all messages by user

Thank you so very much. I'm overwhelmed with information. Over the years I've been able to establish relationships with a few DV wonderers and have been blessed with those relationships. My basic question is are any of the diehards on this forum open to meeting new families and creating new friendships? I'm into photography and enjoy hiking especially now that my boys get it. Just asking if there are any interested.

Hey, don't feel bad if you've been cholla-bombed. It happens to the best:



[from a postcard sold at the ABDSP Visitor Center]
edited by ziphius on 2/25/2014

Good first effort on the night pic. Did you wave a flashlight to light up the ocotillo? Very interesting pottery piece too.

That pottery is a companion piece to the one we discussed via email. Always love an Orion shot, nice work, doesn't the Nex have some kind of remote shutter mechanism? Anyway, one my favorite areas for sure, thanks for posting.

Nice trip and pics, Jim. With your night shots and the Sony, at least you don't have to worry about the mirror up vibration problem! Have you tried covering the lens with your hat etc right when you push the shutter to avoid shutter bounce? Liking the size of your camera as well. Full size DSLRs are like carrying a lead brick around with you. Thanks. Tom

tommy750 wrote:

Have you tried covering the lens with your hat etc

I tried that once, to try and get star trails with a fireball point....only problem was I started drinking and talking with the other guys and totally forgot to remove the hat so in the morning I had a 16 hour exposure of my hat

Re: Pottery
I found this: " Southern Diegueno ceramics were sometimes decorated by incising and painting, with incising being the older of the two techniques."

From: Background to prehistory of the Yuha desert region.

Jim (ziphius) wrote:

Thanks for the close-up of the spring Daren. I've always been curious to know if it was a seep or a puddle, depending on the conditions. Any idea on the depth? Dimensions? Impressive, considering the lame rain year we have had. Maybe some of last summer's monsoon moisture helped things along.
edited by ziphius on 7/7/2014

The surrounding dirt area *was* the bottom which was fed by a trickle on the back wall. That seemed to have dried up last year and was instead bubbling up from the bottom right corner, we dug it out to what you see now and it has thrived for the last year. Approx 25 gallons in it.

Jim (ziphius) wrote:

I love it when folks report waterholes in gallon units! Cool.

That's how the biologists folks reported it....what would you use?

I really liked my Trangia alcohol stove and used it for 5+ years but handed it down to my son recently and bought a
Snow Peak stove and cup setup to combat my back problems and move to lower weight items in my pack.
The snow peak stove/cup/110 gram fuel cartridge weighs 13oz total and can last me 4-5 days of boiling water for
coffee and dinner. My trangia with fuel bottle couldn't come close to that, and my new setup is way smaller.

Here is the Trangia



Your cat food can stove reminded me of another friend of mine who did the same thing on a trip to the Sierras(not Gary),
it worked but seemed to use a lot of fuel and needed a lot of wind block.

How does yours work? Do you make a new one for each trip or the same one?

The alcohol stoves are quiet, cheap, pretty much bomb proof and can use almost anything flammable,
they are great heating devices but I have to admit my new fuel canister based setup is pretty nice, only the refuse
guilt factor gets in the way...

dsefcik wrote:

"...just weighed one of my old 4oz bottles of denatured alcohol full and it weighed...4oz"..

Just, wow.

I love the desert after the rains. Great for the animal tracks! The keys on the door handle must have been a surprise! Hope it worked out ok for those folks that lost em'!
Also, On pic no.4, I am looking at Coyote Mtn with Villager and Rabbit beyond right?
On Pic. #1 please tell us where that photo is taken. Near Montezuma Grade?
edited by rockhopper on 11/8/2014
edited by rockhopper on 11/8/2014

Great TR. Of all the exploring I've done in Borrego, I've always considered Palm Cyn 'touristy' and have never gone up it. Thanks for opening my eyes.

Jim (ziphius) wrote:

Way to go on sleuthing out the sleeping square from GE. That groove / mortero combo is a new one to my eyes. Always something new to find out there. Love the photos, particularly your B&Ws. Funny that you found nail polish containers out there....there is a lot of internet chatter about sniffing polish (and remover) to get high. Maybe they weren't doing their nails after all.... and if you want to get high, word on the street is that Bacardi or Grey Goose is the way to go.

Sniffing nail polish was not even on my radar but I think you nailed it, Jim! That probably explains why my in-house mani-pedi consultant AKA girlfriend wasn't too impressed with the brands (think her expert reply was something like, "do they still make that crap?").

tommy750 wrote:

dsefcik wrote:

Absolutely love it Tom, I really like the B/W photos, I need to learn how you make those. I have not been out to Carrizo Marsh yet, would like to go someday. Too bad we missed each other this weekend, you would have enjoyed going with us.

Assuming you're going to post on your trip? Also assuming you got time lapse shots of the meteor shower? Yeah, wish I would have found out about my change in plans earlier so I could have joined you.

Yeah, I will post something up when I get a chance...personally I was snoozing all night but ziphius was with us and he time lapsed something, hey Jim, post up a TR with your time lapse and photos!

Sorry for the late notice. Assuming many may know about this:

http://www.sdnhm.org/education/naturalists-of-all-ages/lectures-and-films/

Come hear author Mark Jorgensen discuss his five decades of experience studying the elusive symbol of southwest United States and northern Mexico, the desert bighorn sheep, through the beautiful images taken by photographer Jeff Young. A book signing of their new book, Desert Bighorn Sheep: Wilderness Icon, will follow the lecture.

Have to admit, the spider video was worth the 78 seconds! Were the skid marks from a coyote or hawk or ? Great trip. Need to head back out there.

Do you remember which photo he used? I have sent him several, I would be interested in knowing.