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I haven't been up to the Walker Lake house in more than six months because of school and other obligations. This weekend was the first opportunity in a long time and all though the trip was relatively short, it was worth every minute because I finally put Morgaine on the lake. Actually, the weekend was spent driving - taking the boat added time to the trip and so it was 5 hours each way to spend saturday and sunday morning at the lake. Hopefully, next weekend won't feel so short. Here are some pictures...Walker Lake is a reminant of the same great ocean that left us the Great Salt Lake. Walker is a saline lake but not nearly so salty as Salt Lake. In fact, there are still some fish in Walker Lake, but unless they secure the water rights from farmers who hold them up stream (and don't farm but saturate their fields and live on subsidies so they don't loose their rights) it will eventually be unable to sustain the two kinds of fish that are still in the lake. AnywhOo --- once again, here are som pics:


This sailboat Looks small - it was good sized but it gives some perspective on the distance - desert lakes are deceiving when it comes to judging distance....


again - a shot showing the distance - the other shore is miles away.





The water was thick with the late summer algae typical of the warm alkaline water....and smooth as glass in parts...

there wasn't much wind at first so, I motored to the far beach that I usually take my dogs for morning walks:



The winds picked up in the afternoons and so did the swells...we sailed back to the launch ramp with some good size following seas....the wind blows in a southwesterly swirl so, if one were so inclined they could sail around the lake with relative steady winds...



I'm just thrilled that I finally made it to Walker and sailed Morgaine there:



I did sail reefed for a bit, but let the sail loose as I got used to the lake



and Morgaine lOoks great in the front yard:



even at sunset



i wish i had pictures of the boat from another point of view but...i at least have some very vivid memories...and had a great weekend of sailing.

yes the stuff in the yard is nearly dead - i wasn't the Lunatic that planted trees and bushes in the desert --- one of these days i will have time to get rid of all the non-native greenery -- and the ridiculous tree.

a.

sum more pics









i know i know -- could have spent more time finishing the boat but i wanted to go sailing....








***SIGH**** i miss the lake already...thank goodness i am going back next weekend!!!!!


a.

YIKES! Is there a lake on the moon? That is some barren country!

Wow, that was some bow wave you had going there Adla! BTW, the picture CD is on it's way to you by pony express.

Angie, if you think Walker Lake is a moonscape, you should have been with Bill & I as we drove north on AZ-89 thru the Navajo Reservation to Lake Navajo up in Utah. I have never seen anything more spooky. No lie; NASA could have filmed the moon landings there. Low, light grey mound like hills that looked like piles of slag from a blast furnace scattered across the desert for miles and miles. Not a single blade of desert grass or sage brush for as far as you could see. No, I didn't get any pics of it. Didn't want to. We were way to spooked and just wanted to get to the lake!

I suppose it is all about what one is accustomed too. It just looks so inhospitable. Guess the upshot is.... you don't have to worry about coons or foxes eating the cat food, you don't have to mow the grass or rake the leaves, clean the gutters, etc..... just looks so VERY different from here.

This country can be very beautiful in it's own way. The starkness can be very peaceful.

Steve, you are right about the Navajo reservation. Quite a few years ago, I had the privilege of hiking from near Tuba City to Rainbow Bridge. This took us around Navajo Mountain. This is considered sacred country to the Navajo. Permits from the US Government and Navajo Nation are required and they issue very few. Only a few months of the year would I even consider going through this country. Some Navajo go there on a type of discovery trip. It is hard to describe how desolate it is. For 2 days I don't believe I saw anything alive except for a few scraggly plants. I didn't see birds, reptiles, not even insects. There were not even any signs of life. You had to take all your water and food with you. I was lucky to have others in our party who helped me when I became glucose starved. It caused me to become weak and disoriented. The trails are hardly even recognizable as trails. Despite all that, I found it fascinating and really beautiful.

Angie-

i think it is more about what a person likes...plenty of people from the east fall in love with the desert and some desert dwellers love trees....i am a desert rat through and through...i can't decide which of the mountain ranges some people perceive as desolate are my favorite...i love them all so much. we have plenty of critters too. Rabbits and quail...loons and pelicans...etc. There is a lot of wild life up there including oodles of snakes. I like the desert lake and really prefer it to the wooded lake tahoe. i have another photo that really looks moonish...will post later...


Nice shot phil -- i just love the desert mountains!

and thanks Steve - i will be looking for the cd

a.

I would love to come and spend some time exploring it. It is so very different from the east. I was raised in country with virgin forest, when I think of mountains I think of old growth trees, spring fed streams and lush vegatation.

The mountains out here are very different from the Great Smokeys and the Blue Ridge. Not nearly as pretty. I would describe most of them more in terms of "Magnificent Desolation". There are some alpine like ranges as well; the San Fransisco peaks around Flagstaff, The Mogollon Rim, and the White Mountains here in Arizona. Oh yeah, we also have this big hole in the ground up north too... but you'll like Sedona better!

Come on out west and vistit us Angie. The SWF will take good care of you and show you sights that will stun you.

http://www.arizonahighways.com/custom.cf...&nav=photo

Gotta be careful about extending me invitations..... I am known to take you up on it. :lol:

Probably headed west in the spring. Two dear friends just moved to Reno and will be expecting me to visit by then.

Truly looks like some incredible country.