Convict Lake

/ Convict Lake, Cal/
Convict Lake

 I’d seen the sign for Convict Lake numerous times while driving by on Hwy 395, but this trip was the time I would turn off the highway and check it out. I’m glad I did. It’s only two miles from the highway, but once you get there it’s like being in another world. You’ve got the Mojave Desert type of terrain along 395, but two miles later you’re next to a 170-acre lake nestled in the aspens of Convict Canyon, with the towering peak of Mount Morrison stretching skywards above you. What a dramatic change in view in just two miles.

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The Trona Pinnacles

/ Trona Pinnacles/
The Trona Pinnacles

After close to five miles of bouncing and rat-a-tat-tat-ing over a hardpacked, washboard dirt road the strange landscape seen from a distance was now up close and personal. And it was instantly obvious why the Trona Pinnacles were a favorite backdrop for such movies and TV shows as Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Lost in Space and Planet of the Apes. The place is eerie and looks like it belongs on another planet.

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Lida, NV

/ Lida, NV/
Lida, NV

 I was driving south on I-95. My next destination was Beatty so I could get a soda and some cookies before heading to Rhyolite and Bullfrog. As it was still early in the day, I decided to head west on Nevada State Route 266 to see if I could find the old mining town of Palmetto. I didn’t make it there, however, as I got sidetracked investigating old mines and stone ruins along the way. I guess I’ll have to save Palmetto for another trip. I did make it as far west as Lida.

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Lester Dale Mine

/ Lester Dale Mine/
Lester Dale Mine

Making it to the Lester Dale Mine complex turned out to be a bit of an excursion. The site rests on the northern slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains, overlooking an off-roaders paradise known as Johnson Valley. The dirt road in (Bessemer Mine Road), is roughly six miles of alternating hardpack, washboard, deep sand, millions or rocks and sometimes a combination of all of those at the same time.

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Bodie, Cal

/ Bodie/
Bodie, Cal

As the story goes, a little girl was informed by her parents that they were moving to Bodie, a town known for its wickedness, badmen and “the worst climate out of doors.” Thinking of the remote and infamous town prompted her to write in her diary: “Goodbye God, I’m going to Bodie.”

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Reward, Cal

/ Reward, Cal/
Reward, Cal

The Ghost Town of Reward, Cal dates back to the early 1860s, when the Eclipse Mine began operations. It was the first gold mine in the Owens Valley and operated off and on until the 1980s. It’s a fascinating site with stone wall ruins, tailing piles, old mining machinery and colorful mountains. Definitely worth a visit.

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Kearsarge Station, Cal

/ Kearsarge Station/
Kearsarge Station, Cal

Independence…..Citrus….Kearsarge Station. Place names often change during their evolution. Originally established as a stagecoach depot in 1866, Independence transformed to a railroad station in 1883 and soon became known as Citrus. And in 1913 the place was called Kearsarge Station.

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