The aptly-named "Teakettle Junction".steemCreated with Sketch.

in #travel7 years ago

   Burning the midnight oil here on Steemit!  I wanted to share a unique desert landmark I happened upon about a year or two ago.  While driving some 20+ miles on a treacherous, unpaved road to the Racetrack Playa (home of the famous "Sailing Rocks"), we came to a remote intersection that was worth some further inspection.


^^^Teakettle Junction, California.

   As you can see, the sign was festooned with a good 75 or more teakettles.  It's tradition for visitors to bring a teakettle and inscribe it with a message on the outside, or on a note and put it inside. It's said to bring good luck (of course) and it also gives some interesting tidbits for future travelers to read.  


^^^Obligatory vacation photo.

   I was pretty stoked to roll up on this scene though.  I knew about Teakettle Junction from a Travel Channel show (or something similar) that I saw a few years prior, but I didn't it realize that it was along the way to our Racetrack Playa destination.  Needless to say, I had to stop and take a picture with it.


^^^Racetrack Playa in the distance.

   After a short investigation and some photos, we were off again.  Within just a few minutes, we could see the playa appear in the distance.  We were of to see some moving rocks! More on that another day though.

   Thanks for reading! I post a nature-themed blog every day. Please upvote if you enjoyed it and be sure to follow me @customnature so you'll never miss one!  See you next time.  - Adam

***These daily blogs showcase the natural world.  It is all original content using photos, stories, and experiences from my own travels.***

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Hi Adam !!

Thank you for sharing such a nice story records!!

Unique place - I've never seen similar before!!

Very interesting "tradition" ...

btw - what is Racetrack Playa...

Cheers

Hey @digitalplayer! Sorry for the delay in answering your question. A "playa" is generally a temporary lake, usually in the desert, that has no inlet/outlet of water. They will collect water for short periods of time until it all evaporates in the hot temperatures. This one is called "Racetrack" because it's the home of a famous phenomenon where rocks move around and leave trails in the cracked mud.

Mind blowing - never seen something like that all over the Europe

That's one things I'll say for America: we have some shitty officials and politics, but also the most amazing and diverse natural treasures I have ever seen in my travels. The sliding rocks are exclusive to the southwest US, I believe. I'm not 100% certain on that though.

I think you have guys over there the most rich lands - agriculture to new high tech combustible crystals . Take care of it

Loved your to know about playa.

loved the race track pic.

Thanks @looftee! I did find some sailing rocks while i was there. 😎

Sai....Ling :-0

wowwwww, Loved the way you have taken the pic. It looks like an invisible snake with only head visible.

That's so cool!
Hope to visit California next year :)

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