owens Valley - vertical Mine Shaft - Photo 31180125

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The frame for a vertical hoist stands above a closed-off vertical mine shaft. The blanket statement for exploring abandoned mines is "Stay Out. Stay Alive." It's oh-so-tempting to venture in, but cave-ins, deep vertical shafts, dangerous creatures (rattlesnakes, etc.), and poisonous gas fumes often wait inside. "Stay Out, Stay Alive" bears repeating.

After lying dry for almost a century, water flows again in the lower Owens River. A judge's ruling in 2007 mandated water to be released into the riverbed and the largely-dry Owens Lake bed. L.A. still relies on the Owens river for a significant portion of its water, so we found water in both the Owens River and the L.A. Aqueduct during our trip.

Alabama Hills is not an open-travel OHV area. Unless you're filming a dirt bike or UTV commercial, which happens here, you must have a street-legal vehicle. Fortunately, we found plenty of trails to explore.

The frame for a vertical hoist stands above a closed-off vertical mine shaft. The blanket statement for exploring abandoned mines is "Stay Out. Stay Alive." It's oh-so-tempting to venture in, but cave-ins, deep vertical shafts, dangerous creatures (rattlesnakes, etc.), and poisonous gas fumes often wait inside. "Stay Out, Stay Alive" bears repeating.

How's this for a winch? The rail-mounted four-cylinder automobile engine seen at the far end supplied the power needed to hoist ore from the depths of the mine. If you look closely, you can still see cable marks on the winch drum.

We found a trailside rock that was good for a suspension flex test. Our Total Chaos long-travel front suspension combined with Sway-A-Way shocks and a set of 33-inch Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ tires was an ideal combination for exploring on the varied terrain we encountered.

This is one of the most scenic intersections anywhere. Movie Road is largely unpaved as it winds through the Alabama Hills. Whitney Portal was next.

The Alabama Gates sit between Highway 395 and the Alabama Hills. Here, the L.A. Aqueduct flows past the gates with just a trickle leaking out the spillway toward the Owens River. In November 1924, Owens Valley residents took control of the Alabama Gates, opening them and sending the flow back into the dry Owens riverbed. The standoff lasted several days until armed agents from L.A.'s Department of Water and Power showed up to quell the rebellion.

Slope-side switchbacks await. The Whitney Portal road follows a different route than the one seen in 1954's The Long, Long Trailer starring Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, but even the modern route can spell big-time trouble if your cooling system and brakes aren't in good shape.

After twisting up the switchbacks and dodging errant rocks on the Whitney Portal road, we came to Whitney Portal itself. At almost 8,000 feet, the air is noticeably thin and the temperatures are refreshingly cool. This is the portal through which Mt. Whitney hikers pass on their way to the peak's 14,505-foot summit, the highest peak in the lower 48 states.

Is your pack too heavy? This scale at Whitney Portal will tell you. The Portal also has several signs that give advice on everything from altitude sickness to bear safety. The bear safety sign had an impressive headline: "Never underestimate an animal that can learn to ride a motorcycle."

Lone Pine Creek forms this gorgeous cascade on its way past Whitney Portal.

To gain a better understanding of our surroundings, we checked out the Eastern California Museum in small-town Independence. This yard-full of equipment was used in the construction of the L.A. Aqueduct. The equipment is in remarkable shape for its age, thanks to a dry climate. With hot summers, biting-cold winters and nearly constant wind, it took some pretty tough people to build the Aqueduct.

Check out the hand-crank starter on this Fordson tractor. It's good that they don't make 'em like they used to. The Fordson was mass-produced starting in 1917, so this tractor was likely used for aqueduct maintenance rather than during the initial construction.

Wood often combined with iron and steel on early machinery. There are untold ways to lose a finger, or worse, on an implement like this one.

Inside the museum we found lots of cool stuff on display, but this set of "coyote dentures" stood out among the rest. Local resident George Washington Hancock (1882-1969) needed new dentures, but didn't have the money to pay for a professionally made set. He made his own by melting down toothbrush handles and molding the warm plastic over his gums. Coyote teeth were used because they were easy to obtain.

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest was next on the list. This sign greets you as you head up Highway 168 out of Big Pine.

The Ancient Bristlecones live high up in the White Mountains of the Inyo National Forest. They are the oldest non-clonal living things on earth, and the oldest bristlecone is the "Methuselah" tree at 4,775 years old. There are two main groves of Bristlecones, the Schulman Grove and the Patriarch Grove. Methuselah is in the Schulman Grove, but the Forest Service will not tell you which tree it is. This is to protect the tree and leave you wondering. Two trails in the Schulman Grove offer visitors a chance to see the gnarled old trees up close.

This is from the Schulman Grove Discovery Trail looking back at the Bristlecone Byway. Looking west you can see the Sierra Nevada's looming in the distance. The road turns to dirt just past the Schulman Grove. You'll continue on for another 9 miles to get to the Patriarch Grove.

Most of the road to the Patriarch Grove is within easy reach of stock SUVs during good weather. The views are epic, and stopping to drink in the scenery is almost mandatory. This is above 10,000 feet and subject to severe winter storms. Plan this trip around the season, as the entire Bristlecone Byway is closed during winter. Even during the summer, the weather can change quickly at this altitude, so prepare accordingly.

Patriarch isn't the oldest tree in the world at a "mere" 1,500 years. Nonetheless, Patriarch is the largest Bristlecone in the world. The wide part of the trunk measures about 8 feet. The Patriarch Grove sits at 12,000 feet.

The slopes get rockier the closer you get to the Patriarch Grove. The dense, resinous wood of the Bristlecones makes them resistant to fire and to insect infestation. Few other plants grow where the ancient Bristlecones do, leaving the squatty pines to guard the heights largely alone. Although the Bristlecones are the oldest single-organism living things on earth, it's important to recognize that clonal colonies of creosote bushes, aspen trees, and Norway spruce have been dated as much, much older.

This crossroads beckoned us to return another day. Wyman Canyon is reputed to be a great drive through some extremely remote country.

Grandview Overlook gives a panorama of the Sierra's across the valley. Check out the sighting tube-creative use of a driveshaft yoke and a u-joint.

Here's an open section of the L.A. Aqueduct. The water runs through a series of open channels, pipes, pumping stations, and reservoirs on its journey from Owens Valley to L.A.