The hills near Aurora Crater, Nevada

Back in 2011, or was it 2010, Temi, Art, Steve and I hiked in the vicinity of the Aurora Crater in Nevada.

 We found evidence of charcoal burning pits, Native American home circles and much debris from the various living sites.  All such evidence and artifacts were left as found out of respect for those who left them and for future travelers through these hills.

 What appears to be a pie tin soldered onto the bottom of a large can.  Was it a stew pot, or some form of an oven, or what?

A few suggestions if you go hiking in this area.  Drive a high centered vehicle with GOOD tires and 4WD.  This is low humidity climate, even in fall or winter, so carry water.  Expect and accept the possibility of encountering native wildlife - rattlesnakes, bear, deer, etc.  And remember this is their home, don't bother or injure them, you are in their home.  The terrain is very rough, volcanic flow, so good hiking shoes are essential.  The area is protected by the Forest Service and taking of souvenirs is prohibited, including arrow heads or knapped pieces of obsidian.

Remember to axiom - "Take only pictures and leave only foot prints."  Hopefully this area has been left in pristine condition for you.  Leave it that way for the next adventurer.

Cowboy mine with Temi

We wanted to find Drew Wilson's old Cowboy mine.  We found their dugout home complete with a 2 seater and air conditioning as well as the mine site.  No, we did not enter the mine.

Afterwards, we went and had a picnic in a nearby beautiful meadow.

Hiking with Paul at Pinnacles Nat'l Monument, CA

Pinnacles National Monument is the western half of a volcano that was split by the tectonic movement along the San Andreas Fault. The eastern  half resides about 180 to 200 miles south near Ventura, CA.  

The Monument is accessible from both its eastern and western entrances.  It is a "Fee" park.  The roads to the park is well maintained so any vehicle can get there.  The weather in the summer is HOT HOT so wear appropriate clothing and carry lots of water.  Upon entering, you are warned of the possibility of encountering rattlesnakes, though Paul and I have never seen any.  But be forewarned.

Paul Rea and I have hiked the area many times.  These photos show one of our trips.  In this excursion, we hiked about 10 miles and gained an elevation of approximately 1800 to 2000 feet.  

Here we are starting off from the West entrance.

Here I encounter some wild flowers.  Paul would know the name of them, but I have forgotten what they are.

The Park Service has set up an observing telescope to show visitors the nest of a pair of California Condors.  On the cliff face in the distance there is a dark crack cutting across the face.  In the lower right area of the crack is where the nest is located.  

Here is a closer picture of the nesting area.  It is the right side of the lower crack.

The Park Service has naturalists who, when they know the pair has laid an egg, will rappel down the face of the cliff and go out along the crack to reach the nest.  When there, they will cautiously convince the parent condor to move off the egg.  Then they will replace the real egg with a wooden replica.  This is done because the shell of the egg is very fragile and might be broken by the parents during the nesting period.  Evidently the parents don't recognize the difference.  The real egg is taken to an incubation chamber where it is cared for until shortly before it is to hatch.  Then, the naturalists retrace their path and substitute the original egg for the wooden one.  The parents continue the hatching process as nature intended.

Later, crossing the Eastern face of the peak, Paul uses the provided accommodations.

Toward the end of our hike, we went through a talus cave.  A talus cave is formed when large boulders crash down in a narrow gap, leaving space below the falling rocks for clearance.  Unfortunately, I have only these pictures of the cave during this trip.  But, I have more from when Temi and I hiked the same trail about a week later.

There is a very nice camp area at the eastern entrance.  Paul and I have camped there once, and found it very well maintained.  During that trip, several raccoons visited our camp site at night and managed to get into some very delicious cheese Paul had brought.  I hope they enjoyed it.