Wayne's Word Index Noteworthy Plants Trivia Lemnaceae Biology 101 Botany Scenic Wildflowers Trains Spiders & Insects Search  Increase The Size Of Display On Your Monitor:    PCs Type Control (Ctrl) +     MACs Type Command (⌘) +   Owens Valley Road Trip Page 1     Go To Page 2  W.P. Armstrong, 5 November 2022 [Cameras: Nikon D-3200 & Sony HX-60] Disclaimer: These 2 pages of scenic & educational (informative) images reside on Wayne's Word at Palomar College. Most of my images of friends & family reside on Facebook or my Network Solutions website. If images from the untimely passing of my iPhone 6 (that died on this trip) can be recovered they might be placed on latter server. During the last 2 days of October and the first 4 days of November (2022) I went to Owens Valley, CA with my wife Elaine & two dear friends to visit several scenic & historical sites, including Manzanar (Japanese Concentration Camp during World War II), Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery, Inyo County Museum + rare netleaf hackberry site (Celtis reticulata), Laws Railroad Museum, Alpine Lake Sabrina, and Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center. Because of DNA sequencing data, the rare hackberry, formerly placed in the elm family (Ulmaceae), is now placed in the hemp family (Cannabaceae), along with marijuana (Cannabis) and hops (Humulus). This is truly a beautiful, fascinating valley, bordered by high (14,000 ft.) mountain ranges (Sierra Nevada, Inyo & White Mtns.), and containing an amazing flora & fauna. It is also rich in native american history and the mining history of early settlers. I have been visiting this valley for at least 50 years. It is one of my favorite places on this planet. In fact,I have met numerous people during my career who moved to Owens Valley in order to get away from the traffic & congestion of southern CA (primarily Los Angeles, Orange & San Diego Counties). The primary reason Owens Lake dried up and the valley has not become urbanized is that the Owens river was diverted to LA, and also much of the land is owned by LA Dept. of Water & Power (in addition to BLM). I once did research on the red color of Owens Dry Lake, caused by a red, salt-loving halobacteria.   Why Owens Dry Lake Is Red   Owens Valley Through Lenses Of Nikon & Sony Cameras Mt. Whitney & Whitney Spires is located just left of center in above image. This is highest mountain in the contiguous United States (14, 505 ft.). The small image at left is Mt. Whitney & Whitney Spires taken through window of restaurant in Lone Pine where we all had lunch. (Sony HX-60).   Some Previous Images Of Mt. Whitney   Palisade Glacier Palisade Glacier high in the Sierra Nevada west of Big Pine (November 2016). This is southernmost glacier in the United States. On this current trip (November 2022) it appeared smaller compared with previous images from the same viewing point in Owens Valley. This is undoubtedly due to the global warming trend. Lake Sabrina On a very cold day in November, our group drove west on Hwy 168 to Lake Sabrina. With an air temperature of 29 degrees Fahrenheit, the wind chill factor equated to an exceedingly cold temperature that penetrated my 2 sweaters and a wind breaker jacket. The above image shows the flat-topped summit of Mt. Darwin (13,837 ft.). This prominent alpine peak commemorates Charles Darwin, author of Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. This is a scientific theory that has been verified by many scientists throughout the world in peer-reviewed publications. It has changed the thinking of many people. The air temperature was 29 degrees Fahrenheit at Lake Sabrina with strong wind gusts at least 25-30 mph (or more). Calculate wind chill from above chart!   Evolution & Origin Of Life On Wayne's Word   Laws Railroad Museum From Wikipedia: Southern Pacific #9 is a 4-6-0 oil-fired narrow gauge steam locomotive, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in November 1909. It was originally built for the Nevada–California–Oregon Railway and was sold to Southern Pacific in the late 1920s. The engine worked the rest of its career on the SP narrow gauge. The locomotive, along with sisters #8 and #18, were nicknamed "The Desert Princess" for riding along the western and eastern deserts of Nevada and California. All images on this page copyright © W.P. Armstrong