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RE: #MyCalifornia: Afton Canyon Natural Area
I am trying to imagine how that desert looked like from 150,000 years ago. It must have been a paradise.
It's kind of lovely to see asters and succulent as cute as those in the middle of a desert. It is not barren after all. 😊
That dinner looks more of a full meal at home and not in the middle of the desert. 😊 You really did camp there overnight. Did you camp in the cave? Isn't it too hot out there?
I get so caught up in daydreaming about those days when the desert was lush! A close look reveals lots of hints. For example, mesquite evolved for their seeds to be transferred by the megafauna eating them and planting new trees in their droppings. One of my favorite features in the Mojave are ancient rock art sites where the First People here drew Bighorns and shamanic symbols.
This time we camped at the red slot, not The Caves since we were car camping. You'd have a short backpacking walk to lug your stuff to The Caves.
Fall is perfect weather in the Mojave. It was mid80s in the day, and about 56f at night with clear skies!
Much love!
That made me searched the internet for shamanic symbols. Have you got the chance to see those?
That is a good timing then that you hiked the desert just before winter comes... By the way, aside from the few plants, how about signs of animals in the desert? I'm wondering about the big ones aside from crickets maybe...
Visiting petroglyphs is a passion of mine. Here is a post where I explore Black Mountain Wilderness petroglyphs, closer to Ridgecrest, CA. Part 2 here is where we enter the canyon, and part three is an album of petroglyphs. :) https://steemit.com/photography/@creationofcare/black-mountain-wilderness-entering-the-canyon
As for signs of life at Afton, it is known for its wildlife drawn to drinking water. On our previous visit, we also spotted a mountain lion pursuing a bighorn! This trip, all I got to see were pawprints and poop, lol. Here's what I think are bobcat or perhaps coyote prints stalking birds under the bushes near the marsh:
Bighorn scat:
Hehe yes, I do take pics of wild animal turds on the regular hahahha!
I have been wondering about and wishing to see wild animals in the wild and not in the zoo. That mountain lion eould be a good challenge to catch on camera. 😊 Or maybe snake as big as I am like the ones my elder brothers used to catch and bring home. I never had the chance to see them alive.
I have to admit the petroglyphs on your old post look like writings in modern times and not ancient. There is one photo there where you highlighted old writings. That seemed more "original" than the others.
Prints and poo... hhmmm.. That is an art to see the good in bad. I used to take photos of almost anything and everything until someone made a comment that made me conscious so I tried to be more picky. But I also came to the point when I thought what I should have taken would be useful "now". You'll never know... 😊
Hehe, take all the pics! Now that we have digital, there is no need to be ashamed. You can always delete them.
I would love to see the wilderness in the Philippines! Snakes as big as humans, terrifying yet wonderful! We have rattlesnakes as long as a man is tall, but they are slender.
I wish I could have captured an image of the hunting mountain lion, but I needed a telephoto lens I think. I am just an amateur with a cellphone. I do post about every wildlife encounter I have, and put any videos on my YouTube channel. My absolute favorite is of a bobcat my dog startled up a tree right next to us!
I get a feeling of awe when I meet my wild neighbors. I believe they all have a spiritual message.
Oh, regarding the petroglyphs, did you continue on to the next part https://steemit.com/photography/@creationofcare/inscription-canyon-jewel-of-black-mountain-wilderness because that post has the old ones with less interference from modern settlers.
If you ever come to California, I would love to take you on a tour!
Xoxo
Yeah, I thought I can delete them anyway after all. But then they are taking so much storage space. I got an external 1 TB hard drive and I dump everything in there for years. Now I am not able to clean up. Just keep dumping. 😊
I somehow carried a few snakes bigger than me, like this, but again, not in the wild. Those that I have somehow "played" with are sort of domesticated already.
Oh yes. I visited the other post and indeed, the petroglyphs look more ancient and original.
Wild neighbors? You mean you get bobcats regularly in your area? That's cool, huh! But are they not dangerous to be around?
Wow, I already got a host tour guide in California! Thank you very much! Who knows, I may really be dropping by there one day... 😊
That snake is massive!!! I had to laugh a little at the idea of domesticated serpents, but I suppose pet snakes are bred to be pets after all.
Bobcats are very shy, but I think they come down to the foothills just 4 miles from ny house. Coyotes definitely hang out there. I have seen raccoons in my neighborhood, and we were visited by an opossum the other evening. <3
Don't coyotes attact othr animals? Do they ever get close to the houses? Raccoons are cute for a pet. Can they be domesticated?