Hiking and home

Hiking through Big Sur was also on my bucket list so today was the day I crossed that off. There was a lot of mist around which made for a cool morning. After the heat of the desert it was a shock to the system to feel cold again. 

 I decided to try a walk on one of the gentler trails first to make sure my knee was warmed up and ready for something more strenuous. 

 The walk to Valley View and Pfeiffer Falls was very nice though crowded with lots of people. That also took some adjusting to after the isolation of the last few days. 

 The waterfall was quite beautiful and I stood looking at it for a few minutes before heading back. 

The next trail was to Buzzards Roost. This was much harder than the first one with lots of steep inclines to navigate. 

I was shattered by the time I got to the top but the view was well worth it. 

It dawned on me that I'd changed realities quite drastically in the last 24 hours. I'd gone from the barren lifelessness of the desert and into a forest teeming with life. 

I walked back down a gentler trail to allows knee to recover and got back to my car. I decided to head north and find a beach as that's where I felt I needed to be. 

 A brief stop in Carmel for lunch, which is clearly a very wealthy town, and then onto a beach just north of Santa Cruz. 

 I stayed at the beach for a good hour or so. I find listening to the water of the ocean to be very relaxing and puts one in a pensive mood which was just what I needed. 

I had travelled far enough. I was ready for home. And that's where I headed next. 

 I was glad to get back and see my kitties because I had missed them a lot. They seemed to had missed me too and were meowing and running around me as soon as I stepped through the door. 

I fed them and sat down to watch them as they ate.  

Sometimes everything you need is right where you left it. 

 

Heading westward

I was, despite the stifling heat, sad to leave Death Valley. I found extraordinary beauty in the desolation and thought the few plants that did grow there to be hardy survivors. 

 The heat had one last laugh though. Just a mile or so along the way was a sign 'Avoid overheating - don't use air conditioning for the next 20 miles'. I figured that the sign had been put up for very good reason and duly obeyed. Within minutes the car was like an oven and I rolled the windows down in the hope the Venturi effect would kick in and cool everything down. It worked but only a little and I was sweating as if I was in a sauna. 

 The landscape during the journey was more barren hills and planes. I stopped at a sand plane to take a picture. 

I had no idea where I was heading to next other than just westwards. I had the GPS on in case I needed it. Plus it also had a function to show the current speed limit which, given the length of my journey, was needed as I wasn't paying much attention to the signs. 

 I stopped every now and again when an interesting feature appeared and took some pictures with my other camera. I found great joy in driving along the endless straight roads and the rolling planes. It's something I'd seen in films and documentaries and had always wanted to do myself. 

 400 plus miles later I ran out of roads leading west. 

So I headed north on Highway 1 with my destination still not clear. I had heard about Big Sur but didn't know anything about it other than it was a beautiful place to visit. So I decided to head there for a visit. One more item got checked off my bucket list on the way: chasing a sunset up Hwy 1.

 Soon it was dark and the 8 hours of driving were taking their toll. I was tired and needed to rest. The GPS came into its own with a list of suggestions so I headed to the nearest one. Unfortunately it was full. As were the next 3. Finally I came to Big Sur Lodge and they had a room available. It was pricey but I was tired and willing to pay whatever to get some sleep. I was also hungry but the restaurant had closed. The staff at the lodge suggested I go to an inn further up the road that might be serving food. I got there but unfortunately they had just shut. So I went back to my lodge and used the coffee maker to heat up some water and use that to rehydrate some Pad Thai rations I had bought for the trip in case I needed to camp. The food was....edible...but not the best I'd eaten. It was enough to fill my stomach though and I headed to bed soon after. 

 Laying in bed I thought about the drive during the day. It was probably the longest I'd ever driven in a single day but the scenery made it worthwhile and I'd definitely do it again. Tomorrow is finally get a good look at Big Sur. 

Bacon Jerky

Get this. Pay whatever it costs. 

Night sky

I tried to take some pictures last night of the Milky Way and failed. Today I resolved myself to try again and decided to drive out into the deep desert, namely to Zabrinski Point, to see if I could get a clear shot. 

 I set off just after sunset and there was still enough light to see the mountains. Just as I got near Scotty's Castle Road I saw spectacular streaks of lightening on the mountain tops. The thought that what I was doing was probably not a good idea started to cross my mind but I carried on nonetheless. I'd forgotten just how disorientating it can be to drive in pitch blackness and had to stay really focused to alleviate vertigo. You can't really see to much in front of you, even with a full beam, and you get the feeling you're heading into a void. 

The rains from earlier today had washed a lot of loose rock and gravel into the road surface - Caltrans were clearing the roads around the village - so I was trying to keep my eyes peeled in case I had to brake hard to slow down. The last thing I needed at night, in pitch darkness and in the middle of the desert, was a flat tyre. 

I made it to my destination and sadly the sky was overcast. Cursing my luck I hung around for a while to see if the winds would clear the low cloud. If you've never sat alone in a car in utter darkness let me tell you that your senses become amplified and you hear creaks and other noises that you might otherwise miss. Luckily I've never been one of those people afraid of the dark or I might have cleared out of there in a minute or two. 

I headed back the same way I came and was surprised to see a CHP car overtake and shoot off into the distance. It was the  first police car I'd seen since I got here. 

 

Close to the village is a large expanse of sand dunes, The Mesquite Dunes, and just for the sheer hell of it I decided to stop to see if the clouds had cleared. 

I hit the jackpot. It was an even better sky than last night and magnificent. One of the things about the sky is that the more you look, the more you see. I leaned back against the car so my neck wouldn't hurt and just kept looking. Eventually the dust clouds around the centre of the galaxy were discernible and I everywhere I looked there was a dot of light. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and I hope I get to see it again someday.

 I'm absolutely non-religious so the thoughts it brought to me were of those I know. My family. My recently departed grandmother. My friends here. Friends far away. Friends gone.

 The memory of it all will be with me forever. 

Sunset over Death Valley

Spectacular. 

The way the hills are bathed in the light of the sun is also amazing. 

More trekking

I got up rather late today. There's something about being in the middle of nowhere that I found restful and I had one of the best nights sleep in a long time. 

Today I decided to explore the northern part of the desert. I drove on a quiet road up to Scotty's Castle. This is a very strange place - an elaborate building in the middle of nowhere. 

The bell tower to the left of the picture chimes every 15 minutes or so with the same tones as the clock in my home town of Batley. Very strange!

I walked up the hill to Scotty's grave and took a picture from there too. 

The visitors centre had some information about the place and also on Scotty himself who sounds like he was quite a character. I'll add pictures from my other camera in due course. 

 I had hoped to visit The Racetrack to see the Sailing Stones but the ranger at the visitors centre suggested otherwise. He looked at my car and then the tyres and said there was no way I was going to be able to navigate the track, which has sharp volcanic rocks, without 4x4 drive and heavy duty off-road tyres. I thought it best to follow his advice given that he said that there's no way he'd go there at the moment in the heat. It'll be top of my list to visit the next time for sure. 

I drove back down the road and headed to Ubehebe Crater. This was formed by volcanic eruptions some 2000 years ago. 

The landscape around it is covered in black volcanic rock. There was no one else around and I found the solitude and isolation quite invigorating. 

A wind and sand storm erupted out of no where and I was battered with hot air and  sand. It was awesome and magnified a great experience into one of the best of my life. 

More inclement weather was to follow. Much to my surprise it started to rain. And rain hard. 

The rain was accompanied by heavy winds and lightening. The car was shaking from side to side from the forces of the weather so of course I decided to stop and experience it for myself. I didn't regret it one bit and it was another great experience in my life. The heat of the rain landing on me was surprising. Here is a picture of the storm from a distance. 

Returned back to the accommodation and washed the sweat and grime off me. I'm waiting for it to get dark so I can head out again and take some pictures of the night sky. 

Temperature

It's 50 degrees C outside. Staying at the hotel and not camping seems to be the best move.