A total Doh! moment

[sunny098]

@BlushedRose It was like 3 days after the last day of CES Las Vegas. I sort of forgot... Oh yeah, like a week ago, a huge rain/snow storm came over the west. I was lucky because I started my drive south a day after the storm (still got to drive through extremely heavy fog and high winds). 

Actually looking at the photo details, I went there on the 15th in January. If you saw an Asian girl with a huge tripod and backpack taking her sweet time with every shot, and having a walkie talkie going off often (because I always use channel 1 because it reaches a bit further but has a lot of cross talk), that was probably me. 

[jellysundae]

17 hours ago, sunny098 said:

I did try to learn Japanese a few years back online but it sucks because Japan borrows a lot from Chinese but is different in pronunciation. It was so hard, I somewhat gave up.

Wow, I don't blame you! That's just making things 10 times harder and more confusing to learn, lol.

 

15 hours ago, BlushedRose said:

I was just there on the 15th/16th and actually accidentally stepped in that puddle lol.

I hope this puddle is enjoying its little bit of trending! If we keep this up will it be able to say it's gone viral?

Here you go puddle, I'll help with your internet fame!

So are we talking cold desert here? Is that stuff that looks like snow actually snow? . I was afraid to ask before for fear of looking dumb, which is silly because I can manage THAT without even trying! I'm totally aware that high desert is cold, I DO know this. But I think most people who live nowhere near desert are so indoctrinated with desert = scorching hot that we struggle to comprehend that sand and cold can exist together, seeing it tends to melt our poor little minds, lol.

[sunny098]

@jellysundae It doesn't snow at Badwater. That is the lowest point in North America. This is a salt flat, the white stuff you see is salt. I actually have my photos from Death Valley online now, you can see them here. Death Valley is hot during the day and extremely cold at night. That is desert weather for you. For my trip it was like 80F (26C ish) to almost freezing at night. 

It does snow in Death Valley, but only on the mountains (I actually drove up to the snowline on the trip). Trust me, going from the lowest point in North America to the that peak, altitude sickness hits fast. I didn't spend too long at the high elevation because my eyesight was going wonky and I was feeling fatigue. 

[jellysundae]

Ah!! Lol, I never even considered it being salt! Nothing's EVER gonna freeze there then. xD

Yeah I honestly don't understand how desert temps swing so extremely between night and day in deserts, I mean . . . how? We need a scientist in here, stat!

Such mixed feelings about these pics. I find  desert landscapes so bleak and stark, got to be because I'm used to a very green country, so these pics make me feel like I want to go round hugging all my houseplants, lol. I'm amused by that cactus being called teddy-bear, I'm not hugging that! xD These really make me feel very small and insignificant. The planet has a way of letting you know just how little you mean, doesn't it! Are those ghost towns old mining towns then?

And those charcoal kilns are totally freaky, they SO could be some ancient burial tombs or something. Make me think of the Barrow-wights in Lord of the Rings. D:

Altitude sickness D: Yeah I'd have wanted to get out of there fast!

[BlushedRose]

On 2/25/2018 at 1:48 PM, jellysundae said:

Yeah I honestly don't understand how desert temps swing so extremely between night and day in deserts, I mean . . . how? We need a scientist in here, stat!

1

The dramatic temperature range in the southwest is due to low humidity and not as much plant life. The humidity acts almost as an insulator; It protects land in a way from some of the sun and heat during the day but also keeps the heat from escaping during the night (So lower humidity does the opposite). Plants also retain some heat which is why LA doesn't drop AS much as Vegas and Death Valley; Once the sun goes down the humidity and plant life is the only "heater" left so it all pretty much escapes. 

 

Yeah, just salt there though.  It looks deceiving, especially when its wet and sloshes together. I actually went off the path a little to try some salt, gross I know. It's only a 2 hour-ish drive from Vegas and LA so it's a super cheap and quick road trip to get out of the city and enjoy peace and quiet. It's the largest non-Alaskan national park as well and features one of the darkest areas to star gaze as well as one of the lowest points on earth at 282 ft below sea level. So many cool things to check off the bucket list. Plus playing in sand dunes is always fun until it comes time to empty the shoes. 

I think the desert has a different type of beauty versus the normal green scenes. Its so vast and so much is going on, and you almost realize how small you are versus the gigantic land mass. Every piece of life there is put to the test and has to be super strong and resilient no matter the hardships thrown at it. Everything has such a strong will to adapt and survive and it's inspiring depending on how you look at it. Plus all the geology going on  The mountains carved out by wind and water from years and years ago are gorgeous, especially during sunrise and sunset. I think it's one of those things that can't translate into pictures properly because partly it's the feelings you get. I know a ton of people, me included, from Vegas and LA go out to camp in the desert to recharge and get a break from the busy and loud city. I mean, there's plenty of forests as well nearby, but its an option to visit. It's a super humbling/relaxing break for a day or two lol. Again, I probably have an area bias. 

 

Had to share as well and insert two photos of the sand dunes and one at Badwater looking back at that mountain.  I only have a video of the puddle though lol. We went to the dunes right as the sun was setting which was pretty.

Had to resize it down so lost some quality lol 

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[sunny098]

@BlushedRose Yeah, it does get quite cold. The most funny thing was I remember in 2011 I was doing night photography at Rhyolite Ghost Town and I had full cell service. The whole 1 hour I did star trails, I was on the phone with a friend in the cold. HA! I could barely get signal in my house in the SF Bay, but out in the ghost town with the nearest town like over 10 miles away, I got full coverage. I also tasted the salt. It was fun. LOL You seem to have gotten better sunsets than me. I had a lot of clouds in the sky the 2 days I went. That is why the night long exposures turned out so bad. Not enough light from stars and moon. I compensated with not long enough exposures and doing exposure adjustments in software, so you see a lot of digital noise.

@jellysundae There is a lot of minerals in Death Valley. Some of them might have been gold mines (think California gold rush) but people were also mining other minerals like borax and other stuff. A lot of the ghost towns (including the kilns) were left over from the mining days. It is pretty cool I guess. You can't go into most of the mine shafts. The park recent couple years as really gated/destroyed a lot of the tunnels down because let's just say some dumb people decided it would be wise to go into the abandoned shafts which are extremely unstable (and possibly lack oxygen) and either got seriously injured or died when the tunnel or structures within collapsed. It is real sad a couple dumb bad apples had to ruin the preservation of some of them, but I guess it has to be done. A lot even has warning signs outside the entrance (with skull and crossbones, and warning about lack of oxygen, hazardous chemicals, and unstable explosives), but apparently enough people decided to risk it the parks had to do something. A couple years ago a volunteer even found a box of TNT which is obviously because unstable over the years and could possibly blow with very little trigger. It was removed, but they guess there are a lot more in the mines. 

[jellysundae]

You know I did wonder if the temperature fluctuation was because of the dry air and lack of living matter, I should have had more faith in myself shouldn't I! That's kind of mind-blowing really, how it's trees that stop many of us from freezing at night! Another one of those things that our ignorance of lets us take what they do entirely for granted.

I learnt about the Nazca Desert in Peru, and how that used to be a fertile land, but the ancient Nazca people cut down the Huarango trees to make more room for crops, and the trees were the sole reason that area could sustain life because they created a micro-climate from the water vapor they transpired. These trees have incredibly long tap roots that can reach water deep underground, the only thing that could in that area, once the trees were gone the place quickly turned into the dust bowl it's been ever since. Pretty sobering.

I can well imagine how people from Vegas etc. would use the desert as a means to recharge, really handy that that kind of environment is nearby! There's no denying it has a beauty all of its own, I wish I could appreciate it more and wasn't left feeling desperately in need of greenery because of the aridity.

Hmm, I wonder if the good cell reception's from the clarity of desert air? There's very little pollutants in air in the desert? Or so I've read in a book, at least, lol.

Makes sense about the wealth of minerals, I mean Rhyolite itself's a stone. Also (sadly) makes sense about the idiots going down into these old mines. I could say mean things about natural selection but well, that'd be mean. But it's got to be said that warning signs are pretty much a red flag to a bull for people of a certain kind of mentality, aren't they. >_<

Also I'm starting to feel The Puddle deserves some proper noun status. Next time either of you visit that area you could photograph it with a little sign or something, lol.

 

[sunny098]

@jellysundae The puddles are extremely rare on the trail where you walk. As I said before they were there because a huge storm swept across the west a week before. I'm sure they are gone by now. Salt is really good at pulling moisture out of the air. And yes, it does get a bit hazy in Death Valley some seasons not sure why though. 

For me it is a super long drive to the desert as there is no direct route across the Sierras. You have to go around Bakersfield. From the bay we usually go to Tahoe or Yosemite. With Yosemite being so crowded, I tend to go Sonora Pass during summer or spring. Last year we got such huge snows and rain I was walking around in 80F weather in a snow field during summer.  Sure was great way to beat the heat which was over 100F elsewhere. It was only cold up there because of snow and altitude. Either way I always use walkie talkies as I've always been taught never to rely on your cell for communications in the wilderness. Which is true, reception is rare. Only around some park villages or towns. 

[jellysundae]

Aw, poor puddle, but its fleeting existence is recorded forever now!

1 hour ago, sunny098 said:

Last year we got such huge snows and rain I was walking around in 80F weather in a snow field during summer.  Sure was great way to beat the heat which was over 100F elsewhere

That sounds completely insane, lol, and great!

So the clear reception Rose got was a real anomaly then, curious! :O

[sunny098]

@jellysundae Yeah sell signal is pretty rare. Rhyolite I think maybe because the area is so flat, the signal traveled like 10-15 miles from the nearest town. As for Death Valley, the only spots are really at the towns like Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, and the visitor center, where carriers decided to stake up a cell tower. Same thing for Yosemite, you can only get reception around the "downtown" area in the valley where the shops are or unless you are up really high and you got direct line of sight to the tower in the valley area.

[jellysundae]

Furnace creek, Stovepipe Wells . . . such evocation names! Yeah I guess you've have just fine cell reception if you were willing to scale the nearest crag! lol.

[sunny098]

@jellysundae Something I know RV's or wilderness people use is an in car signal booster for cellphones. It pretty much turns your car or RV into a huge cell antenna and boosts signal to your phone. I'm still saving up for one though... I'm looking at the $500 model. Might take a bit, but it should come in handy for my wilderness trips. I do live blog and stuff, so it will come in super handy. I have a pretty big follower base on Google+. Still those things really only work when there is a small amount of signal, but it does need a signal to boost. For completely off the grid they have Iridium satellite phones but no one has the money to support that!  Those are more for as a last ditch emergency communications device. I know some National Geographic journalists and researchers use them for really remote areas. 

[jellysundae]

13 hours ago, sunny098 said:

@jellysundae Something I know RV's or wilderness people use is an in car signal booster for cellphones. It pretty much turns your car or RV into a huge cell antenna and boosts signal to your phone. I'm still saving up for one though... I'm looking at the $500 model. Might take a bit, but it should come in handy for my wilderness trips. I do live blog and stuff, so it will come in super handy. I have a pretty big follower base on Google+. Still those things really only work when there is a small amount of signal, but it does need a signal to boost. For completely off the grid they have Iridium satellite phones but no one has the money to support that!  Those are more for as a last ditch emergency communications device. I know some National Geographic journalists and researchers use them for really remote areas. 

Oh cool, I didn't know a thing like that existed but it definitely does sounds like a super handy thing to have, especially if it will enable you to do more of what you love.

You'll not be putting one of those satellite phones on your wish list then? lol. But hey, there's no harm in dreaming, and if you're gonna dream you may as well dream big, maybe one day YOU could be a National Geographic journalist. I mean why aim for the small stuff? Go big or go home, as they say!

[sunny098]

@jellysundae Talking about wilderness communication devices, I just got these recently. I had to put the photo on Instagram as cellphone shots are pretty huge. LOL Anyways, I had a pair of walkie talkies before but one broke. I've been using them for over a decade, so it is about time.

[jellysundae]

6 hours ago, sunny098 said:

@jellysundae Talking about wilderness communication devices, I just got these recently. I had to put the photo on Instagram as cellphone shots are pretty huge. LOL Anyways, I had a pair of walkie talkies before but one broke. I've been using them for over a decade, so it is about time.

Those look cool, I wonder if for just about anyone that kind of tech immediately makes you think of action movies and so on and you want to pretend you're on some secret mission saving the world or something, lol. Am I imagining it or is one smaller than the other?

Hopefully these last just as long as the previous ones. Is the technology really noticeably better than the old ones, or are walkie talkies a pretty basic thing on the whole?

[sunny098]

@jellysundae The size difference was perspective. Yeah, these are better, these have bigger antenna and a stronger transmitter for further range. Plus it can receive local government weather/emergency broadcasts (as long as you are in range to a transmitter) in the US, Canada, and some other countries that use the same system. Also the speakers is much louder. HA I don't think too much of action movies... What I do think of is when I was a child, my friend and I used to mess with people on the channels by pretending to be Burger King drive thru.  Fun childhood. LOL We also used to go into Apple stores and prank text people... 

[jellysundae]

@sunny098 so it IS perspective! I sat here staring at them, telling myself it had to be that because why would they be different sizes? Mummy and Baby walkie talkies maybe? xD But I couldn't get my eyes to see it, lol.

That's good that they are a lot better than the old ones then, but I bet they COST a load more too. >_<

Hahaha, yep, fun stuff. You can only really get away with that as a kid, can't you, lol. People are a bit too likely to punch you or something if you pull stuff like that as an adult.

[sunny098]

@jellysundae Actually the price of these hasn't went up much since a decade ago. I think the reason is there is too much competition from Chinese makers, so they can't... What I do notice with things these days is manufacturers cut material quality though...

[jellysundae]

1 hour ago, sunny098 said:

@jellysundae Actually the price of these hasn't went up much since a decade ago. I think the reason is there is too much competition from Chinese makers, so they can't... What I do notice with things these days is manufacturers cut material quality though...

Ha, yeah, wishful thinking from me that they'll last a decade too, I think, lol. They no doubt also have the built in self-destruct that'll kick in way before then. 

But before that happens they'll hopefully serve you well. :3

[sunny098]

@jellysundae I sometimes think there is a conspiracy that all companies put in some sorta self destruct in devices so it breaks right after the warranty ends. LOL I last time had a device that broke 1 week before the warranty ended. The company ended up having to send me a new one with another year of warranty. ROFL

[jellysundae]

32 minutes ago, sunny098 said:

@jellysundae I sometimes think there is a conspiracy that all companies put in some sorta self destruct in devices so it breaks right after the warranty ends. LOL I last time had a device that broke 1 week before the warranty ended. The company ended up having to send me a new one with another year of warranty. ROFL

They totally do! I bet whoever set the kill switch in that item of yours that broke a week early got fired.