February 18 -- Morning "To Do's" And Afternoon Birds

I first had to deal with a dripping kitchen faucet, so I went to YouTube on my MacBook Pro and looked up "how to fix a dripping faucet", mainly because I couldn't figure out what was the name of the fitting with mesh that is in the spigot; I was hoping that replacing it would solve the problem. (Memo to myself: it's called an "aerator".) I went to the local Ace hardware store here in Overton and, now that armed with the name, purchased one, took it  back to Discovery -- and discovered that it was still dripping (albeit a slow drip) after putting it on. So now that means I'll have to replace the washers in the hot and cold water handles. Back to YouTube today to see a video on how to do THAT... And I made my first enquiries about solar panels, as I'm seriously considering getting them for the trailer, mainly to increase my chances for "boondocking" in the future. I chatted on Facebook  with my friend Robi Hunter, who is advertising director at Slab City (click on the name to get the link to their website), which is a free (and free-wheeling, if you've ever seen the movie "Into The Wild") area for camping and RVing in the desert near the Salton Sea, and found out she has solar panels, and there is a guy there nicknamed "Solar Mike" who installs entire solar kits for RVs. There is much to consider when Going Solar such as what appliances you plan on powering (for instance, microwaves are a big drain no matter where you get power from, at around 1500 watts, same with toaster ovens) so this will require some researching before buying the equipment. I also had time to chat with Vicki Wendt, the woman who runs office here at the mobile home park, about the possibility of doing a slide show on birds for either the park residents -- or for Overton in general, perhaps asking the Overton library to borrow one of their rooms. I've lugged a projector and viewing screen along with me for the trip with the intent of doing presentations, hooking up my laptop to a projector and showing photos I burned onto DVDs, and staying here for 2 months, combined with having a great wildlife area just down the street for getting local birds, is giving me the first real opportunity to do that. A presentation is tentative for now, but I put the idea to Vicki and she was enthusiastic. So, to get more material for for my bird "collection", I spent the late afternoon back at the Overton Wildlife Management Area. An interesting incident occurred while I was driving down one of the dirt roads there. A van with a local internet service logo came up from  behind -- what were they doing on a dirt road in a wildlife area? -- and pulled up to my truck. They asked me if a was missing a dog. I said no, then asked "What KIND of dog is it?" out of curiosity, and their reply was "a golden retriever". Hmmm....a NICE dog. But...nah, I can't have a dog in the trailer, especially a long-haired one. The woman in the van said they' have to give it to the pound if they  couldn't find the owner.  Actually, if I were ever in the market for a dog, it would have to be a smaller one, and short-haired...I drove down to one of the huge "ponds" there, Pintail Pond, and walked the road between Pintail and Wilson ponds. Spring has sprung here, at least where the birds are concerned; I saw dozens of Northern Rough-winged Swallows (where there had only been a few just the day before), Yellow-rumped Warblers, Northern Flickers -- and the young Vermilion Flycatcher in his customary area --

And when walking back to the truck I saw a female Northern Harrier on a branch perch out in the open; another female Harrier knocked the other off the perch, then proceeded to scan the surrounding area -- 

There were plenty of ducks at both Pintail and Wilson ponds, though they're still very skittish after being shot at during hunting season, which ended a little over a week ago. Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teals, Green-winged Teals, a few Mallards, Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, Bufflehead -- and of course the ever-present huge flock of American Coot. There was a Tundra Swan seen at Paranaghat Wildlife Refuge about 100 miles NW of here about a week ago, and it's not a stretch to hope that it might find its way down here. The day ended with a store-bought frozen pizza and spinach salad, and now it's another day in Travels of Discovery...

February 17 -- Back To Little Finland

I just can't get enough of the place...But I was supposed to go somewhere else instead. It had been arranged the day before to meet up with Douglas and Kay, two Canadians traveling from Alaska to Mexico in their Lance camper, so together we could hike to what's been called Nevada's largest petroglyph panel. I'd given him the GPS coordinates to the site as I don't have a GPS device,  so he knew how to get there, and I didn't.  I drove out to Gold Butte from Overton, passed by the camper I thought was theirs...and it belonged to someone else. So I tried calling them on my cell; I got a call back, but it didn't go through, so I left 3 messages with no response. Then while at Little Finland I got a voice message at 2:55pm -- it was from Kay, and she'd left it at 8:50am!  I was just now receiving it; cellphone service is spotty at best out there, even if you're just a few miles away from one another. So instead of the hike to the petroglyph panel, I decided to return to Little Finland. When I'd gone there with my friends James Hager and OP a few weeks back, I thought I'd never be able to find it on my own, but it was fairly easy. Along the route is "Devil's Throat", a huge sinkhole at least 200 feet deep --

After Devil's Throat, the route lies mostly in a wash, lined in spots with sandstone -- and watch the walls, there are petroglyphs everywhere here -- 

The "road" winds along in the wash, until the "battlements" of Little Finland lies in front of you --

It really DOES look like a fortress, or a huge spaceship made of sandstone --

Here's a view from atop Little Finland, looking west --

The scenery once on "top" of Little Finland is incredible. Buttresses, spires, fins, hobgoblins, spirals -- you name it, Little Finland has it --

It even has a water source, either from a seep or spring, with salt-tolerant grasses and plants growing --

This could be the appendage from some giant spaceship -- or whatever your imagination can conjure up --

The head of a grinning dragon? Or a pig? What do YOU see? --

There are many "peepholes" at Little Finland, too. Here's one of the more fanciful ones, looking almost as if the opening leads to another world --

The rock here is brittle in parts; here it almost looks like "nature's sculpting studio", with the scattered shards of rock like discarded material --

But for me the most fanciful and whimsical of the rock formations at Little Finland are the ones with holes, looking like a fantasy "condominium", or certainly multi-unit dwelling of some kind --

Here's another --

Every time I visit a place like this I wish I knew more about geology, and understand the forces that created such unreal beauty --

There are petroglyphs at Little Finland, too, somewhat unusual in that they are on rock lying almost parallel with the ground --

Lizards, desert bighorn sheep, the sun -- and tic-tac-toe? 

Salt looks like a light dusting of snow --

Then sunset arrives, giving Little Finland and the surrounding landscape and different hue --

 The sunset  lights up the clouds --

And the day ends with a spectacular bang --

Another memorable day -- followed by a wild, 4-wheel-drive back along the wash, with the occasional "now where did that road go?" -- at Little Finland. 

February 16 -- A Vermilion (Flycatcher) Kind Of Day...

But HE was in the afternoon...I spent the morning and late afternoon at the Overton Wildlife Management Area, about a mile down the street from the RV park where I'm staying. A bit of background on "OWMA": it's 14,000 acres, on national park land (the Lake Mead National Rec Area) leased by the state of Nevada. It's HUGE, and only a panorama can do it justice; I took this 3-photo pano about a week ago, just before sunset --

This view is looking south, with the desert mountains fringing Lake Mead in the distance. That's all wildlife area in front of you. Amazing, right? There are ponds large and small, wetlands, desert scrub brush, willows -- all kinds of habitat.  ANYthing can be "hiding" in there. Last year a Common Crane, a Eurasian bird, was discovered at OWMA and birders flocked (pardon the pun) from all over to see it. On my hikes on the dirt roads lacing through the area I've seen Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, Crissal Thrasher, Spotted Towhee, ducks of all varieties, Phainopepla, Roadrunner, Prairie Falcon, a Bald Eagle... Here are 3 views of the habitat to be found there, the first with a Red-tailed Hawk and fleeing ducks (they still spook easily as hunting season just ended)  --

And a "grounded" male Northern Harrier checking out the area, hoping to be not as conspicuous as when flying --

And this is Pintail "Pond", actually a small lake; you can see one of the many hunting blinds found at the wildlife area, for it is a "multi-use" area and managed by the Nevada Dept of Fish And Wildlife --

This place has GREAT potential to come across something "good"...And I did, in the late afternoon, when I re-discovered the "first winter" male Vermilion Flycatcher, going for flying insects in exactly the same location I had encountered him a few days before. He was hard to photograph then as he was screened by branches and I was shooting into the sun; this time, I lucked out, with the sun behind me and just brown mesa or blue sky for a bg, using the 500 f/4 lens with a 1.4x teleconverter on at ISO 100. And I able to get within about 30 feet from him -- 

Shooting in RAW at ISO 100 you crop quite a bit and the details will still hold --

The day was another wonderful outing at the Overton Wildlife Management Area. Then I came home (because that's what Discovery is) and discovered I have a dripping kitchen faucet...

February 15 -- Laundry, Errands and Cleaning

I've been "on the go" every day for the past 3 weeks, spending time at the Valley of Fire, Gold Butte, or the Overton Wildlife Management Area, so I felt it was time to get a few things done in and outside of Discovery, and do a wash -- which I do once a week, otherwise I'd run out of things to wear.  I must have clean clothes to at least feel "civilized".  But first, breakfast...

Here's my breakfast "nook"/dining table, with the iPad Mini playing music (usually KUSC, the Los Angeles classical music station) and MacBook Pro on a photo site. This photo was taken about 2 weeks ago, but the breakfast yesterday was about  the same -- Egg Beaters "Southwestern Style" 

mixed with spinach and cheddar cheese, a slice of Hawaiian sweet bread, tangelo, banana, and apple pie "bites". A lot of protein to begin the day...While the laundry was being done, I popped over to the Overton post office to pick up mail (I have it sent from San Pedro c/o General Delivery).  I also got a call from Douglas Wipper, the archaeologist Kim and I met while at Gold Butte's Falling Man, along with his wife. Douglas called to say he was interested in joining me to do a hike to Kohta Circus, which has been called the largest petroglyph panel in Nevada. YES!  He's an expert on petroglyphs, and also has a GPS which I don't have; it makes finding a destination in the middle of nowhere a whole lot easier than just using maps. So we locked-in the hike for Monday.  I then went to Lin's, the local supermarket which is just up the street from the RV park, for food, etc., had lunch, then decided to take the 500 f4 for a stroll at the wildlife area. It was DEAD -- no ducks, only American Coots, and not much of any birds besides those. But I gave legs a bit of exercise, then on coming back I gave the trailer an outside examination just to make sure everything looked in order. There have been 2 "problem spots" on Discovery, one of them self-inflicted. When I left Yellowstone in late September, I stopped off to get gas -- and scraped a concrete pylon, the one that stops you from accidentally hitting a fuel pump. I made the pullout too close, and now I have scrapes of red paint on the right side of Discovery, along with two loose latches on an exterior storage compartment. Sheesh! And the other problem area is in the front, underneath the rock protector; there's a "bulge" in the wood. 

You can see it underneath the rusted Phillips screw, and the rock guard has also been pulled out a bit. 

I asked the service guy at Camping World about it, and he said it was probably caused by water seeping into that area and making the material rot; he said there's not much one can do about it. He recommended not replacing the rusted screw, either, because a new screw wouldn't hold due to the rot. Sheesh again! But I've had Discovery for over 3 years now, and things could be MUCH worse...I ended the day with a mini-pizza heated in my toaster oven along with a spinach salad, did some stuff on the computer -- and that was it. A nice, quiet, "stay close to the trailer" day. And today it's back to the Overton Wildlife Management Area this morning with the 500 f4...

February 14 -- Falling Man and Little Finland With Kim Barton (And Leucania)

This was a day to realize (once again) that you can meet the nicest people while on the road...Early morning saw me heading off to the Gold Butte area east of Overton where I would meet up with Kim Barton, a photographer from Vernal, Utah. We had "met" on Facebook after she saw my Valley of Fire photos I'd posted; she took off a week to visit VOF and Gold Butte, where I met her near Whitney Pockets. She had camped in her Toyota 4-Runner for a few nights accompanied by her German Shepherd named Leucania, who I soon discovered was pretty much the perfect hiking dog. We drove to Falling Man and hiked around, looking at petroglyphs (they are much easier to spot with 2 pairs of eyes than 1) and the colorful rock formations that are everywhere. I'd missed "Newspaper Rock", a large petroglyph panel, during my previous visit but we found it this time, seen by accident --

It's a stunning piece of rock art. While at Newspaper Rock a hiker wearing a big backpack came up to us. It turned out his name was Jason, 35 years old, and he was a "speed hiker", averaging about 24 miles a day, who was carrying a load in the backpack just to "keep fit".  I told him about the tough hikes in the eastern Sierra Nevada (climbing 6000 feet in 8 miles) and he said he'd love to do them. After chatting for a few minutes we parted ways and Kim and I went further along the trail down into a canyon wash, where we accidentally found the other panel I'd missed previously, "Sheep Panel" --

Once you see them you ask yourself,  "How could I have missed THIS the first time around?" But in spite of their size, the panels are easy to overlook if you don't know their location. By this time it was around noon, so Kim and I had lunch in the wash, then headed back where we ran into a couple who were examining some petroglyphs. It turned out he was an archaeologist and along with his wife were traveling in their Lance camper from Alaska to Mexico -- and he was an expert in petroglyphs! I gave him my Lone Wolfe Photography card and we agreed to meet for a "rock art" hike sometime before I left the SE Nevada area in late March. Kim, Leucania (who was "hiking" along with us) and I then drove our vehicles over to the Little Finland area of Gold Butte -- a bumpy, rough 4-wheel-drive road that was nevertheless scenic in itself. We arrived at Little Finland where clouds and the afternoon sun cast a spell over the fins and hobgoblins there ---

And we took some photos of each other; here's Kim and Leucania --

And the light just kept getting better and better as the afternoon turned into evening. Kim showed me petroglyphs on some rocks there --

And the setting sun cast shadows on the fins and hobgoblins --

As you can see, the clouds were fantastic too. Some more photos as sunset approached --

Sunset caused the fanlike clouds over Virgin Peak to glow, along with the rocks at Little Finland --

 The scene was really unworldly, with the light of the setting sun reflecting off the clouds, casting a pastel glow all around us --

And then the sunset to the west gave a fiery final performance --

I left Kim and Leucania camping overnight at Little Finland, while I picked my way back along the rugged dirt road to "civilization".  It was just an awesome day at Gold Butte, and I will be back for more... 

February 13 -- Maintenance And Taxes At Henderson, Nevada

After all the sightseeing in SE Nevada these past few weeks it was time to get some chores done -- and pay the proverbial piper, i.e., the Feds. I got up early -- well, I ALWAYS get up early these days -- hitched Discovery up to the Tundra, and took off down the scenic Northshore Road that runs along the north shore of Lake Mead, heading to Henderson, Nevada. I had an appointment at the Camping World in Henderson to have Discovery washed and waxed (the first time "she" has been waxed since I purchased her in late November 2010), have the appliances checked, the awning and superslide topper cleaned, and the wheel bearings repacked. There were literally no cars on the road; I had it all to myself until I got to the Boulder Highway and Henderson. At Camping World (the stores now owned by Good Sam; it's just an RV service center and store in Henderson, the RV sales part is in Las Vegas) I dropped off Discovery with the truck as the H and R Block was only a few, well, Blocks away.  Easy to walk to, right? I called the tax office to let them know I was on the way, and asked for directions, saying I was at Camping World. The woman who answered said they were in a mini-mall across from MacDonald's and past the Lowe's. So I walked past the Lowe's...and couldn't find the MacDonald's. Now you have to understand I have a sciatic nerve "issue" -- probably caused by driving too much without getting out to stretch -- which makes my legs, particularly my left one, ache when I'm walking. So there I am, late for the tax appointment, walking around not knowing where the place was. I was swearing under my breath...I saw a man sitting on the curb in front of me. I got closer and saw he was toothless, and probably a little "eccentric", but I still asked him if the H and R Block office was up ahead on this street. He said, "Have money for a cigarette?" then answered "Yes, but they died a few years ago" -- NOT the answer I was expecting. I repeated my question a few times, he gave me the same answer, so I gave him $2 and left him still muttering "they're not around, they died". But the gods be praised, I saw the MacDonald's up ahead and the Block office was there across the street. I was with the tax guy for about 45 minutes, and when I left I was $530 poorer, plus the Block fee. But my taxes are DONE, and that's one thing less to worry about , which is important when you're on the road. So I went to a nearby IHOP to celebrate with a high-cholesterol breakfast, then walked back to Camping World and waited...and waited...AND...Discovery was finally done a little after 3pm. The appliances checked out ok, she was washed and waxed and looked brand spankin' new (except for some fiberglass damage and scrapes from an encounter with a concrete pylon at a gas station outside of Yellowstone), the wheel bearings had been repacked (and replaced as the mechanics said they'd been "damaged") -- so I was finally good to go. The Northshore Road back to Overton was ablaze with color from the late-afternoon sun, so I took a photo of Tundra and Discovery midst the scenery --

At The Bowl Of Fire

And the clouds were performing their usual magic on the bewitching landscape here --

So today, February 14, Valentine's Day, will be a day of hiking and exploring petroglyphs and hobgoblins in Gold Butte with a fellow photographer; I'll let you know how that goes in tomorrow's installment...