Bristlecone Brilliance

In the White Mountains in eastern California, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is located in the Inyo National Forest. In a secret location known only to the US Forest Service, lives Methuselah, the oldest non-clonal tree in the world, with a confirmed age of 4852 years old. This dates the living legend to before the Great Pyramids in Egypt were built. This photo captures one of the many ancient trees and how life, against all odds, can thrive even in the most difficult conditions of extreme elevation, and through fierce wind and snow. It is awe-inspiring to imagine that while earth’s history of empires have come and gone, these trees have stayed rooted to this one place in their small patch of limestone.

Frolicking Friends

Each Spring in Lancaster California, a poppy profusion brings out the euphoria in kids of all ages and backgrounds. These Buddhist buddies romped and frolicked for photos, delighting with fellow visitors in the shared intoxicating adventure of poppy fever.

The Outlaws of Lone Pine

Lone Pine California is filled with characters of all species. Out there, the “wild west” is truly alive and well and these three bad boys make sure their peace isn’t disturbed.

Bristlecone Diva

In Big Pine California live a forest of ancient Bristlecone Pine trees that have lived longer than the Great Pyramids have been standing. Their beautifully sculptured trunks and branches tell their individual stories of 1,000’s of years of twisting in extreme forces of sand, wind, drought, fire and ice, yet standing firmly rooted to their rocky foundations of limestone.

Naturalist John Muir wrote the following about the bristlecone pines:

“While on the roughest ledges of crumbling limestone are lowly old giants, five or six feet in diameter that have braved the storms of more than a thousand years. But whether old or young, sheltered or exposed to the wildest gales, this tree is ever found to be irrepressibly and extravagantly picturesque, offering a richer and more varied series of forms to the artist than any other species I have yet seen.”

The Alabama Hills of California

Filled with amusing, and even comical rock formations, these hills are the backdrop to many movies and TV shows. Hiking this eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain foothills is as entertaining as it is physically exhilarating.

Has Anyone Seen Beau?

The sheer expanse of the color orange, in this field of poppy explosion, so engulfed our obedient 90 pound Labrador Beau, that a comedy of canine proportions proved irresistible.

Lone Road

The eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada’s has truly breathtaking back roads, if you don’t mind getting lost. Easy to miss, this glimpse of majesty reminds us that the best things in life are free, if we just take the time to look around.

Looking Up

The Great Basin Bristlecone Pines are the oldest living non-clonal organisms on our planet. Living in the White Mountains near Bishop California, in a white, rocky, and highly alkaline limestone soil called dolomite, these trees are aptly named “the trees that rewrote history”. The oldest tree is over 5,000 years old and they were already about 500 years old when the Pyramids of Giza were built.

‘Ol Blue Eyes

This canine stood sentry just as the sun kissed his hypnotic eyes  - click!

Bristlecone Wizard

Tucked away in a backroad near Bishop California, is a grove of ancient trees, some living before the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built. The Bristlecone Pines have withstood 1000’s of years of earth’s changes, and although contorted, strange and looking almost long dead, naturalist John Muir wrote the following about the bristlecone pines:

“While on the roughest ledges of crumbling limestone are lowly old giants, five or six feet in diameter that have braved the storms of more than a thousand years. But whether old or young, sheltered or exposed to the wildest gales, this tree is ever found to be irrepressibly and extravagantly picturesque, offering a richer and more varied series of forms to the artist than any other species I have yet seen.”

Moo?

Chewing his way through poppy paradise, this bull posed and strolled without a care in the world.