Sierra sky~SkyWatch Friday 042911

Sky over the eastern Sierras, outside of Bishop, CA. Isn't it beautiful? We LOVE the Sierras. SkyWatch Friday for April 29, 2011. To view other participants, please go to: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Mono Lake dust storm~Nature Notes~042811

While up in the Sierras last week, hubby and I drove out to the Mono Lake visitor center. Unfortunately, it was still closed for the winter. Fortunately, however, we saw a view of Mono Lake that neither one of us had seen before. It was extremely windy that day and there were white caps out on the lake. A few other tourists had pulled into the visitor center parking lot and people were out and about with their cameras. We had noticed a huge cloud of dust from Highway 395 and when I got out and zoomed in on it, we saw that it was dust and sand from the offshore islands. It was snowing in the Sierras behind us and it was so cold that I bundled up in my heavy jacket! The lake wasn't the peaceful lake that I've seen before. This time, it was unruly and violent...a very different world indeed! Nature Notes for April 28, 2011. To view other participants, please visit: http://ramblingwoods.com/

"O"~ABC Wednesday 042711

The Owens River, or what's left of it, flows through the Owens Valley. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power has almost sucked it dry. Owens Lake is an awful dustbowl and eyesore (just my opinion). It's sad to see a beautiful valley turned into a desert. But, alas, that's another story. This shows the Owens River just outside of Lone Pine. By the time it gets a couple of towns further south, there is very little water left. I don't understand why Los Angeles, which sits on the Pacific OCEAN, doesn't desalinate its water...??? "O" for ABC Wednesday, April 27, 2011. To see other participants, please go to: http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Charcoal Kilns~Owens Valley~That's My World 042511

I don't know how many times hubby and I have driven by these charcoal kilns and we've never stopped until our last visit to the Owens Valley last week. Maybe it's because we had six days to enjoy the scenery? There's a sign which says, "Cottonwood Charcoal Kilns", off Highway 395, so off we went to investigate. They were built in 1873 and the charcoal was hauled up to the nearby mines. For an interesting article on the kilns, here's a link: http://www.robertwynn.com/Cottonwood.htm. While this isn't my world, we enjoy traveling up to the Sierras whenever possible! That's My World for Tuesday, April 25, 2011. To view other participants, please go to: http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/

Lone Pine ranch road

Whenever we travel to Lone Pine an the Sierras, we always take a side road, which I believe it Lycken Canyon Road. It meanders up through a large cattle ranch and is only one lane, but there isn't much travel on the road. Neither one of us really begins to relax until we hit this road and we take our time driving up it. If you reach the end of it, you can drive up to Horseshoe Meadows, but that road was closed further up due to snow and road conditions. Here are a few views from the road.

Olancha~Scenic Sunday for 042411

I debated about posting about our Sierra trip on this blog, since I do have another blog devoted to California (http://dunestopines.blogspot.com), but I decided since the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power did turn paradise into a desert, I would also post our photos from our last trip here. Anyway, hubby and I headed up to the eastern Sierras last Sunday. We stayed overnight in Hesperia, which cut an hour's driving time off our trip Monday. Both of us don't feel like we are in the Sierras until we have breakfast at the Ranch House Cafe in Olancha, which is along Highway 395, near the Crystal Geyser bottling plant. On this morning, the cattle were being loaded into trailers (see pics) and it was quite noisy! If you haven't stopped at the Ranch House Cafe, I suggest that you do! It's a quaint little cafe with decent food, about an hour south of Lone Pine. I'll be detailing the rest of our trip here and on my other blog this week. Scenic Sunday for April 24, 2011. Please go to: http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/ to see other participants.

White flower~

I stopped by our local community college yesterday morning to take some photos and on my way out, I noticed a bush with these white flowers on it. I have no idea what this is...can anybody identify it? It sure was pretty...I call it a mosquito flower because it has long tendrils, like the long legs of a mosquito!

Tamarisk blossoms~SOOC Sunday~April 11, 2011

Everything in the desert is blooming right now, including the tamarisk trees. I came across this one on my morning walk this morning. I didn't realize how beautiful their blooms were until I looked closely! SOOC Sunday for April 11, 2011. To visit SOOC Sunday, please go to: http://www.murrieta365.com

Swirling Sunset Clouds~Fabulous Friday~April 8, 2011

Wednesday afternoon, after school, I just happened to glance outside and saw a beautiful sunset, so I grabbed my camera and out I went. I looked up to see these swirling clouds and took a couple of photos. By then, the swirling clouds has completely disappeared, and the beautiful colors, too. I'm glad that I got to witness it, since we don't often get sunsets like this one! Fabulous Friday for April 8, 2011. To see other participants, please visit: http://mcdougallphotography.blogspot.com

"Two"~Simplicity Challenge 040611

Two swans at the Desert Springs Marriott in Palm Desert, CA. I love to go there in the morning and walk around the flamingo pond. These swans were out on one of the golf courses. Simplicity Challenge for April 6, 2011. To view other participants, please go to: http://faith-simplicity.blogspot.com/2011/04/photography-challenge-two.html