Orange Mounds and Hoodoos
Monday, April 24
During the early morning hours of Sunday night, the distinctive plink, plink, plink, of drops on the RV roof added to fears of rain on our final day in Bisti. I knew it was chancy, be we decided to add this extra day because there was just so much more to explore out here. If it didn’t rain, it could be a great day. Most other visitors had cleared out Sunday afternoon, but all reports indicated worst of the weather would completely miss us today.
Morning dawned very cloudy, but not raining. Reports said it would clear later in the afternoon, so we decided it best to wait to hike then. We both wanted to walk around a set of orange hills that are sort of off-trail but easy to navigate to and around. It still requires about a mile walk through the long main wash just to get to the area, so we will probably be doing 4 – 5 miles again today.
We set out after 2 pm, but soon felt the first raindrops. Rain gear on now, almost nothing more touched us. While the skies remained dark and ominous throughout the hike, moisture from the clouds fell only as Virga.
Once off the wash, we followed the boundary fence-line for a distance on our way to the orange hills, but the spectacular show the curtains of rain drifting across the sky kept grabbing most of the attention. If only the foreground was a bit more interesting.
As the clouds moved, so did we. Taking leave of the “trail”, we instead started walking toward some lower orange hill formations. Tendrils of rain seemed frozen in place at first glance, but continued to drift past.
We were still walking through a wide play/wash area that just didn’t have much to focus on. Finding a way to picture the virga was a challenge. Not sure I got there, but the sky alone was worth it for me.
Eventually we got to the area we were looking for. These large mounds created some nice contrast with the clouds, but sunlight was fleeting and exposures had to be made quickly as the light changed and eventually went dim.
Knowing we were losing the light, just made me appreciate what we had been experiencing all afternoon. While it seems we’ve had lots of this sort of weather, it is rare to be able to stroll around under such amazing skies as these.
As I approached these hills, I could see how the orange bits had spread out all around the base of its parent hill. It seems a still life of time passing. The bits themselves were once black coal that caught fire, transforming into a thin brittle layer that fractured.
I didn’t really find many new formations out this way. We were walking off the trail and there were no notes about this area. As we finished looking around, I saw marked on our map, an area of hoodoos not too far away. Along the way were more mud hills of black coal topped with sandstone slabs.
These hoodoos were smaller than many I’ve encountered here but still interesting to photograph.
Heading Home
Getting Back to California
Tuesday, April 25 – 30
As all good things do, this road trip is coming to an end. We pulled out of Bisti during the morning of the 25th, heading for Holbrook, AZ. We had few good options for traveling back to San Francisco from here. I wanted to drive up eastern Californian on Highway 395, but incoming weather called for snow along the way. Besides, apparently there are still road closures due to landslides near Lee Vining.
Our other options were Tehachapi Pass to I-5, or further West to Pismo and 101 to home. Beach weather sounded good, but with rain in the forecast there as well, it may be wet and cold. So, a nice change. At the OK RV Park in Holbrook, we hunkered down for a night of very high winds as tumbleweeds bounced off our rig and the corner street sign wobbled in the ground. We decided to stay a second night here to do laundry, shop and wait till the wind dies down. From Holbrook, it was just driving. First to Kingman, AZ, then to Barstow, the Bakersfield for a night each. Tomorrow we will be in Pismo.
A few Days in Pismo Beach, Then Home
May 1 – 5
We arrived at a favorite for us. Pismo State Beach has a very nice campground that abuts the beach. It is about a mile walk up the beach to downtown Pismo and we plan to spend our last few days here. It’s a great respite from the past days of driving and a great place for sitting out the incoming weather.
It wasn’t long after getting settled that we took our first walk out to the beach. As often happens here, the configuration of the beach has changed since our last visit. The heavy storms that pushed through have somewhat changed the course of the creek that runs to the ocean through the park area.
We walked up to a long sandy bluff of ice plant and gnarled pines looking for a path down to the beach. Nice views from here of the town and coastal hills, coated with wild mustard.
The wind we felt on the ridge was much less down on the beach. We strolled, listening to the surf slide up the beach, finding little photo gems in the and generally decompressing from the drive.
Some odd sand formations along the edge of the creek.
Color and B&W versions of the same image.
We only walked about a half mile before turning around. We found a creek crossing and made our way back to camp closer to the surf line. The sea-scum actually looked pretty interesting to me and I tried to work out a few images.
Tuesday
The next day was pretty windy and somewhat rainy so it was a slow morning for us. In the afternoon I thought it would be great to do a hike in the hills behind Pismo. The wildflowers were waning, but still looked nice and there seemed to be several trails running through the hills. Except the gate to the parking area was closed, and so were all the trails. Damage from storms was the reason. We tried a number of roads in the area looking for access, but nothing panned out. A little frustrated, we returned to camp. Later we went into town for a nice seafood dinner., but before eating, we took a walk to the Pismo pier and through town a bit, enjoying the cool, somewhat sunny afternoon.
Wednesday
This morning was looking better. Still lots of clouds, but rain seems to be done and wind is low. I went outside to turn the portable solar panel toward the sun and found it to no longer be there. Stolen during the night. After contacting the park, an officer with the state parks showed up to take a report. He told me an electric bike was also taken in the night. Theft is a problem in many parks in many states. There is really no way to anchor the panel to anything that couldn’t be broken pretty easily. I’m surprised it’s lasted these past nine years. Most of the cost should be covered by my insurance.
So after that bit of fun, it was still early and we decided to get out for another walk – probably our last of the trip – this time in the opposite direction down the beach. I found a better crossing closer to the direction we wanted to go, which brought us through an area of dunes before opening up to the beach and surf.
I was really liking the sand patterns that were emphasized by darker ripples.
Along the surf line, the many colorful bits of rock and shell made nice arrangements. I was noticing the really large number of open, empty clamshells all along the beach. There were hundreds. Were they dying off? The answer – at least partially – seagulls.
Watching them, they would rise almost straight up, hover for a moment, then drop down to the beach again. Looking more closely, I saw they had clams in their beaks and were dropping them to break them open. I wouldn’t have thought landing on the soft wet sand would be enough to do the trick, but time after time as I watched, it worked. Not every time, but after repeated attempts, the clam would open and the bird would feast.
The beach was once again a nice stroll. Water patterns in the sand, fishermen, birds and beach combers all added to our enjoyment of the morning.
We finished our walk and said goodby to Pismo. In the morning we will drive to a RV Park south of Gilroy, about 90 miles from home so that on Friday we will have an easier drive into the city. Another good trip that, just like that (finger snap), is over.
Marking Our Place 