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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
11/13/2014
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Veterans Day solo backpack trip out to Rockhouse Canyon in Carrizo Gorge. Was supposed to go with Tom but he couldn't make it. Took the new Fuji XE-1 camera, I still don't feel in command of it yet, especially with the night and star photos. The camera works quite differently then my Sony DSLR cameras. Biggest problem I noticed was it seems to focus past infinity but of course I couldn't tell until I got home and looked at the pictures. Good trip, found the palm oasis and stopped by the pictograph site. The old ranchers shack is still standing.
Remnants of the old road into the canyon before the park put the bollards up
I got in late at night and started looking for a place to put my sleeping gear down and found this guy
Not proud of any of these star shots, I need to dial in the new camera and it's settings
Moonrise
Here is a photo of the ranchers shack from an April 1947 Desert Magazine article and below is one I took on this trip. Much of the ocotillo still stands but one in particular right behind the shack is now gone.
And some random shots inside the shack
So now for the real agenda of the trip....follow the water pipe from the trough up the mountainside and see where it goes
Along the way I found a Sky Blazer that expired in Oct 1961
Those damn ranchers were tough, that pipe went up 1,000+ feet to a palm oasis up on the ridge
I lost the pipe in several places and it is now since broken apart but I could find sections all the way up to the palm grove
Awesome views of Carrizo Gorge and the desert floor up at the palm grove
Some artifacts along the way
Figured I would stop and check out the pictographs while I was out that way
Total Mylar Balloon count this trip - 3 (sorry, no picture)
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
11/13/2014
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Nice trip Daren. Wish I could have made it. Me thinking I had Veteran's Day off was wishful thinking. Nice point. That spring from your view down the valley is higher that I thought!
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
11/13/2014
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tommy750 wrote:
Nice trip Daren. Wish I could have made it. Me thinking I had Veteran's Day off was wishful thinking. Nice point. That spring from your view down the valley is higher that I thought! Yep, caught me a bit off guard when I rounded the corner of the ridge...almost dropped my pack to climb up but stubborn me kept it on all the way up and lucky me I had my 500mm lens in there  . Topo shows it about 1,000' up.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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ziphius Posts: 911
11/14/2014
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Nice trip and tarantula Daren. Any surface moisture at the spring? Animal tracks? I count about 40-plus palms in the immediate area from aerial photos, must be significant water below the surface. Wonder if the ranchers utilized mules to help drag the pipes uphill.
Looks like there is a potentially nice flat and sandy camp area above the spring at about 3200 ft. I like that photo looking out of the shack window.
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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herofix Posts: 30
11/14/2014
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Great pics as always, thanks for sharing. looks pretty rugged and remote out there. BTW, I think that SkyBlazer was Lot# 61 and expired in Oct. 2010. 
edited by herofix on 11/14/2014
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Florian Posts: 129
11/14/2014
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Nice pictographs. I've never been to those.
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
11/14/2014
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herofix wrote:
BTW, I think that SkyBlazer was Lot# 61 and expired in Oct. 2010. You are correct of course, no way that thing is from 1961...!
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
11/14/2014
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Jim (ziphius) wrote:
Nice trip and tarantula Daren. Any surface moisture at the spring? Animal tracks? I count about 40-plus palms in the immediate area from aerial photos, must be significant water below the surface. Wonder if the ranchers utilized mules to help drag the pipes uphill.
Looks like there is a potentially nice flat and sandy camp area above the spring at about 3200 ft. I like that photo looking out of the shack window. Didn't see a single drop, all dry but lots and lots of tracks going up to the grove. I didn't get down into the grove, it was way too thick with sumac and such. There was a big bird that flew out, not a hawk, maybe falcon not sure. I could see the pipes disappear into the grove. Didn't see any other folks out there except the CCC guys clearing Tamarisk.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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hikerdmb Posts: 423
11/14/2014
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Great view from up high. Nice pics as always. I need to get out there.
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rockhopper Posts: 668
11/17/2014
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Neat trip report. Nice glyph photos. Where they near a old water source? Old spring or creek perhaps. The whole area was much wetter in past ice age advances and retreats. I have never seen a quartz like artifact like that out in ABDSP. Neat!
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
11/17/2014
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rockhopper wrote:
Neat trip report. Nice glyph photos. Where they near a old water source? Old spring or creek perhaps. The whole area was much wetter in past ice age advances and retreats. I have never seen a quartz like artifact like that out in ABDSP. Neat! The whole area is pretty much a water source, I am sure before the ranchers and cattle moved in there was plenty of water from the natural springs. Even Carrizo Gorge had some water this last weekend, not much but there was some for animals to drink.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1364
11/22/2014
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Definitely one of my favorite areas of the Anza Borrego region. Never get tired of checking out the Rockhouse cabin.
Never did follow that water pipe. Crazy it goes all the way up the ridge.
Didn't we do that hike in the summer once Daren?
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https://www.anzaborrego.net/
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
11/29/2014
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surfponto wrote:
Definitely one of my favorite areas of the Anza Borrego region. Never get tired of checking out the Rockhouse cabin.
Never did follow that water pipe. Crazy it goes all the way up the ridge.
Didn't we do that hike in the summer once Daren? Yep, 105 degrees...I said I would get back and follow that pipe one day...
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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