ziphius

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2/17/2020 Topic: Whale Peak overnight ziphius	Rocko1 the canyon going up was very interesting, with lots of stands of dead or dying pinyon pine that apparently have succumbed in the last 5 years. Lots of potential camp areas in various flats well before the summit if someone wanted. The Smuggler Canyon down route is pretty cool too, there is a lot of boulder-negotiating in that drainage, much more so than the up-canyon route shown. We were the only campers at the summit. Gorgeous views all around. I don't know what took me so long to get up there, maybe it looked intimidating all these years.
2/17/2020 Topic: Salt Creek/Cottonwood Canyon ziphius	I ran into a couple collecting ticks for research near Pine Valley a few weeks ago. They said that the deer tick that carries Lyme disease, Ixodes pacificus, is rare in San Diego County, but I see plenty of records on iNaturalist. They did say that where western fence lizard and Ixodes overlap, that Lyme is rare. This is because the blood of western fence lizard kills off the Lyme bacterium. https://news.sfsu.edu/news-story/biologists-sf-state-dig-ticks-and-lyme-disease edited by ziphius on 2/17/2020
2/17/2020 Topic: Whale Peak overnight ziphius	@tekewin yeah, I was wondering initially if the shadow was caused by Cuyamaca Peak. But then the next morning, we had an equally-shaped shadow in the opposite direction. I need to observe this a little more from the Whale Peak summit for verification! [ edit: it makes sense that the shadow would be sharper than the mountain itself, especially the farthest point you can see. Just like looking down a set of railroad tracks. Although they are parallel, in the distance, all railroad tracks appear to converge.] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanishing_point edited by ziphius on 2/18/2020
2/18/2020 Topic: Thimble from Cherry Canyon ziphius	I want to own one of the sketchy houses in that area.
2/22/2020 Topic: Martinez Mtn. Snow ziphius	Nice view rockhopper!
3/11/2020 Topic: Granite Mountain Overnight ziphius	Great trip report and photos! The red berries are desert mistletoe. The black birds with the pointy crest (Phainopepla) eat them and poop the seeds onto new branches, thus helping them spread.
3/18/2020 Topic: Three Saturdays in Canebrake ziphius	Great trip report and points Tom! I think your 'skid marks' are from a gray fox.
3/18/2020 Topic: Solstice Cave and Goat Canyon ziphius	Great trip report and congrats on finding the cave! That dry fall looks scary.
4/9/2020 Topic: GPS Collar Retrieval Near Rabbit ziphius	Nothing better than an old-fashioned easter egg hunt! I think your snail may be a 'shoulderband' species, and probably rarely-documented from that area. If you ever use iNaturalist.org, post a photo and location of it there. Great trip report!
4/10/2020 Topic: GPS Collar Retrieval Near Rabbit ziphius	Tom, yeah that has to be the species, nice find! Coachella Desertsnail. 'Imperiled in the United States'.
4/11/2020 Topic: GPS Collar Retrieval Near Rabbit ziphius	tommy750 wrote: ziphius wrote: Tom, yeah that has to be the species, nice find! Coachella Desertsnail. 'Imperiled in the United States'. Looks like a malacologist on iNaturalist gave the snail pic "research grade" props. Must admit, never heard the word malacology in my life till today. Thanks for the suggestion Ziphius! https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/41838590 edited by tommy750 on 4/11/2020 Nice work Tom! Looks like the southern-most record for the species on iNaturalist!
4/11/2020 Topic: My Buck Knife ziphius	Nice craftsmanship! No comment on the safety.
4/12/2020 Topic: Show Us Your Mask! ziphius	Looking good Daren! Hawaiian themed mask looks like one-half of a bikini top!
4/12/2020 Topic: In Search of PAH ziphius	Glad you got out! And a sheep sighting! Can't wait to visit the area again when this is over. Something tells me I'll be doing a lot of summer trips this year.
4/21/2020 Topic: Toloache ziphius	I have a few Datura plants in the garden, grown from seed. A great plant that attracts weird pollinators and Sphinx moth caterpillars. The plant itself sort of smells like peanut butter and the flowers are spectacular.
4/21/2020 Topic: Domeland/Wind Caves ziphius	Nice trip report, envious.
4/21/2020 Topic: Toloache ziphius	Honey bees definitely visit Datura flowers. I wonder what 100% pure 'Datura honey' would be like. tommy750 wrote: ziphius wrote: I have a few Datura plants in the garden, grown from seed. A great plant that attracts weird pollinators and Sphinx moth caterpillars. The plant itself sort of smells like peanut butter and the flowers are spectacular. That's interesting. Do you see honey bees polinating the flowers? Read somewhere honey produced near datura plants can be problematic but they mentioned honey wasps whatever those are.
5/11/2020 Topic: Cleveland NF ziphius	Nice looking photos / trip Rocko1 and Daren!
5/11/2020 Topic: Cleveland NF ziphius	Nice looking photos / trip Rocko1 and Daren!
5/13/2020 Topic: E-Bike Build ziphius	Quite the engineering feat Daren, I bow to your skills. My GF has a fancy Trek ebike that she loves for commuting, back in the days when we used to commute.
5/13/2020 Topic: Cleveland NF ziphius	Tommy that fuzzy plant is a mystery to me!
6/2/2020 Topic: Colorado Desert From The Air ziphius	Love the photos. Thanks for being a responsible drone operator and keeping it out of the park. Drones are like dogs, great.... but too many people own them. If you eventually want to upgrade to a fancier camera and a bigger system, Don Leroi at Aerial Imaging Systems builds a bunch of hexacopters for NOAA to photograph whales, sea lions, and penguins. We use mainly Sony mirrorless cameras on our systems. https://aerialimagingsolutions.com Their training for these systems are taken seriously, FAA certification required. https://aerialimagingsolutions.com/training/ edited by ziphius on 6/2/2020
6/5/2020 Topic: Colorado Desert From The Air ziphius	Tommy yeah the article is a little outdated! We're using a 36 MP Sony A7R on a hexacopter these days.
6/5/2020 Topic: Colorado Desert From The Air ziphius	Gray whales from 150 ft altitude. Custom hexacopter with Sony A7R mirrorless body. tommy750 wrote: ziphius wrote: Tommy yeah the article is a little outdated! We're using a 36 MP Sony A7R on a hexacopter these days. You have any pics you could post from your work with that setup?? Would be very interesting to see. edited by ziphius on 6/5/2020
6/6/2020 Topic: Colorado Desert From The Air ziphius	Tommy, I don't get to pilot the UAVs, I'm one of the "whale finders" that helps direct the UAV towards the whales. It's kind of like sheep-counting, wait around for hours while nothing happens, and then something happens. tommy750 wrote: So Ziphius you get paid to do this stuff?? Dang. Guess some of us got those good guidance couselers edited by ziphius on 6/6/2020 edited by ziphius on 6/6/2020
6/8/2020 Topic: Diablo BM ziphius	Lizard is a desert iguana. Nice one. What is the status of the park open / closure?
6/10/2020 Topic: Colorado Desert From The Air ziphius	There is this sign on the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus as well. https://images.app.goo.gl/fMmz5J5RrYaXcSUZA edited by ziphius on 6/10/2020
7/15/2020 Topic: Owens Valley ziphius	Great trip Tommy. Makes me miss the desert!
7/16/2020 Topic: Photography ziphius	Great shot of the comet Buford!
7/18/2020 Topic: Owens Valley ziphius	Yes sir! I have plans! Just need to get over a nagging piriformis injury! tommy750 wrote: ziphius wrote: Great trip Tommy. Makes me miss the desert! What are you waiting for Ziphius?? Everything is open and Inner Pasture this weekend is probably only as hot as El Cajon Mt. during an illicit August dayhike.
7/27/2020 Topic: Photography ziphius	Clouds rushing over San Ysidro Mtns from Big Spring area in 2014. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/a56887_3e935c1a146c4aad98b3d4525a9296d5/1080p/mp4/file.mp4
7/27/2020 Topic: Photography ziphius	Thanks all. This was so long ago, 2014. I was using my Sony mirrorless NEX-6 (still using it), with the downloadable time lapse app. Maybe a frame every 2 seconds or so? tommy750 wrote: ziphius wrote: Clouds rushing over San Ysidro Mtns from Big Spring area in 2014. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/a56887_3e935c1a146c4aad98b3d4525a9296d5/1080p/mp4/file.mp4 Nice, I like it. Mind sharing your settings taking/making the clip? Thanks! edited by ziphius on 7/27/2020
8/18/2020 Topic: Valley of the Moon to East Davies Valley ziphius	Good-looking trip! What was the diameter, roughly, of those burrows? I see some kangaroo rat tail drag marks outside the burrows. The 'exhaust' clearing is interesting. Sometimes quail will create similar dustbath circles in dirt, but this looks more like gravel. Have also seen smaller clearings created by desert sidewinders in gravelly substrate.
9/5/2020 Topic: The Potrero ziphius	Every once in a while, someone illegally drives a jeep trail back into the Potrero and that is annoying. I enjoy the place and plan on spending Election 2020 week back there with no outside contacts and no idea of what is going on. See this story: https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/nov/14/stringers-who-won-election-clinton-or-trump/ The key is to camp far away from any water sources so that 1) the animals can enjoy it at night and 2) your chances of running into someone are greatly diminished. I'll admit to having camped right next to water sources in the past, it's something I don't do any more. A few northbound travelers use the saddle route between Canebrake and The Potrero, I've found their discarded carpet slippers and snack containers. Camp off the beaten path and you likely will see no one. edited by ziphius on 9/5/2020
9/11/2020 Topic: Photography ziphius	Excellent Buford!
9/30/2020 Topic: Lookout Knob ziphius	Great trip report. I still need to explore the Thimble area.
10/6/2020 Topic: Mason Valley Truck Trail ziphius	Nice looking trip Daren. Is that lone-hiker?
10/16/2020 Topic: Chariot Mountain ziphius	Nice trip + photos.
10/26/2020 Topic: Granite Mountain ziphius	Second trip up there, first was back in 2017. Video shows in order, Don Endicott, Scott Turner, and Sicco Rood navigating the terrain. Don just turned 70, he's a beast. He's also a treasure trove of California hiking and natural history knowledge. Weather closed in on us towards summit, 45 degrees and 45 mph winds. Was happy to get back down to the sunny side! View north on ascent. Bobcat latrine. View towards Whale Peak. One of those guys. Don Endicott climbing. Lots and lots of this. Lunch break and product placement. Granite Benchmark.
10/26/2020 Topic: Granite Mountain ziphius	Yep, Sunday. Pretty intense on the upper 1/3 of mountain. Buford wrote: Nice. I assume this was Sunday? It sure was windy out there. Granite was in and out of the clouds from what I could see from nearby.
10/31/2020 Topic: Rockhouse Valley ziphius	Great trip and photos Brian! Love the VW '69 petroglyph! It's an area I've yet to explore.
11/8/2020 Topic: Election Week 2020 Hiding In The Desert ziphius	Field notes and photos at my blog: https://www.jimcarretta.com/post/election-week-2020-hiding-in-the-desert edited by ziphius on 11/8/2020
11/8/2020 Topic: Election Week 2020 Hiding In The Desert ziphius	Britain, thanks, the website is powered by Wix. Easy to use. Scooter, I park at Agua Caliente County Park and take a quasi-tough overland route west. $3 per day for parking there, but I like parking within view of the ranger station. Others park somewhere near Vallecito County Park and walk south, a gentler route.
11/9/2020 Topic: Arroyo Tapido mud caves ziphius	Very cool! Never been there, but admittedly a little scared.
11/9/2020 Topic: Election Week 2020 Hiding In The Desert ziphius	Rocko1 Maybe some technology was involved, but they also do regular patrols here. I saw him drive his jeep into another part of the valley up against Monument Peak after checking in with me. Some trail cameras have wireless technology to send imagery to a phone immediately, so that is one technology option. Thing is, I'd been all over the valley and this particular campsite for 4 days until discovery. Simple motion detectors would also be picking up deer, bobcats, lions, all of which had been in the area during that week. Rocko1 wrote: 'Wanted to know what I was doing out there'. 1) Sleeping. 2) getting away from people. As for him tracking you-don't they have numerous hidden motion detectors out in that area? edited by Rocko1 on 11/9/2020
11/9/2020 Topic: Election Week 2020 Hiding In The Desert ziphius	Interesting on the infrared capability Rocko1. I was tucked in behind a rather large boulder while sleeping, definitely not 'visible' from the jeep road that the agent came in on. He may have seen tracks and started wandering around with some portable infrared thingy, who knows?
11/17/2020 Topic: Rockhouse Canyon 2 Days ziphius	Man that campsite looks awesome. Great trip report to an area I've yet to explore.
11/24/2020 Topic: Roost Benchmark ziphius	Nice trip report and photos. Like the photo of the landing strip east of Roost.
12/2/2020 Topic: Whale Peak via Pictographs/Smugglers Canyon ? ziphius	Enjoyed the diversity of this route. http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/Forum/topic1515-whale-peak-overnight.aspx
12/10/2020 Topic: Whale Peak Via Little Blair Valley North ziphius	Looks like a great time. I liked that route you took up, did it earlier this year. Gotta get back out there soon!
12/14/2020 Topic: Cactus Spring trail ziphius	Nice views and trip report! I need to explore that area.
1/5/2021 Topic: Fish Benchmark and Eagle Benchmark ziphius	Great trip! Too bad about the fireworks hikers. New Year's Day? I tend to avoid any New Year's hikes, everyone is out. But you at least had the expectation of remoteness!
1/14/2021 Topic: Death Valley Trip 12-2020 ziphius	COOKIE!
1/18/2021 Topic: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease ziphius	Also bad news if you're a red-tailed hawk, bobcat, coyote....
1/19/2021 Topic: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease ziphius	tommy750 wrote: ziphius wrote: Also bad news if you're a red-tailed hawk, bobcat, coyote.... Ziphius, did you mean no species barrier or less fresh meat? Tommy, yes, I meant that rabbits are an extremely-important dietary item to those carnivores.
1/20/2021 Topic: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease ziphius	Yes, let us not forget the human carnivores! tommy750 wrote: ziphius wrote: tommy750 wrote: ziphius wrote: Also bad news if you're a red-tailed hawk, bobcat, coyote.... Ziphius, did you mean no species barrier or less fresh meat? Tommy, yes, I meant that rabbits are an extremely-important dietary item to those carnivores. Thanks, Ziphius. Looking around the Fish and Wildlife site, just noted human carnivores have a year round jack rabbit open season as well.
1/25/2021 Topic: Villager Peak ziphius	Nice work John!
2/15/2021 Topic: Pyramid, Rosa Pt., Mile High Loop ziphius	Had a great time out there with some good people this weekend. https://www.jimcarretta.com/post/pyramid-rosa-pt-mile-high edited by ziphius on 2/15/2021
2/15/2021 Topic: book recommendations? ziphius	This old thread has a lot of good ones.
2/17/2021 Topic: Canebrake Valley and The Santa Rosas ziphius	Good-looking trips Tommy. Nice lion track, looks like a right hind. That painted pottery shard is really nice. I've been regaled with the story of the Cave of The Seven Ollas by Gary while counting sheep with him. Hope you guys find it one day and never tell a soul. That's a lot of camo!
2/17/2021 Topic: Pyramid, Rosa Pt., Mile High Loop ziphius	tommy750 wrote: Another great TR, Ziphius. Great pics. Hand drawn maps?? Suppose your gps is the "backup" to your compass? Really nice. Tommy, yeah if I'm going somewhere new with complex terrain, I've decided to spend some time sketching features ahead of time - forces me to immerse myself in the route. I had a GPS with me too.
2/18/2021 Topic: Pyramid, Rosa Pt., Mile High Loop ziphius	rockhopper wrote: Great trek. I've always thought of doing that route. Nice photo perspectives. I see you had the rock tanks noted. That's as far as I've gone on that trail. Did the tanks contain water? Rockhopper, yep at least one of the tanks had water. We viewed them from the ridge above and didn't go down to them.
3/15/2021 Topic: Sheep Hole Mountains High Point ziphius	Nice-going! I mean tough-going! A lot of work and a great view!
3/24/2021 Topic: Election Week 2020 Hiding In The Desert ziphius	tommy750 wrote: Just stumbled on your post, Ziphius. Very informative TR and an even better use of time than watching Steve Kornacki fret about when to call Arizona. Daren and I were out in Potrero late February and noted a lot of stripped cholla. Packrats?? Thanks! Thanks Tom. Yeah, when you see chomped cholla, it's usually jackrabbits. If the skin is peeled off, it's usually woodrats. It can vary between the two, but jackrabbits have a hard time being 'delicate' about their browsing.
3/28/2021 Topic: Solar Project in Jacumba ziphius	Jacumba is a nice sleepy town. Agree, we should stop taking away habitat and destroying vista and put the panels on places we've already ruined, like housing developments and parking structures.
4/4/2021 Topic: Fee Collection and Amenity Upgrade ABDSP ziphius	Amenities don't belong in deserts. That's the definition of a desert. I don't mind paying fees here and there, if the money goes towards rangers and buying more land. Anza Borrego Foundation is a good example of the latter.
4/14/2021 Topic: Rabbit Peak Overnight ziphius	Nice-looking trip!
4/14/2021 Topic: 2021 ziphius	Great photos Buford!
4/14/2021 Topic: Martinez Mountain and Sheep Mountain ziphius	Congrats on seeing a lion and a great trip report!
4/23/2021 Topic: Three days of Petroglyphs in the Santa Rosas ziphius	Great glyphs and trip report rockhopper! Pretty sure your bird is a common poorwill.
4/30/2021 Topic: Helicopter on Jacumba Gas Station? ziphius	Interesting story for sure. How have I not seen that before?
5/7/2021 Topic: Rattler ziphius	Beautiful speckled rattlesnake. Was climbing a boulder near Otay Mtn. once and came face to face with one on a ledge, 2.5 feet away. Quickly downclimbed.
6/5/2021 Topic: Carrizo Gorge 3 Day Backpack ziphius	Good looking trip at a great time of year. Lots of interesting cultural finds and always appreciate seeing 'dead stuff.
6/6/2021 Topic: Carrizo Gorge 3 Day Backpack ziphius	Water quality sounds fun..... pretty sure your dead critter is a gray fox.
6/7/2021 Topic: Carrizo Gorge 3 Day Backpack ziphius	tommy750 wrote: ziphius wrote: Water quality sounds fun..... pretty sure your dead critter is a gray fox. So Ziphius, while you're on the subject, what do you think about this dead guy in Potrero from a couple months back? Tommy that looks like a gray fox also. The tail is relatively long compared to the body length (shorter in coyote). Also, the rusty color I see behind the ears is typical of gray fox.
6/7/2021 Topic: Carrizo Gorge 3 Day Backpack ziphius	Ants can be a problem for us bearded guys who keep unintended leftovers inside the matrix.
6/22/2021 Topic: Fire in Upper Canebrake Canyon ziphius	I've seen plenty of sign of northbound travelers on the saddle between Canebrake and The Potrero, just west of Red Top. It's a serious ascent in cool weather.
7/5/2021 Topic: North McCain Valley ziphius	Nice trip report Tommy. Good time of year to be out there when prepared.
7/9/2021 Topic: North McCain Valley ziphius	Yep, young bobcat.
7/10/2021 Topic: 2021 ziphius	Great timelapse Buford!
7/27/2021 Topic: North McCain Valley ziphius	People should carry a hiking umbrella on shadeless El Cajon Mountain in warm weather. Your head + torso will be 10 - 15 degrees cooler. Carrying one is worth it if you get injured or just to keep you cooler, with a side benefit of it making you pay more attention to your footwork. My qualifications for pontification? 100 + round-trips on the mountain, including 90 degree plus days, without incident. Rangers tell me they do about a rescue a week up there, sometimes involving an airlift, which I've aided with once.
7/27/2021 Topic: North McCain Valley ziphius	That would work Daren.
9/7/2021 Topic: Haboob in Borrego Springs ziphius	https://www.jimcarretta.com/post/a-summer-haboob-in-borrego-springs edited by ziphius on 9/8/2021
9/12/2021 Topic: Haboob in Borrego Springs ziphius	rockhopper wrote: Looks like our desert getting some much need rain. Regarding haboob winds. Saw a fellow campers dome tent ( no people in it but full of gear) take off and go rolling across the desert. Wow rockhopper, was that recently / local?
9/14/2021 Topic: Haboob in Borrego Springs ziphius	@Rocko1 that last photo includes a pair of coyote tracks, a front and a hind. Good reference for distinguishing feline vs canine tracks: https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/53994-canine-vs-feline-tracks-how-to-tell-them-apart edited by ziphius on 9/14/2021
9/18/2021 Topic: Chubascos, Bees and Coyotes ziphius	Great trip report Tommy. Love the coyote tracks, and even the coyotes! Spent a lot of time in 1997 in the northern Gulf on research vessels, surveying for the elusive vaquita porpoise. Saw a few too. The sheep know where the tinajas are...
9/19/2021 Topic: Chubascos, Bees and Coyotes ziphius	Tommy, yes I was an observer on the 1997 survey. I think estimated population size that year was ~ 500 vaquita. A 2016 survey resulted in an estimate of around thirty vaquita. Colleagues have been back since and have seen live animals, but it's likely there are fewer today.
9/23/2021 Topic: Chubascos, Bees and Coyotes ziphius	tommy750 wrote: Rocko1 wrote: Any worry of pirates down there? Was thinking of the Gulf of Mexico where there's lots of piracy but just saw this: https://maritime-executive.com/article/sea-shepherd-vessel-attacked-again-in-gulf-of-california Kinda disappointing. Ziphius, you have any info on these attacks? There's a lot of economic incentive to keep fishing, no matter what the consequences are for vaquita. So conservation groups being targeted is not a surprise. This article tells more of the story: https://qz.com/468358/how-chinas-fish-bladder-investment-craze-is-wiping-out-species-on-the-other-side-of-the-planet/
11/19/2021 Topic: Rockhouse 3 day ziphius	Good-looking trip, thanks for the report! The drive to the start point is much more dangerous than the backpack trip itself. The anxiousness wears off with each additional trip. Find any animal tracks in that dried mud? edited by ziphius on 11/19/2021
11/24/2021 Topic: M. Miller's Boots ziphius	Very cool Tommy!
12/23/2021 Topic: Pyramid Peak ziphius	The views from Pyramid are fantastic. Nice trip.
1/18/2022 Topic: Rockhouse / Clark Valley loop ziphius	Good-looking trip! My favorite moments camping are when I set a multi-night campsite, take off the big pack, hunker down by a boulder, get out the binoculars and wait for the animals to show up.
1/29/2022 Topic: Is it just me or is there something not right? ziphius	Rough, confusing country. No "home field advantage" for this guy.
2/5/2022 Topic: Oasis Peak ziphius	Looks like fun!
2/9/2022 Topic: Whale Peak Overnight ziphius	Nice trip. Did same route to summit a couple years ago and descended Smuggler's. Watching the shadow of Whale Peak stretch eastward towards sunset is pretty amazing.
2/18/2022 Topic: Ghost Mtn, Shake BM and 3899 ziphius	Good-looking trip, fun area!
4/7/2022 Topic: Martinez and Agua Alta 3 Day backpack ziphius	Excellent trip and photos rockhopper. I'm still a fan of my external frame pack, carries weight very well.
4/7/2022 Topic: Back to Whale ziphius	Nice looking trip! Whale is always fun.
5/26/2022 Topic: Camera found in Santa Rosas- Update ziphius	Great story!
6/14/2022 Topic: Animal Print ziphius	Is there a series of them? The track shown looks like two tracks superimposed. Canines will travel like that (hind foot lands where front just lifted off) and it looks like there is some slippage due to wet substrate at the time the track was made. It also superficially looks like a raccoon track missing a digit. If there are a series of them, the gait and stride length would be another ID clue.

Anza Borrego Desert

ziphius

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