO FLORIDA)

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©Bert Gildart:  Highways from Winnemucca, Nevada, north to Bend, Oregon, pass through the nation’s loneliest lands. Highway 50 through Nevada used to hold that distinction, and  Janie and I have covered that story for several magazines — and, OK –  we did find it to be lonely.  But we now contend  that once you turn north onto Nevada’s Highway 95, see a sign or two that says next gas 100 miles, that you are now entering the nation’s loneliest country.

Highways 95 & 78 -- through Nevada and Oregon. Are these now the Nation's loneliest highways?

At Orovada, Nevada, population perhaps 20, we did find a post office, and mailed a package.  After that the road passes a sign that says Paiute and Shoshone Tribes  and then Highway 95 enters Oregon.  Perhaps every 15 minutes we saw a single car, then, we begin negotiating high mountain passes:  Blue Mountain Pass, 5293; Riddle Mountain, 6352 elevation; and, Sagehen Summit, 4,699. And for a long period of time we did not see a single vehicle or any sign of human life.

Somewhere along the drive we passed the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, where we saw various species of birds, but still little evidence of people.  Finally, as we approached Burns, Oregon, we saw a few cows, and then, finally, several small ranch houses.

We concluded that in winter this must be an intensely hostile environment, and perhaps that is the reason it was so lonely.

L to R:  Lake Powell and our Airstream at a grey- and black-water dump.  Could this be the most beautiful dump site in the NPS?  Don, Nancy, Janie and me, departing Lake Powell.  For us, a most delightful series of winter travel are winding down.

Whatever, after almost 2-1/2 days of driving from Lake Powell we began seeing mountains comprising portions of the Cascades and the incredible Three Peaks Wilderness Area, which backdrops Bend, Oregon, host town this year for the Northwest Outdoor Writer’s Association of America.

We’ll be here for almost a week and expect we’ll learn much from the various seminars.  As well, I’ll be attending business meetings and will discover whether I enjoy the partial limelight as a member of the organization’s Board of Directors.  Usually, I shy away from such positions and suspect the organization must have been desperate.

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THREE YEARS AGO:

*Honeymoon at World Trade Center

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©Bert Gildart: Though we are within striking distance today of Bend, Oregon, location this year for the Northwest Outdoor Writer’s Association annual meeting, the beauty of slot canyons is still on my mind. They’re easily accessed from Lake Powell Recreation area and my last two posts have described some of their beauty.

Look at the picture in my last posting of Janie ascending from “Mother Earth,” and then look at the ones posted here.  This is what you see beneath the fissure in the earth.  This is Lower Antelope Canyon, and must certainly represent some of the most beautiful erosion in the world.

Add to this some skillfully rendered flute music in what is a continuous echo chamber and visual beauty is augmented with an ethereal sound that delights the auditory and visual senses.

Negotiating some of the bends and twists could be challenging but the Navajo have installed iron steps to facilitate placement of feet, creating a perfectly safe environment.

Presence of Janie in image adds depth

Because I had established professional credentials – and paid for a special photography permit which authorized publication of my images – Janie and I were permitted to wander alone.  My permit specified that I would not deface these incredible works of time, and I certainly had no problem signing the paper containing that agreement.    Apparently, in the past some have lacked integrity, and I am delighted the Navajo are going to great lengths to preserve these national treasures.

The record-breaking temperatures throughout the country persist as we travel, but we recall the slots were cool, another reason to visit these gorgeous examples of subterranean erosion.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS THREE YEARS AGO:

*They were Honeyed Up — Reflections From My days as a Backcountry Ranger

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©Bert Gildart: In the last couple of posts I have covered the beauty of slot canyon, specifically, those on the Navajo Indian Reservation, located at Lake Powell, near Page, Arizona.

But what is a “Slot Canyon?”

Essentially, they are narrow canyons sculpted  by the forces of erosion.  Here, these forces create art, and the medium is mostly Navajo Sandstone, generally colored yellow, orange and red, or a combination of the three.

Janie ascending from "Mother Earth," which is more traditionally referred to as Lower Antelope Canyon.

Often forces act on these walls over the millennia and in the case of Lower Antelope. Length of the canyons may be short or long, but in this image of Janie ascending, it is so extensive that it appears she is literally ascending from Mother Earth, and been doing so over an extended period of time. No wonder so many legends of origin are related to a grand exodus from the world below.

Though beautiful to explore, ventures must be chosen with care. In spring the area is subject to violent thunder storms, and about 10 years ago eleven hikers from France, Sweden,  England  and the U.S.  were drowned, caught below in flash-flood waters that rushed between the steep vertical walls. Sadly, none in the group escaped.

At the moment we’re traveling to Bend, Oregon, but my mind is still on the beauty of our adventures in and around Page, so I will be posting a few more images as we travel.

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THIS TIME FOUR YEARS AGO:

*Compassionate Water Tanks

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©Bert Gildart: Upper Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona may offer opportunities to capture one of the most picturesque series of sandstone formations in the world – and the Navajo who own this land have learned how to capitalize on the opportunity.

Antelope Canyon Tours offers several excursions to the canyon, one for the general public and another tour for those who consider themselves to be professional photographers.  If you join the latter, the price doubles from $40 to $80, but then the opportunity is most likely a once-in-a-life-time event.

The photography tour is limited to 12 people though you will at times still be competing with individuals from the other tours for space.  Most are considerate, but they are trying to move along, so sometimes it helps to point your camera up rather than along the route others will follow.

Upper Antelope Canyon is only about 100 yards long, and access to the canyon does not insure that you will return with good images.  In fact, there are techniques which one should master if one really wants to do justice to the canyon.  It also helps if your guide works with you to insure that other visitors don’t walk in front of your camera during the long time exposures that are mandatory.

I lucked out with a good guide, whom I later tipped generously.  When others were about to enter the scene I was trying to record he’d ask them to please hold for just a minute.  “Photographer at work.”

Contrast in the canyon is intense so most of the images shown here are created from a blend of three separate images, each taken at different exposures from a tripod for about two minutes, and then later merged on my computer using a High Density Resolution (HDR) program known as PhotoMatrix.  Images of the people were made quickly cranking up my ISO to about 800, and from previous experience (see images from WEIO in Alaska) I know that Nikon can handle high ISO settings.   However, to make images of people work I had to avoid pointing my camera at scenes where contrast was great.

To accentuate the light streaming in from above, guides threw sand into the air.  In other words, they’d learned through the years what makes for a good image.  My guide also knew some of the best areas to set up.

Summer, meaning about now, starts to see overwhelming numbers, so winter could be a better time if you are bothered by large numbers of people.  Regardless, I’d recommend the tour for any simply wishing to see some of the world’s most incredible sandstone formations.  Upper Antelope Canyon has got it!  But then, so does Lower Antelope, which I described in my last post. In fact, I enjoyed Lower Antelope because the pace was more relaxed and there was time to set up without having to worry about people stepping into your picture.  With Janie, we were also able to develop a feeling for these works of natural art, and, again, I described all that in my last post.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS FOUR YEARS AGO:

*Amargosa Opera House

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©Bert Gildart: Off and on over the past few days Janie and I have been visiting a number of areas formerly occupied by the Southern Sinagua Indians.  One of the most spectacular of these areas was Montezuma Well, a natural tank of water created when an unground cavern sunk.

Today, this natural limestone sinkhole near Rimrock, Arizona, sees the flow each day of over 1,400,000 US gallons all created by two underground springs. The well measures 368 feet across and is 55 feet deep.

Janie descending trail to Montezuma Well

Water from the well was used for irrigation, and trails maintained by the national park service provide bird’s eye views of the outlet in the side of a wall from which the waters pour from Montezuma Well.

CHALLENGING LIFE

The Sinagua once used the water for irrigation funneling it through a canal, just as it is done today.  Today, farmers still use portions of the water that yet  flows through the original Sinagua canal. Some Native Americans  believe they emerged into this world through the well, and remains a very sacred place to them.

L to R:  Small cliff dwelling near Montezuma Well; canal that directs water from outlet seen at middle right to agricultural fields; Montezuma Castle

Trail to the canal pass by several old cliff dwellings, and we stopped to examine several.  Another nearby visitor  said they’d just seen a scorpion scurrying across the rock floor.  Most likely, life for these people provided constant challenges.

THE NAME STUCK

One of the best preserved of all these cliff dwelling is Montezuma Castle, located about ten miles away and a ruin we wanted to see, because it had a reputation of being very well preserved.  The odd name came from the mistaken believe that the cliff dwelling was a castle Aztec refuges had built for their emperor.  Montezuma, however, never strayed this far north, but the name stuck.

Today, marks the end of a week-long stay at Dead Horse Ranch near Cottonwood, and from here we’re making a slight detour to hopefully take in the scenic wonders provided at Antelope Canyon near Page.  It is probably one of the most sought out places by professional photographers, which is probably a good reason now to avoid it.  But it is also our last chance to visit with Don and Nancy before we all go our separate ways, a couple we’ve grown very fond of.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS THREE YEARS AGO:

*Natchez Trace

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Brian and Leigh departing Cottonwood. Note wind and snow do not affect Brian's hair.

©Bert Gildart: Though we’re in “sunny” Arizona, the white specs you may notice in the image are snow.  Not a particularly nice day to be departing but the somberness of the day matches the mood as we see the last of our “gang” departing for new landscapes.

First we watched our friends Nancy and Don depart, though we will see them in another day or two for several days.

Now, we’re watching Brian and Leigh depart (her blog tells of last night’s wine and cheese tasting) in their Airstream, reminding us that our winter adventures with all these grand people is coming to an end. In a few days, we too will be departing, heading for a writer’s conference in Bend, Oregon.

We have about 10 days to make the trip so we may stop at Death Valley, or perhaps Mojave National Preserve.

GOOD FRIENDS

We’ve known Nancy and Don for a number of years, (In GNP five years ago) (Also see, “The Slabs”) but didn’t meet Brian and Leigh until this past September, but the meeting was momentous.  Both of us were buying new Airstreams from George Sutton’s in Eugene, Oregon, and that’s when our friendship developed.  As Leigh says, Airstreams form a basis for friendships as it shows we’ve got good tastes.  “That,” she says, is a start.”

This past week brought us all together at Dead Horse Campground near Cottonwood, AZ, and while here we’ve enjoyed lots of outings.  The other night we made the short trip to the old mining – now an artsy-oriented town – of Jerome.  The “gang” all dined at Quince’s and Leigh took a picture of Janie and me in front of the restaurant that we both liked.  (Rare!)

BARTENDER BRIAN

Perhaps the most exhilarating experience was enjoying the superb drinks “Bartender Brian” concocted, and one I’ll share.  Follow it exactly and I can guarantee that any problems you may have will evaporate into thin air.

Here’s his recipe for margaritas.

*Start with 2 ounces of Silver Tequila, add to it one ounce of Cointreau and one ounce of lime juice. Pour that on to a shaker of ice, and presto, you may now be on your way to heaven.

That may add some CHEERS  and be an antidote to this gloomy weather — and the departure of some of our Airstream  friends.

Plans call for us to be back at our “other” home first week of May.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS FOUR YEARS AGO:

*Organ Pipe and Armed Escort

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©Bert Gildart: Let’s entitle this posting “Earth Mother,” for one of the most significant images depicts a woman giving birth to the animals which came to inhabit the earth.

Earth Mother panel is set in the Sedona area and is managed by the Forest Service. The setting is referred to as the Palatki Red Cliffs Heritage Site and it contains not only several panels of pictographs and petroglyphs, but the ruins of a dwelling and a site referred to as the Agave Roasting Pit.

Earth Mother, shown in upper right of image, is giving birth to the animals that came to inhabit the earth

Unfortunately the tour has become so popular that there were not enough interpreters (required) to lead us to the roasting site.  Nevertheless, the panels are impressive, for not only is there an image of Earth Mother, but some of images document great antiquity — dating  back over 10,000 years! What’s more several of the panels hold some of the best preserved  examples of Indian art in North America.

ANIMALS ARE CREATED

Interpretation of the panel that was of particular interest to us began with our guide pointing with a small beam of light to the Earth Mother. “She’s giving birth  to an animal,” said our guide,  “while other types of animals are standing around.” (Earth Mother is in the upper right hand corner of the image just above.)

L to R:  The rock art shown here are all pictographs and they represent just a few of the hundreds contained on the several panels at Palatki. Image on right is a close up of Earth Mother giving birth to the earth’s animals.

The interpreter continues, asking if we can recognize any of the species. She says that when she looks closely she sees deer or antelope, wolves, coyotes, and birds of various types.

From the Mother Earth panel, we moved on to a wall with a few petroglyphs, created by pecking as opposed to those created from actual pigments.

VIPS PROVIDE SIMULATING TALKS

According to the interpreter some of the rock art is truly  ancient, “perhaps 10,000 years old.”   She continued, saying pictographs can be aged  using radio carbon dating techniques. In the year 2000, a black charcoal pigment yielded an age of 1080 from the Earth Panel.

Guided tours provide much information

From yet another room known as the Grotto, aging techniques dated a few of the pictographs to the Paleo Period, which goes back 11,000 years.

Truly, images from these panels are of great archaeological significance — and the public is fortunate that these remnants  from some of  North America’s earliest inhabitants  were rescued from vandals. Sadly, many such examples of Native American culture were  destroyed.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS FOUR YEARS AGO:

*Four years ago we were in  JEROME — just as we were two nights ago.

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©Bert Gildart:  We have moved from our wonderful campground at the base of the Superstition Mountains to Deadhorse Ranch State Park near Cottonwood, Arizona.  Though noted for tourism we were attracted to the area because of the multitude of Native American ruins located nearby.

Yesterday, we visited Tuzigoot, a remnant of a Southern Sinagua village built between 1125 and 1400.

Tuzigoot, a pueblo of the Southern Sinagua

According to the park brochure, the village once consisted of a cluster of rooms which began with the work of about 50 persons, all of whom tilled the soil.  Refugee farmers fleeing from drought added to the population and the village swelled to about 200.

About 1400 villagers abandoned their pueblos and though no one knows exactly why, offer as possible reasons over population, depletion of natural resources, weather changes – and perhaps even changes in spiritual beliefs.

Any of this sound familiar?

HDR MAY WORK BEST

Photographing Tuzigoot in the intense and harsh Arizona sunlight can be a challenge and here is where I think High Density Resolution (HDR) may provide the perfect solution in the creation of pleasing images.

Tuzigoot, ruin left behind by the Southern Sinagua, a culture that once flourished in the Verde Valley.

To create images shown here I bracketed three stops and then used PhotoMatrix to merge those portions of each image where the exposure was correct.  That way shadows don’t go black and highlights don’t wash out.  HDR has a tendency to dramatize the colors and that can be modified, though I like a slight exaggeration, and believe there are times natural light might render the images as currently shown.  Some may also think the image appears to have been heavily  polarized.

The Cottonwood area contains many more Native structures and we will be visiting those over the next few days. I will also be reading the galleys of my book on Montana which Globe Pequot, my publisher, has pushed up to September.  It appears that work this next week will keep Janie and me jumping.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS THREE YEARS AGO:

*Natchez Mississippi and Its Spring Pilgramage

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©Bert Gildart:  We’ve been camped at Arizona’s Lost Dutchman State Park for almost 10 days and have particularly enjoyed learning about some of the uses of  plants once harvested by Native Americans. The campground hostess added relevancy when she said she’d been harvesting some of the Anderson’s Wolfberries, which now flourish.  We sampled them and agreed that they taste a bit like tomatoes.  In miniature they also look like tomatoes.

Anderson's Wolfberry, now growing in profusion just outside our Airstream.

Because they are so abundant we were not surprised to learn that Native Americans also made use of them, and research reveals the Navajo used parts of the plant as medicine and in ceremonials.

In times of famine various tribes ate the dried berries, which they mixed with saline clay to create a “food clay.”

COMPELLING PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIES

In addition to many other uses, they also make for compelling photographic studies, particularly for those interested in macro photography. The berries are tiny, perhaps a quarter inch in diameter, and their red color adds interest to the study.

Another species growing outside our Airstream is the jojoba, also used by Native Americans who ground the jojoba seeds to create an oil.

As such they used it to protect skin and hair against the desert sun.

(Jojoba shown at right.)

Oil from the jojoba seeds was also (among other things) used to treat skin irritations and burns.  Jojoba seeds were chewed as a dietary supplement.

Put in other words, life in this — the Sonoran Desert — was possible through the accumulation of knowledge subsequently handed down through the ages.

Such knowledge is still useful.

CONTEMPORARY USES

Today, the oil from the jojoba is used commercially and just as it was popular with Native Americans so it is also popular contemporaneously for hair and skin care, particularly in the USA. As well it is used in the treatment of psoriasis, eczema, sun burn, skin care.

Anderson's Wolfberry, fruit according to campground hostess tastes like tomatoe and makes good jelly, which is one of her winter projects.

Though its uniform color does not provide for the same dramatic photographic studies, pictures reveal an interesting species that had and still has many uses.  Because it is growing in abundance immediately outside our door, understanding the use of  both the jojoba and the  Wolfberry provides insights into the survival of land-based groups.

It shows how Janie and I might start to survive – if we had to.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS THREE YEARS AGO:

*Amargosa Opera House

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©Bert Gildart:  This past Sunday Don, Nancy (our Airstream travel companions) and I hiked and climbed to the top of Flatiron Mountain, high atop the Superstition Mountains.  Though the first part of the trip was easy, the last part was almost as difficult as climbing Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park, which I did several years ago.

Note trail which courses from campground below and then through center of image.

The trip begins from Lost Dutchman Campground where hikers access the Siphon Draw Trail, which begins climbing almost immediately.  The trail, however, is well maintained and we easily ascended to an area commonly referred to as The Waterfalls.  The Siphon Draw Trail ends here but a route continues on, and though easy to follow is not easy to climb.

All along the way hikers must climb around boulders and in several places, it helped if one were acquainted with the concept of three-point holds before moving further upward.  The route continues in this manner for about a mile but eventually breaks out into an opening.  Views are spectacular and rocks formations incredible.  Spires jut up and views of the sprawling town of Apache Junction become more of an abstraction rather than a distraction.

L to R:  Slick rock over which water falls subsequent to rain; ascending route to Flatiron, seen in background; descending Flatiron.

As we wandered around the top, which is like a plateau, we found the black spot which represents the disastrous plane crash from this past November.  According to the report, a father flying his own personal plane picked up his children for Thanksgiving and apparently misjudged the height of Superstition Mountain, which is about 5,000 feet elevation. The plane reportedly hit the mountain at about 4,500 feet, and we could easily see the scorch marks on the spires. Some debris remained at the base.

But this is not a report on tragedies, just simply an observation, and the hike was dramatized – and dominated by – the beauty which surrounded us.  Indian legends report that the mountains hold the spirits of their deceased, and settlers, learning about the stories, began to call the mountains the Superstitions.

L to R:  View of Flatiron just past point where “route” breaks out above boulder fields; view from Flatiron; igneous spires forming part of Flatiron’s intrigue.

Climbing and then descending Flatiron required the use of upper body muscles which I had not used for hiking or climbing in some time and, now, several days later, I’m still feeling the effects.  But that’s OK, as the majority seem to turn around when the reach The Falls, and that’s too bad as the panoramas from the top are truly astounding.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS TWO YEARS AGO:

*Padre Island is a Birder’s Paradise

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©Bert Gildart: I’ve reported before on some of the more repulsive traits of the turkey vulture, but today, I want to say that at times the species can appear magisterial, wise and aloof.

For over an hour the vultures preened and dried their wings.  Sinister in appearance the wire added to the thought.

For the next few days we’ll be camped along the Salt River, a river that derives part of its water from the Rio Verde and that flows through Tonto National Forest.  Early this morning, while on an early morning “bird walk, Janie and I saw this group, which was part of a smaller flock of about a dozen.  They had flown in from their patrols overhead, choosing an old fence loaded with barbed wire for a spot at which to roost.  At times they stretched out their wings presumably to dry them off.  Other times they preened, and they reminded us of vultures and other birds we had seen in Florida.

Three Wise old men

Quickly I ran back for my camera and tripod, mounting an 840mm lens to my Nikon7000.  Because the magnification is so extreme I used the mirror lock up to reduce all vibration – and this posting represents an edit I made from over 50 images taken during a two hour periods.

Vultures are fascinating and perform the valuable function of cleaning the landscape.  We’ll be camped here at Tonto for the next few days, and I hope to photograph the group some more.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS FOUR YEARS AGO:

*Alligators on My Mind

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©Bert Gildart: Yesterday, several friends (Hi, Todd; Hi Dave) called asking why no recent posts — and the answer is that our time has been booked in ways in which we are unaccustomed.  First, the business of writing has been demanding; and two, we have moved to Fountain Hills near Phoenix to attend an Airstream Rally.  And that, though lots of fun, has kept us jumping.

Airstream rallies provide opportunities for members to share information about travel

Specifically, we’ve been attending the Four Corners Chapter of the Wally Bynum Caravan Club International, known as the WBCCI, and the group chose McDowell Mountain Regional Park for the gathering.  Though one of my first assignments as a freelance travel writer was to cover – back in 1988 — the huge Chinese/American  international rally held in Black Hills, this is the first rally Janie and I have attended.

IRISH THEME

The rally coincided with St. Patrick’s Day so Irish attire provided the theme for the gathering, which included about 20 trailers, all, of course, Airstream Trailers.  Monies charged those who attended provided for a number of meals and for some of the attire that dramatized the occasion, which was the green hats.  At such times, everyone, of course, claims to be Irish, but several in attendance actually were Irish — one hundred percent Irish —  and with his blue eyes, curly blond hair, Pat was genuine.

Theme of this Four Corners Airstream Rally was Irish, and appropriately everyone dressed the part.  One members, on right, was 100 percent Irish and Pat certainly fit the protocol.

Airstreamers have been holding rallies for decades and the purpose is to bring together people who share in common the travel life – and who do so using an Airstream travel trailer.  Such commonalities create fraternity and the gatherings makes good sense, as techniques to improve travel with the trailer of choice can be shared.  Techniques can run the gamut and typically include discussions on solar panels, wiring, hitches, general trouble shooting – virtually anything that can make life easier while on the road.

MOUNTAIN BIKES

For us the gatherings also provide opportunities to learn about the peripherals, specifically the rally’s many mountain bikers.  By joining several of these hard-core bikers on rides along trails that course through these beautiful mountains, we learned much about the current rage in bikes.

Mountain bike trails in and around McDowell Regional Park offer hundreds of miles of premier riding.

Apparently, most devotees to the sport have made the leap from bikes using the old 26-inch tire to brands that incorporates the new 29-inch tire. I rented one of these gems, and delighted in the way in which these full suspension bikes handle the rough rocky terrain typical of trails in this premier regional park.  And true, the 29-inch tire seemed to provide more stability and a bigger bang for each revolution inscribed by the pedals.

Campfires were another major attraction of the rally, and each night everyone convened around the cheer, glow and warmth generated by these settings that seemed almost atavistic.  Weather during the rally was perfect for the first two days, but then it turned, dumping inches of rain on our Airstreams and blanketing the surrounding mountains with snow.  Not to be deterred members gathered around propane fires beneath the shelter, and the camaraderie continued.

Though the weather deteriorated, camaraderie did not. This group was creative and created warmth with a propane fire.

Though Janie and I have been told that many Airstream Conventions are noted for regimentation, that was certainly not true of the Four Corners Unit, which was relaxed. In fact, the group prides itself on informality and we’ve concluded that if we are in the neighborhood again, this is a group with which we would like to mingle again. Certainly, we’d feel privileged if we could join the Four Corners Chapter of WBCCI.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS THREE YEARS AGO:

*V-BAR V HERITAGE SITE

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©Bert Gildart:  My father’s words rang in my ear as we parked our vehicles at Vista del Malpais and then stepped out into a windy evening.  “Stick with your objectives,”  he always said, and ours was to enjoy the incredible vista of badlands offered from THE VISTA as we munched on a locker full of cheese and snacks and then wash it all down with several fat bottles of red wine.  All this, of course, set up the conditions for much philosophical discourse.

Forgive me Betty for including an image that makes your checks look swollen, but you’d  just munched a slab of cheese and the other photos were blurred because of the wind.  Image on Right: our “fort” against the wind.

The setting was absolutely incredible but the wind was creating a challenge, making it hard to even sip wine, but Tony Feathers was inventive. “Let’s do like we did when we were kids and make a fort.”

So that’s what we did. We positioned our vehicles beneath several ocotillo bushes now touched with their fiery torches of red, opened the doors, sat in the lee of the wind and watched the sun slice the badlands into a myriad of tiny entities — and downed our bottles of wine.  Then we discussed our place in the universe.

Dad, we were sticking to our objectives.

View from Vista del Malpais

We sat there until dark, then returned along the four-wheel drive road to the state road.  We bid Tony and Betty a sad farewell (“Stay in touch – see you next year.”), and then we drove to one more place I wanted to photograph. I wanted to capture THE DRAGON beneath one of the famous Borrego “dark sky nights.”

THE DRAGON, beneath one of Borrego's famous "dark sky nights."

By now the wind had died down and my long time exposure complemented the feelings of immense space and a timeless universe that badlands, wine and clear skies can create.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS FOUR YEARS AGO:

Night Photography in Organ Pipe

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(One of our new books, below)

©Bert Gildart: My how the time flies!  Several days ago we spent one of our last nights at Pegleg trying to create a campfire scene with Lou and Larry Woodruff, another Airstream couple with whom we’ve shared fun times.  We wanted an image that would highlight all the time  we’ve spent in and around Pegleg.

One of our last setting at Pegleg

The image is one of the last taken this year at Pegleg, for we’ve now moved to a commercial campground.  We’ll be staying at “Springs At Borrego” long enough to thoroughly wash our truck and clean the camper after almost four months of boondocking.  On Tuesday we’ll be leaving Anza Borrego heading to an Airstream rally near Apache Junction, Arizona.

It has been a good winter and I’ve accomplished my major goal, which was to complete another book manuscript for Globe Pequot, and do so in a warm climate where at day’s end we could step out the door and hike to our heart’s content.  An extreme example is my climb up Coyote Peak.

Just by stepping our our backdoor we've been able to hike and climb to our heart's content, such as climbs up Coyote Mountain.

But we also wanted to maintain contact with friends we’ve made here in this sprawling California park.  Many have come from distant areas, and because so many things can happen in the course of a year, we’re not  sure just who will make it back.  But we’re hoping the power of campfire settings, the beauty of the night skies, the exhilarating card games and the charm of the desert will lure them all back.

It’s been a good winter and we leave with regret.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS FOUR YEARS AGO:

*Amargosa Opera House

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©Bert Gildart: About a week ago life-long friends Dave and V.V. Shea flew down from Montana and have been exploring parts of Anza Borrego Desert State Park with us. I think they are beginning to understand why we’ve become desert rats, and why we’ve been making winter visits each year to this part of the Sonoran.

Trail through Indian morteros and pictographs concludes at incredible overlook of Smugglers Canyon.

I met David in Glacier National Park (This link is about my new Glacier book, mentioned below. Lots of pictures.) back in 1966, where we both served as rangers.  We both were involved in the park’s first fatal grizzly bear maulings.  David was at Granite Park Chalet where I was at Trout Lake, and each of us shot the grizzly bears that were thought to have killed the two girls that one night in August of 1967.  David married V.V. 30 years ago and then he and his bride packed into Belly River Ranger Station.  The historic station is the park’s most remote station, which is according to David and me, another word for “the best.”

L to R:  Trail to Smugglers Canyon Overlook provides opportunities to study ancient Kumeyaay Indian pictographs and morteros.  Another outing took us through Split Mountain to a trailhead that lea to caves sculptured  by wind, called therefore, “Wind Cave.”

Both David and I say that it was in part because of our experiences in Glacier that our interest in natural history mushroomed, and appropriately, David eventually worked as a permanent botanist for the Forest Service.  He is also a first-class writer and editor and has published a book on Glacier’s Chief Mountain.  As well, he reviewed the manuscript on my new book Glacier Icons, so for a host of reasons we were delighted they wanted us to share Anza Borrego with us.

David and V.V. both enjoyed our camp at Pegleg in part because the nights are so clear and the stars so vivid.  One evening we saw five planets: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn.  Seems as though David knew every single one of the 88 constellations, and he says his interest in astronomy began when he was in high school.

During the day the four of us made a number of hikes several to old Indian ruins, the others to see desert vegetation and the park’s incredible geology.  While here, the four of us hiked to an overlook that peered down onto Smuggler’s Cave, to several Indian morteros, to a panel of Indian rock art, and to an area known as Wind Caves.  We also made the drive to Sonny Bono to see owls, the subject of my last posting.

So far our only disappointment is that we have not found bighorn sheep, but that’s OK, for people should always leave a place wanting more.

AND NOW A NOTE: David, you should be here now as huge flocks of Swainson’s Hawks are flying north from Argentina. We saw them last night flying over our campsite.

AND YET ANOTHER NOTE TO OUR READERS: Finally our book Glacier Icons has hit the Amazon books shelves, and is described as follows:

From the mountain goats who linger by the visitor’s center on Logan Pass to the crystal-clear glacier-fed lakes, from the magnificent views from the Many Glacier Hotel to the old-growth forest landscapes, visitors will find much to ponder and enjoy within these pages. In 1903 writer, editor, and naturalist George Bird Grinnell expressed his thoughts in Century Magazine about this land he had come to love, calling the area the “Crown of the Continent.” His image of and descriptive story about the magnificent glacier-carved landscape in the far reaches of Montana brought about the creation of Glacier National Park in 1910. Grinnell’s description is apt, but it is just one of the collective descriptions that evokes iconic images of Glacier, also called the “Land of Shining Mountains” and known by many millions of visitors for their own personal stories and connections to its magnificent vistas and small wonders.

Glacier Icons contains fifty chapters filled with thousands of facts and hundreds of full-color photographs of iconic people, places, events, foods, animals, traditions, and more from all parts of this great national park.

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THIS TIME FOUR YEARS AGO:

*Exploring Glacier’s Highline

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©Bert Gildart: Several days ago I drove to Palm Springs to visit about the business of writing with friend and Editor Rich Luhr.  Rich, as some readers certainly know, is the publisher of Airstream Life, but as well he, with his business partner, Brett, is also a facilitator.

L TO R  (Click to see much larger image.):  Decoliner; Decoliner with creator Randy Grubb; Rich Luhr, one of the rally’s facilitators.

That’s the reason Rich had traveled from his home in Tucson and Brett from his home in Florida.  The two had been asked to put together a small rally that would enable specific Airstream owners to demonstrate their vision of “modernization.”

OFFBEAT UNITS

The rally which consisted of about 20 trailers did indeed provide some offbeat looking units. It also attracted Timeless Trailers, the restoration company in Colorado that takes perfection to the ultimate.  Last winter I talked at length with several representative about some Airstream problem, which they most likely could have helped resolve, had restoration been my objective.  The problem, as some may recall, concerned filiform corrosion, created by magnesium chloride, a substance which states in the northwest liberally apply to winter roads.  (Never ever drive such roads if you can help it.)

Certainly the most extreme example of modernization was exemplified by the unit created by Randy Grubb.  Over the past 20 months Randy had created his Decoliner, which incorporated the chassis from a 1973 GMC motorhome and a 455 Olds engine.  Randy had driven the unit from Oregon and says you can also steer  it from the “Flying Bridge,” which was part of his design.

“Need it, or something like it,” asks Randy?  “Just see me.”

L TO R:  So what’s a rally without a musician — who also creates and sells lotions.  Likewise, what’s an Airstream without flamingos.  “Modernized” Airstreams framed with Airstream awning.

Many other unique units were also present, and extracting from Rich Luhr’s blog, I see the proper names for other units that were also exhibited to include: a rare 1965 Dethleffs Bedouin, 1954 Hille Ranger Pop-Up, 1946 Curtis Wright, 1964 Traveleze, 1954 Silver Streak Clipper, and many others.

My problem, however, was time.

Essentially my purpose for leaving the security of Pegleg in Anza Borrego and then driving  through crowded places where people actually live was to review Airstream stories with Rich, and that took most of the afternoon.  Regretfully, my time at the rally was less than an hour, so what you see is but a fraction of the unique ideas presented.

But note the date of this posting and then next year you might want to attend.  If so, we may well see you there.  Think Modernization.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVEL THREE YEARS AGO:

*Return to the Anhinga Trail (Everglades)

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©Bert Gildart: It’s been well over a week since last posting, but that should not imply a lack of activity on our part here in Anza Borrego State Park.  Fact of the matter I’ve been finalizing a manuscript due at my publisher March 1, so I’ve been under the gun, leaving little time for blog writing.

CLICK TO VIEW AS LARGER IMAGE.  L to R:  Barrel cactus, Dry Clark Lake,  desert vegetation to include new agave stalk back dropped by Dry Clark Lake.

But we just mailed the manuscript, and although I now have magazine stories to complete, I assume I’ll be able to squeeze in several blocks of uninterrupted time.  With that hope in mind, I’m also going to take time to post few images of the activities we’ve been enjoying the last ten days.

DRY CLARK LAKE

About five days ago, friends and I made the short drive to a trail that ascends Rattlesnake Mountain. Our goal was not to climb the mountain, simply to ascend far enough to see what vegetation we might see in bloom, and to get a perspective of Dry Clark Lake.

Close up of barrel cactus as seen five days ago while climbing Rattlesnake Mountain. Many other of its kind also in bloom.

Dry Clark Lake is appropriately named for once the valley was full of water.  Since coming here it has provided me with photo opportunities, particularly following sustained rain, for then the fairy shrimp emerge, and by using specialized strobe techniques, I’ve been able to obtain frame-filling shots.  At any rate, several thousand years ago the valley’s geomorphology held water when the skies opened creating a lake.  But now it is dry.

POOR FLOWER YEAR

In fact it is so dry that this year naturalists say it won’t be much of a flower year, and though that does seem to be the case, nevertheless many of the barrel cactus stands were in bloom. Combine that with the views our climb offered of the old dried up lake and I must say that our day on the Rattlesnake was most enjoyable.

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AIRSTREAM TRAVELS THREE YEARS AGO:

*Desert Five Spot and the Function of Beauty

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