Buford

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10/2/2019 Topic: Tierra Blanca High Point Buford	I read about the pool accident a couple days ago Cool to see pictures of the area from both @tekewin and @tommy750.
10/2/2019 Topic: San Felipe Hills Buford	Welcome to the form. Looks like a fun trip. That region is always cool when the clouds roll through.
10/2/2019 Topic: It is always desert season Buford	A couple pics from a summer trip last month. I'm looking forward to the cooler weather and longer hikes.
10/3/2019 Topic: Pinyon Ridge Buford	Nice truck setup. Last season I enjoyed sleeping in my car and doing longer day hikes instead of backpacking.
10/3/2019 Topic: It is always desert season Buford	I kept waiting for the Kestrel (I think it's a Kestrel) to fly close enough to get a picture in flight, but it never did. Here is that sheep pic in full res (sorry if you open the post with a cell phone): Keep an eye out: edited by Buford on 10/3/2019 edited by Buford on 10/3/2019
10/5/2019 Topic: Bighorn Sheep Count 2019 Buford	I finally got some video together from the sheep count. All of it is pretty shaky since it is hand held and a long long lens. A ewe fending off the attention of a young ram. This went on for hours. I only took a short video clip: Here is a composite of clips showing more sheep: ->Edit to add full res link to second video. edited by Buford on 10/5/2019 edited by Buford on 10/5/2019 edited by Buford on 10/5/2019
10/14/2019 Topic: Rockhouse Canyon / Rockhouse Valley Buford	Nice. I need to get back there again this year. Lots of cool stuff to see. Did you drive to the end of Rockhouse Truck Trail? I wonder if any monsoon floods hit it this year.
10/14/2019 Topic: Little Blair Valley Overnight Buford	Cool trip. Nice tent. I like my Zpacks tarp.
10/16/2019 Topic: Rockhouse Canyon / Rockhouse Valley Buford	Most SUVs and trucks should be able to get to the Butler/Rockhouse junction. The final 3 miles to the end of Rockhouse Truck Trail can be a mess. It depends on how bad the monsoons were, how armored your vehicle is, or how tolerant you are of body damage.
10/24/2019 Topic: Rockhouse Canyon / Rockhouse Valley Buford	dsefcik wrote: Buford wrote: Most SUVs and trucks should be able to get to the Butler/Rockhouse junction. The final 3 miles to the end of Rockhouse Truck Trail can be a mess. It depends on how bad the monsoons were, how armored your vehicle is, or how tolerant you are of body damage. Very tolerant....this was from back in 2013, just didn't see that boulder... Ouch. When I drove to the end in the dark last year, Gary and I didn’t see a big boulder straight in front of us because we were watching the sides to get through a squeeze. My skid plate found it just fine.
10/24/2019 Topic: On the way to Mile High Mountain Buford	Cool report and pics. There was a register earlier this year that was at least a couple years old. Mile High is one of a few peaks I have repeated since I enjoyed it so much. Definitely one of the better ones. I’ve never done Schad’s route though. Both times I combined it with Pyramid, Rosa and Villager(once).
10/26/2019 Topic: CalTopo is stepping up their game Buford	Could have used that last week. Didn't know that was now included. Awesome.
10/26/2019 Topic: Sheep outside Anza Borrego (photo heavy) Buford	Got some cool sheep photos last week by accident. Saw sheep in two different places. One time in really low light so the shots are not great. Another time I hiked without my 600mm lens because I did not expect to see sheep. I was surprised by some but had to make do with a 135mm lens. Interesting how the ram horns grow in a different shape than our sheep in Borrego. Posting low res pics here. Also took some landscape photos on the trip. I'll post more later. edited by Buford on 10/27/2019
10/27/2019 Topic: Sheep outside Anza Borrego (photo heavy) Buford	I like all deserts, not just Borrego. Some more. I have so many more I need to go through. So many gold colored cottonwood trees, too bad the Aspen were already done for the year: Mad Max meets The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in color and b+w: edited by Buford on 10/27/2019
10/28/2019 Topic: Sheep outside Anza Borrego (photo heavy) Buford	A couple more pics. The rams may have slightly different horns, but they have the same rituals as our sheep: The disappointment that today is not the day: Other scenery pics in no particular order:
10/29/2019 Topic: Sheep outside Anza Borrego (photo heavy) Buford	tommy750 wrote: Looks like a nice trip. Assuming Utah Arizona? Great pics. Thanks. Correct, Arizona and Utah. Nothing too far off the beaten path. Some national parks, some blm land, some GSE, some NSF lands.
10/29/2019 Topic: Sheep outside Anza Borrego (photo heavy) Buford	No pictures are from Coyote Buttes or any area that requires permits. Some of the pictures are from an area a few miles east of the permitted areas.
10/31/2019 Topic: On the way to Mile High Mountain Buford	No trails to Mile High. Some game and use trails depending on route. I would not approach Mile High from Villager or Rattlesnake saddle. It is a sandhill on that side. Going down from Mile High to Rattlesnake is fine, wouldn’t want to go up it.
11/5/2019 Topic: Access to Pinyon Ridge (Mt. Wilson) Buford	Depends on how much you want to drive on dirt. Just drive until you are no longer comfortable and turn around. You can always park at the Jasper Trail and Montezuma Grade junction and hike from there. You should be able to get a passenger car down the Jasper Trail, maybe even to Old Culp Valley Road. I was up there a couple times this summer and I don't think they got any thunderstorms since then to wash it out. It is possible a passenger car could be driven along Old Culp Valley Road to the trail head via Jasper. I would not drive Old Culp Valley Road from the bottom up in a passenger car. I definitely would not take a passenger car down the Jasper Trail into Grapevine. edited by Buford on 11/5/2019
11/5/2019 Topic: Sheep outside Anza Borrego (photo heavy) Buford	I'm glad people like the ones posted so far. I still have so many photos to go through. I will spam everyone with a few more below. I did not make it to Canyonlands this year. Last year was Horseshoe Canyon and The Maze. The farthest North and East I went this year was Capitol Reef. I didn't get too close to the four corners. I'll be back to Borrego soon enough. Flickr keeps crashing with 30000x8000 pixel panoramas that were stitched together. I'll try and post some lower res ones here: Alternate takes of some already posted plus some new ones: Almost perfect symmetry. Too bad I had to shoot at ISO 5000, some of the sheep shots will not blow up well.
11/14/2019 Topic: Brand New Rock Art Book November 2019 Buford	I will pick up a copy sometime soon. Thanks guys. The RB stuff is cool. I remember that UT article.
11/14/2019 Topic: The ABF 2020 ABDSP Photo Contest Buford	I plan on entering a couple. Haven’t picked which ones yet. Still time to get more. Mine are no where near as good as some previous entries.
11/15/2019 Topic: The ABF 2020 ABDSP Photo Contest Buford	I like the vibrance and saturation sliders, but I try and keep it tasteful. I try not to use HDR. I have yet to learn photoshop to do a better blend than HDR. Missed a picture of a Bobcat stalking Quail last weekend, although it was outside the park. A couple from last weekend that will not make the cut to submit in current form if ever. I need to get closer to the birds in flight for more detail. Probably overdid this one:
11/15/2019 Topic: The ABF 2020 ABDSP Photo Contest Buford	I like the smoke tree photo from last year so much because it is different. Any idiot, me included, can drive out to Font’s Point and take a picture of the spectacular view. Everyone in Borrego drives by hundreds of smoke trees and I haven’t t seen anyone else capture one in a picture like that.
11/17/2019 Topic: Anyone seen any rodents? Buford	These guys were looking for some: The Harrier pictures were from outside the park, Redtail was near Buttes Pass. Random scenery: Still not entirely happy with how this one is processed:
11/18/2019 Topic: Anyone seen any rodents? Buford	I really enjoyed watching a Harrier hunt. They fly really low. They don't soar high above. I saw them dive into the reeds many times. Don't know if they caught anything. They never flew off with anything, but after they dove they often stayed in the reeds for a couple minutes. Maybe they were eating down and out of sight. The Redtail pictures would be photo contest entries if they were in sharper focus. The hawk bolted because another one showed up. I did not have time to change the settings to catch it in flight well enough. Saw lots of ground squirrels around the Redtail area.
11/18/2019 Topic: Sunrise Hwy to Granite Mountain Buford	Cool trip. I've used the Hay Road. It needs some use to keep it open.
11/27/2019 Topic: Good places for rainy days Buford	Sawtooth and Redtop. Indianhead via Henderson canyon. Those are all possible in pouring rain. In all seriousness, I would stay out of Coyote Canyon, Fish Creek, Calcite mine road, Arroyo Seco Diablo or Tapiado. Too much potential flowing water, mud or clay. Not good for vehicles or hiking or both. The driving route into Indian Gorge is fine in rain. Hiking into Inner Pasture via the easy canyon near Stage BM should be good. Maidenhair is actually a good suggestion. I remember doing it immediately after a rain years ago. The stream started coming out of the ground before our eyes which was cool.
11/27/2019 Topic: Elder North first ascent Buford	Nice work. Must be a real adventure if the Monday Maniacs have not been there yet.
11/28/2019 Topic: Good places for rainy days Buford	I’ve actually done all the ones I joked about in the rain and hail. Not recommended Rain for hiking is ok in some circumstances. Coarse granite and no mud or clay help, hence Indian Gorge or Inner Pasture recommendations.
11/29/2019 Topic: Death Valley 9 Days Trip Report Buford	Nice. Death Valley is awesome. Was it crowded leading up to the holiday? I assume the Owlhead area had few if any people? Lucky the road was open to the Telescope trailhead. We spent Thanksgiving at Mahogany Flats a couple years ago and I did Telescope and Wildrose Peaks. Those b+w pictures are one style I am trying to replicate digitally and not getting there yet.
11/29/2019 Topic: Good places for rainy days Buford	Two different trips. I find the weather forecast for the mountain desert peaks unreliable sometimes. For Indianhead and Sawtooth/Redtop we lost. Other times the forecast has been rain or snow and the storm breaks over the mountains and misses the desert peaks. These have been some of the best and most memorable trips.
11/29/2019 Topic: Sunrise Hwy to Granite Mountain Buford	Rereading the report, I need to explore that area more. Add it to the long list. Mason Valley Truck Trail was passable last year when I drove up it. It was just slow and bumpy from the rocks but not technical. Thankfully I did not meet any traffic coming down.
11/29/2019 Topic: Elder North first ascent Buford	tekewin wrote: Buford wrote: Nice work. Must be a real adventure if the Monday Maniacs have not been there yet. Pretty remote, but not that far from Salvador Canyon. Monday Maniacs turn up everywhere, so it's only a matter of time until they get there. When I did Collins BM, we came down into the mouth of Salvador canyon to exit. The canyon itself looked some it was worth exploring too.
11/29/2019 Topic: Anyone seen any rodents? Buford	dsefcik wrote: Beautiful..! One of my favorite places to photograph raptors was the San Dieguito River Valley area on the east side of the freeway from Lake Hodges. Had a redtail gnab a rabbit in front of me once. - Nice hawk picture. I have been meaning to check out San Dieguito River Valley and Ramona Grasslands. I want to find a closer and reliable place for raptor pictures. I’ve been practicing on birds at the coast since they are plentiful, but pelicans and gulls aren’t the same as birds of prey. I still miss way more shots than hit and want to improve so I don’t miss out on capturing something like a successful hunt. edited by Buford on 11/29/2019
11/30/2019 Topic: The ABF 2020 ABDSP Photo Contest Buford	My entries are in. Not sure I made the right choices in what to enter. Not 100% happy with my processing on a couple. Some of my entries have been posted here, others have not been posted before. All pictures in this post are B sides that were not entered. Hopefully none of these are repeats from previous posts. This would have been an entry if the action was closer. I was following them for a while hoping they would fly nearer to me. Had to be a huge crop as is. Talons up: I got a whole sequence of 40 hawk images that were almost good but not sharp enough. I think I posted some already. Here are some more: One of my earlier pictures. Never got the colors right with the flowers in the foreground and the sun setting on the mountains: Stereotypical badlands shot: Never got the caked mud in the foreground the way I wanted it: I culled through many BHS to come up with just a couple to enter: Before I got a real camera I always took cell phone shots on trips. Here are some I almost entered in the cell phone category Why I hike in potentially bad weather sometimes. Chasing the rainbow off Collins BM into Salvador Canyon: Chasing rainbows up Ode BM, Kay BM, Sirens, Webo BM and Ted BM all day. One of the best sunrises I have seen:
12/3/2019 Topic: Good places for rainy days Buford	Desert snow is always awesome. Thanks for the pics.
12/3/2019 Topic: Good places for rainy days Buford	Desert snow is always awesome. Thanks for the pics.
12/9/2019 Topic: Sheep, Coyote & Rabbit Buford	A sheep, coyote and rabbit all in one picture: Kind of anyway. Rain has reached the desert floor. The grass is green in the alluvial fans on the east side of the Ysidro range. Last year at this time the badlands were already in bloom from the fall rain. Other random pics from exploring: Hanging out on a power pole just outside of town: I decided to explore one of the less visited canyons. It was not conducive to hiking with a camera readily available so I missed some wild life shots. I did find some signs of past life: I wasn't even looking for the sheep, but saw them on the drive home and had to stop for a thousand pictures: I might post more pics after I go through all of them.
12/10/2019 Topic: Sheep, Coyote & Rabbit Buford	dsefcik wrote: Buford wrote: A sheep, coyote and rabbit all in one picture: I couldn't help myself on that one. One more picture, this time with two sheep, coyote and rabbit. I couldn't fit a villager in the frame. I am struggling with the white balance, ISO noise and colors of the sheep pictures in the shade or backlit. Ms. Lucky 13/722 didn't seem thrilled to wearing the scientist ordered tracking and identification devices: I got photos of Ms. 619 over the summer a couple miles away from where I found her this weekend: Ms. 620 wondering why only the females are tagged: I saw them knock some softball size rocks onto the road below: Most people drove by and never saw anything. Playing around with the moonlit landscape:
12/11/2019 Topic: Granite Mountain West Approach Buford	That's looks like a fun way to do Grapevine. Thanks for putting up the pictures of the scenery along the way. I can't believe you packed a chair all the way up.
12/11/2019 Topic: Sheep, Coyote & Rabbit Buford	I don't have any real new content from the trip. Just more variations on the pictures already posted. A palm grove that requires some work to visit: I know some people on this forum like taking photos of animal scat they find. I don't think anyone has posted it being created, yet.
12/18/2019 Topic: Kitchen Creek Fall Colors Buford	Nice report on Kitchen Creek. I hate ticks. On Palomar near Agua Tibia and Eagle Crag they are everywhere. I know two people first hand who have been diagnosed with Lyme in San Diego County. They may or may not have picked it up outside the county but were diagnosed here. I found a deer tick crawling on my hand when I was taking pictures of the sheep off Montezuma a couple weeks ago.
12/18/2019 Topic: Sheep, Coyote & Rabbit Buford	tekewin wrote: Thanks for the awesome photos! What were the odds of getting the PG-13 shot? Check out the photo of the ram in my last post. He is making a scat deposit as he walks I only noticed when going through the pictures after.
12/18/2019 Topic: Mortero Palms to Goat Canyon Trestle, then North Buford	Awesome. I can't believe someone put up a rope to get around that dry fall. It is passable without. Cool to see all the SeKi snow too. It looks like the fire isn't in a metal container. FYI, that is an expensive ticket. I know someone that got cited for that infraction recently in Borrego. They were well off the beaten path and didn't know the rules. A ranger pulled up and surprised them at night.
12/19/2019 Topic: Inner Pasture Suggestions? Buford	I have entered from North Fork Indian Valley and the canyon at mile 41. Day hikes in the pasture can include whatever you want. Stage BM is surprisingly nice. For a really tough day Sawtooth and Redtop are obvious targets. I would guess most travelers sin documentos drop into the pasture from the McCain Valley and Pepperwood Trail area and exit out the 41 mile canyon to be picked up along S2. This way they bypass the BP checkpoint. Like others, I have seen the trash but never seen a person. I have seen BP patrolling on ATVs.
12/20/2019 Topic: Mortero Palms to Goat Canyon Trestle, then North Buford	anutami wrote: Buford wrote: Awesome. I can't believe someone put up a rope to get around that dry fall. It is passable without. yeah, it makes it a bit more dramatic seeing that rope there but then you realize it is not really needed. Was fun for my son to swing out and tackle the hard side, I took the path of least resistance of course... Buford wrote: It looks like the fire isn't in a metal container. FYI, that is an expensive ticket. I know someone that got cited for that infraction recently in Borrego. They were well off the beaten path and didn't know the rules. A ranger pulled up and surprised them at night.. thanks for the heads up but that particular camp site actually has a permanent metal container, its just piled up with rocks around it, kinda hard to see this pic may be better,... I carry a BBQ lid that works quite well. Just curious if you know what the fine is? I have been hassled before about rocks being put around the metal container and the fire can still char the rocks. edited by anutami on 12/20/2019 Cool. I was told $400-500 for the fine, but the person was still waiting for the official ticket in the mail. They are trying to prevent fire scars all over the landscape with the number of people using Borrego, so rocks stacked around metal is still likely to get some scrutiny.
12/24/2019 Topic: Rain and more sheep Buford	Looks like there will be more chances to hike in the rain this week and maybe snow if the level drops low enough. Yesterday afternoon the snow level was ~6000 feet, Rabbit was dusted. I was not hiking Rabbit. I hiked elsewhere in the park and got soaked after midmorning. I was not expecting or looking for sheep. I didn't know they frequented the area we were hiking in. I heard the rams cracking heads first before finally spotting them. There were ~20 on the slope. This is the most sheep I have seen in one place outside BPC or the Santa Rosa Mountains. I don't know which ewe band the sheep belong to. The sheep were far away and the light was poor so none of the photos are that great. There are at least eight in this picture: The park service must know they are here because some of the ewes were wearing the biologist mandated tracking devices: Braving the cholla minefield: Freshly decapitated cacti that still smelled like sheep: Some extra pictures from a couple weeks ago I hadn't posted yet: How to scratch an itch with four legs and no arms edited by Buford on 12/24/2019
12/29/2019 Topic: Rain and more sheep Buford	I'll have more pictures posted over the next couple days from this weekend. I can't help but run into sheep in the park, even when not looking for them. When I find them, I have to take a few pictures. @tekewin They use the barrel interior for moisture. I poked it with my trekking poles. The water content was crazy, almost water melon like inside. I actually got some pictures this morning of one busting open a barrel. All the cacti are swollen with water from the recent rains. They eat the barrel dried flowers too. During the sheep count I have seen them go down a hillside and systematically eat the dried flowers or fruit from every barrel top. @tommy750 I don't have a fancy setup. Just a sony a6400 and a Sigma 150-600C for most sheep pictures. I think S22 is my backyard now. It doesn't hurt that some of the sheep pictures are from the BPC herd and used to people.
12/30/2019 Topic: Snow and more sheep Buford	Headed out for two nights this past weekend for the desert snow. It had already been melting for a couple days so there was less than I hoped for, but still enough for some pretty scenery. Tire tracks from the night before: It was cold overnight: I always like seeing cacti and snow, they seem out of place together: Was not looking for sheep, but saw these guys on the side of the road again. Most of the same individual sheep, same place as a couple weeks ago: I think he is sick of me taking pictures of him: I climbed the hill opposite the sheep to try and get a better lineup with the Santa Rosa ridge line. I wanted the sheep to silhouette against the snow capped mountains. They would not cooperate and my traveling companion didn't want to wait all day for me to possibly get the picture so this was the best I got: Other random pictures: Drove to the other end of the park I was not looking for sheep, again, but saw them anyway. Here are three small sheep pixels on the far hillside: All four, vanishing over the ridge before I could get any decent shots in the good evening light. Sunrise and the same four sheep walked by camp in the morning. It was amazing how scared the sheep were of the canyon bottom. The rams eyed the canyon bottom for a half hour before bolting across at full gallop. It happened too quick to get any pictures. I guess the shrubs were greener on the other side of the canyon. Bashing in a barrel and eating it later: The wildlife biologist tag sheep all over the park: Multi tasking: tail up, pellets out, and eating: I also saw sheep along I8 on the way home. Total for the trip was snow, cold and sheep from 3 different recovery regions. As I go through the pictures I might post more.
12/30/2019 Topic: Indian Signs Along Carrizo Wash Buford	Very cool comparison. Glad some things like the ancient trail remain unspoiled despite the increased desert usage.
12/30/2019 Topic: Snow and more sheep Buford	Good to see all the snow on Laguna and Cuyamaca. I am using a Sony a6400 and Sigma 150-600C run through an MC-11 adapter for the pictures. Here are a couple more, some just alternates of ones already posted. Editing and culling photos today. Some edited better than others:
12/30/2019 Topic: Snow and more sheep Buford	I am starting to think the sheep are everywhere too even though they are endangered. Recently it seems like whenever I look at a hillside in the desert I find sheep. Most people drove, camped or walked by the sheep in all these pictures and never saw them or only saw them because I was sitting there with my camera and long lens. None of these are particularly remote places. I am pretty good at spotting wildlife a long way off. Some more variations on those already posted:
1/1/2020 Topic: Snow and more sheep Buford	I am glad some people are enjoying them. Here are a couple more alternate takes of those already posted. Some times shooting a burst it is tough to pick a favorite. Probably the last set of pictures from the trip.
1/5/2020 Topic: Weekend trip Buford	All pictures are from the last two days. I figured people would be sick of sheep pictures, so I have some that don't include sheep. Got some decent pictures of these guys: Other random pictures from the weekend. Trying to remove some of the haze from this picture: Saw sheep as usual this weekend. Some idiot chased them up a ridge trying to get a cell phone pic on Saturday as I pulled up. The last five times driving by they have been there including Sunday. It is always the same two tagged ewes. The other sheep with them has varied. They were too far away for any great pictures this weekend. Of course the sheep posed against the Santa Rosa range now that all the snow is melted out:
1/7/2020 Topic: Volunteer off road vehicle recovery... Buford	Thanks. I might need recovery at some point. I don't plan on it, but who knows.
1/7/2020 Topic: Weekend trip Buford	I am trying to improve my pictures and processing. Something to do when not doing a death march hike. I've been working on the Toro sunset photo and giving it different processing. It is a picture I had been trying to get for a while, but the sunset never cooperated before. Still trying to get the haze halo to go away from the badlands to Toro transition in the picture. I wish I shot it as a panorama and stitched it together for better resolution. Another processing of the same pic: One more hummingbird image that hadn't been posted yet:
1/7/2020 Topic: Volunteer off road vehicle recovery... Buford	I have helped recover a couple idiots I've randomly come across in the park. Neither one was stuck too bad but they weren't getting out without help. I carry some basic recovery tools to help myself or others. The mud after the recent rains has been pretty bad. 4wd just means you bury all 4 wheels instead of 2.
1/9/2020 Topic: Desert Magazine Archive Downloads Buford	Downloading now for reading and trip planning on the next rainy weekend. Thanks.
1/9/2020 Topic: Coyote Mountain Buford	Nice. I don't remember finding or even looking for the second register, but I do remember the view. We could start a thread of places Schad's signature still resides. I know of a couple.
1/10/2020 Topic: Snow and more sheep Buford	deborah wrote: Great pictures Buford! The sheep that's "smiling" for the camera is particularly cute. Any idea why the sheep would be hesitant of the canyon? The canyon bottom is not escape terrain. They are more comfortable on escape terrain. From my amateur observations, different groups of sheep are more or less skittish than others. The BPC sheep are comfortable in the canyon bottom and around people. One in BPC forced myself and another sheep counter off the trail last year, it came within 8' of us on his terms. The Santa Rosa herd is afraid of their own shadows. Other groups are in between. dsefcik wrote: You are accumulating a great collection of BHS photos, nice work! I was out in Death Valley again and the Mojave area with all of the snow, it was just amazing, pictures soon. I am glad you have the energy to take and process these great photos, I know how much work it is, everyone really enjoys them. Thanks. It is not as much work as lugging around a real film camera and developing physical film. I need to work on a consistent white balance for those that were taken together. Can't wait to see Death Valley and Mojave snow pictures.
1/10/2020 Topic: Coyote Mountain Buford	@Rocko1 Sometimes the registers reappear as well. A group might move it only for someone else to move it back. I have noticed large gaps in entries and secondary registers in many places. On Sawtooth we never saw the new register, but we found the tiny Wes Shelberg film canister with the rolled up pages inside. @dsefcik The park webpage doesn't say anything about the road being closed. They updated the road conditions page on January 4th, not that it is accurate in any way, but it was updated. I haven't been up the RHC road since March.
1/11/2020 Topic: Snow and more sheep Buford	tekewin wrote: Great camera work as always! The laughing sheep was hilarious. A little speculation, but maybe canyon bottoms are where they are most vulnerable to cougars. That's usually a source of water and good hunting. Most of the deer and sheep bones I've found have been in a gully or canyon. The cougars I've caught on camera have always been in canyons, in forested ranges, too, not just the desert. edited by tekewin on 1/11/2020 That was exactly why they stay on escape terrain when possible.
1/14/2020 Topic: Resident desert rat Buford	Welcome. Lots of info and knowledgeable people here.
1/18/2020 Topic: Easiest way to Hellhole Flats? Buford	I have been to Hellhole flats a few times. There is no "easy" way. Once entered from Thimble/Ysidro and exited to Pena Spring. Similar exit to Dsefcik's track that is linked. Once entered from Bonny/White/Goat and exited to the desert floor at the visitor center. Once up from the desert floor and Ode/Kay/Sirens then down Webo. Easiest entry is probably via the Bonny BM area. Then you are stuck trying to figure out how to exit. A car shuttle makes it easier. I pulled more mylar out of Hellhole flats than anywhere else. Here is the view from the ridge just north of Pena Spring looking across Hellhole canyon towards the flats.
1/18/2020 Topic: Palm Canyon Fire Buford	Just read online that Borrego Palm Canyon burned today. Any info? Fire is natural, but always sad if a cool area burns. Human idiocy would be my guess as to the cause. Hopefully not too much damage.
1/20/2020 Topic: Another Death Valley Trip Buford	Nice. Looks fun and cold.
1/22/2020 Topic: Sunrise in Jojoba Wash Buford	Definitely worth the price of admission. I was in that general area as well.
1/25/2020 Topic: Other forums/fb groups? Buford	I second ziphius as well. There are people on here who know a lot about ABDSP. I have met a few in person and all are willing to share knowledge. I would never join Facebook or meetup hiking or camping group.
1/25/2020 Topic: Sunrise in Jojoba Wash Buford	Rocko1 wrote: What cameras/lens are you guys using for these pictures? I’ll start a thread in the photography section sometime to not derail surfponto’s thread further.
1/26/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	I figured I would start this thread since some people have asked about it. Current setup is a Sony a6400 and a couple lenses. Most used are the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary and the Sony 18-135. I use Darktable or Lightroom to process the raw files. Any weird processing artifacts are due to my mistakes learning to use the programs. I am definitely making lots of mistakes and learning as I go. I'll use this thread to post random photos for anyone interested. Most will be from Anza-Borrego, a few might be from elsewhere. Any feedback or tips are welcome. The crazy sunrise on MLK day turned more orange after the red burned off: After the crazy MLK sunrise, first light on the mountains: Outside the park:
2/2/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	The two sunrise pictures above were taken with the Sony 10-18 lens. Some more: I need to get some noise reduction software. Taken on a cloudy day with a high shutter speed to try and catch this one in flight, Sigma 150-600C: Not the type of creature I was trying to capture in flight, Sigma 150-600C: It works for more than just animals, Sigma 150-600C: More badlands, Sony 18-135 "Final" edit of one already posted, Sony 18-135:
2/2/2020 Topic: June Wash and Hapaha Flat saddle Buford	Welcome. I like the shot of the sheep bones.
2/2/2020 Topic: Show us your Cholla bomb photos Buford	I thought I would resurrect this thread. Here are a few new entries. Ewe with a big cholla bomb in her throat: This ewe had a cholla bomb on her front leg: Hard to see, but this lamb had a cholla bomb its face. The lamb might have given it to the ewe above. She seemed reluctant to let the lamb nurse for obvious reasons: Myself awhile ago. Hiking in the dark and had one stick to my shoe then embedded in the opposite calf really bad: A week later:
2/3/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	A couple more. I came face to face with this guy. Hiked over a ridge and smelled sheep. A couple seconds later he appeared right in front of me. By the time I got the camera out he had wandered off a ways.
2/4/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	@Rocko1 Almost all processed on a Mac. Some earlier pictures might be pc. It doesn’t matter since most programs work on both. Any decent camera can probably make just as nice an image. I just happened to pick a Sony. The camera does not go on boulder hopping bushwhacking hikes. I don’t want to haul it up too much gain either. The first hummingbird picture was almost at minimum focus distance with a sandy background in the distance. The tail looks like a processing artifact the way it separates from the background, but the raw file had that to start.
2/4/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	Same bird outside the park: More from in the park. Stereotypical badlands shot: Slot: Another in the sheep scat collection:
2/5/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	dsefcik wrote: ... I am becoming more a fan of using zoom lenses to capture closer images and get that "compressed" looked, kinda like these recent photos from Death Valley... Nice. I like the black and white of the first one. The compression effect makes the background still look significant. Definitely agree about longer lenses. I like the compressed look. After using a cell phone forever, the ability to zoom and compress is novel. I thought I would like wide angle lenses more, but they make mountains look small and far away. For my tastes wide angle lenses are less useful than I thought they would be. Another compressed shot where the mountains are miles away. Not exactly what I wanted as a whole, but I like the compression affect.
2/6/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	Hadn't processed this one yet. Same night and view as one previously posted above, just a different focal length. An alternate closer crop of one probably already posted: Hawk on a pole:
2/10/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	The pictures in this post are from the last couple weeks. I just can't help but run into these guys. When I do, I have to take pictures: Ewes with lambs were very cautious and kept their distance. I did not approach them at all. This same ewe before she had a lamb this season would close the distance to people herself: Should have used a tripod, but was in a hurry to get moving: -> Edit to fix a broken image link edited by Buford on 2/25/2020 edited by Buford on 2/25/2020 edited by Buford on 2/25/2020
2/14/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	Correct on the ramp. The ramp is easy compared to the alternatives. It has a trail all the way up. In the full resolution image you can see the switchbacks at the bottom. Sheep are from a different area. Didn't haul the long lens up with all the water supply. We didn't see any live sheep in the Santa Rosa range this trip anyway. Interesting native, I think, plant:
2/17/2020 Topic: Thimble from Cherry Canyon Buford	Nice. I have used the same trailhead as well. The only thing I didn't like was leaving a car there. Seemed sketchy.
2/17/2020 Topic: Whale Peak overnight Buford	Looks like a fun loop. For all the Bobcat signs around it's amazing how little of them are actually seen.
2/17/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	Another variation on one already posted: This is a crop from a larger panorama: This one is from last night. I've been enjoying the badlands colors: More lambs. None were great photos because they were so far away. I haven't been able to find the lambs again despite looking. Only saw them one day this season so these are from a couple weeks ago now: Nursing: Jumping (already posted): Bouncing from rock to rock:
2/17/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	deborah wrote: Maybe a type of Threadplant? These are so cool. I've seen a lot of them in the hills just to the north of Clark Lake. dsefcik wrote: I know this little itty bitty plant but can't find the name for it! -- edited by dsefcik on 2/17/2020 Found it online. "Desert Trumpet" is the common name. One more new picture:
2/19/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	More images. I'll just keep dumping photos from the park here. Same ram and spot as a prior image posted, slightly different pose: Another shot of the ramp on a hazier day than others posted: I've been fascinated by how the Desert Trumpet looks at first light, maybe it is just me:
2/24/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	A couple new ones:
3/7/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	deborah wrote: Thanks for sharing. These are great! What is the plant with the white flowers? Desert Lily. No recent pictures here, just more pictures from previous trips. A longer 13s exposure from the same day as other images posted: Another Quail shot at 4000 ISO: From earlier MLK morning a 30s exposure before the sunrise really lit up:
3/8/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	Not able to make it out to Borrego recently so I went through some old pictures and tried some new things. How many planes fly over the Santa Rosa range at night? I just left the camera on a tripod and intervalometer while I slept. The original intent was to stack the images into a single star trail image. Not enough moonlight light for the foreground so I was about to scrap the pictures. It did make an interesting unintended time lapse video. I'll probably try more intentional time lapse videos in the future: New edit of star trails on a bright moonlit night with most plane trails edited out: Road through a wash: I recently noticed that I keep accidentally breaking the links to pictures in the older posts. Most will likely go unfixed. edited by Buford on 3/8/2020
3/30/2020 Topic: Park Closed? Buford	Correct, park is closed. Additionally many small communities are discouraging visitors. Julian was specifically mentioned in the San Diego UT. Many small communities have limited medical facilities.
3/31/2020 Topic: Park Closed? Buford	I just checked the webpage. Further down it says all dirt roads are closed to vehicles. They are explicitly discouraging non locals to visit.
4/1/2020 Topic: Granite Mountain? ID Help Buford	I am 70% certain I know where that is. That isn’t Granite. The shot is likely from Borrego Springs somewhere looking West. Sirens Peak is In the center, East Ysidro on the right. Far left and almost out of the image is Webo BM. My best guess. Cool to have recorded memories of the desert.
4/1/2020 Topic: Park Closed? Buford	I just got an email from the park confirming the park is closed and no volunteer activities for the foreseeable future as well. I would guess they will step up enforcement soon. Shelter in place does not mean everyone from the city should head to the beach or desert.
4/9/2020 Topic: GPS Collar Retrieval Near Rabbit Buford	Cool trip, pictures and finds along the way. Funny, I have been planning a trip up that ridge for a while to access Rabbit. Wanted to bypass the ramp and see new ground. I was supposed to do it last month but things got in the way.
4/9/2020 Topic: Hike Suggestions? Buford	parkhopper99 wrote: Im glad I found this forum. I've been planning on hiking around the anza borrego but I'm quite inexperienced with the area. The tips on this thread has been quite helpful. Im hoping I can finally do it sometime July. Maybe I can find hiking medallions in the area as a souvenir. Thanks! In July? Most would not do Anza-Borrego hiking in July, especially longer day hikes.
4/12/2020 Topic: My Buck Knife Buford	Ouch. Nice find and restoration.
4/17/2020 Topic: Pepperwood and Bow Willow Buford	I assume the small solar panel and array is BP, but I don't know for certain. I do know I stumbled on a similar setup somewhere in the vicinity of the Stage BM.
4/19/2020 Topic: Show Us Your Mask! Buford	Nice. I like both, but don't know if I would recognize you without camo.
4/19/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	Haven't been out to ABDSP since February with the situation recently. This will be my longest absence from the park in years. I wonder how busy this guy has been: Not my license, but relevant and seen this week: I picked up a macro lens. Unfortunately I have only been able to use it locally instead of on desert flowers and insects. Hopefully no one is bored by non desert photos. Flower: Flower with bee: No idea what these things are: Snail crossing: A cooperative spider posing:
4/26/2020 Topic: Photography Buford	Still haven't been out to the desert. These guys are all in my area, just as easily could be in the desert. At least two species I think. Completely uncropped. In the full resolution version you can almost count the pollen grains on his beak. Not sharp enough though, too slow a shutter speed since I was just taking images of one in the shade: My first real camera is now a year old.

Anza Borrego Desert

Buford

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