Milky Way Over Trona Pinnacles

[Grumpy Old Guy]

Last edited Wed Apr 19, 2023, 08:42 AM - Edit history (1)

We just got back from a three day trip to the California desert. Here is a preliminary edit done on my cellphone with Snapseed.

The Trona Pinnacles are basalt tufas on what was once a vast body of water thousands of years ago. They are next to Searles Dry Lake, which was the source of most if the world's borax. The 20 Mule Teams started their journey near here.

[Ahna KneeMoose]

1. Now That Is A Beautiful Photograph

...and might that be Luke's landspeeder hurrying along just above the pathway in the right-center of your image (?).

[Grumpy Old Guy]

2. It could very well be.

[Tom Kitten]

3. So beautiful!

Cosmic wonder!

[Grumpy Old Guy]

12. Thanks Tom!

[moniss]

4. Many years ago

I had spent most of my life in areas where you had some stars at night but there was too much cloud/light interference usually for real spectacular scenes. Then I went west and the first night I was in Montana just blew my mind. Northern Manitoba was really cool also. As long as you don't aggravate a moose.

[Grumpy Old Guy]

13. Never aggravate a moose! LOL!

It's always wise to keep your distance. Brown bears too. LOL!

[mike_c]

5. beautiful!

[Grumpy Old Guy]

14. Thank you!

[Mousetoescamper]

6. Splendid! Scenes from the pilot episode of Lost in Space were filmed there

Seeing the model of the Jupiter 2 spaceship 'flying' through the otherworldly landscape was magical to me as an 8-year-old child. Scenes with Monument Valley in How the West was Won had a similar effect on my young imagination. Many years later I learned that the fantastic landcape in Lost in Space was a real place in California that I could drive to in a terrestrial vehicle. I've been to Monument Valley but haven't yet been to Trona Pinnacles.

Yours is the first photo I've seen of Trona Pinnacles with the Milky Way in the background. It has me nostalgically lost in space. Thanks for the memories, Grumpy.

[Grumpy Old Guy]

16. I feel the same way about Monument Valley.

Monument Valley was always on by bucket list due mostly to the John Ford westerns, especially the three with John Wayne. (My Darling Clementine with Henry Fonda was also filmed there). I've been there twice, and I want to go back. It's my favorite place.

The Alabama Hills, Red Rock Canyon, Trona Pinnacles and Vasquez Rocks are all great movie locations. We just happened to stay at Red Rock Canyon this past weekend, and the flowers were blooming. All of these are within a day's drive of Los Angeles.

I'll post some more pics later today.

[brer cat]

7. Beautiful, GOG.

[Grumpy Old Guy]

15. Thank you!

[2naSalit]

8. NEver looked like that whenever I went through there.

Very nice shot.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. Wow, my dear Grumpy! Fantastic photo, and with your cell phone! Incredible shot. ♥ nt

[Grumpy Old Guy]

10. Just the edit was done on the cell phone.

The original image was shot on my Canon R5.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. How silly of me to not realize that! Thank you. ♥