Kern County, CA (2/29/2020)

Ridgecrest, CA is a very nice town in the desert, surrounded by four mountain ranges.  More importantly for its economy, Ridgecrest is adjacent to the China Lake Naval Weapons Station.  The population is about 30,000 due to a modest, but steady, growth rate.  My original plan to come here was based on local wildflowers and the local museum conducting tours of the largest rock art site around, within the Navy base and otherwise not accessible.  Unfortunately, it's not a good wildflower year in this area, and petroglyph tours don't begin until late March.  The other attraction near Ridgecrest is the Trona Pinnacles National Natural  Landmark.

The pinnacles are a unique geological feature consisting of more than 500 tufa spires, some as tall as 140 feet.  The tufa was formed thousands of years ago when this are was one of a chain of large lakes.  Highly carbonated water from springs bubbled up into the high calcium content of the lake forming calcium carbonate, otherwise known as limestone.  The lake eventually dried up, thus exposing the pinnacles.  They  have been on my "must see" list for many years, so I'm glad I finally saw them.

Some of these spires may seem familiar, as numerous movies and TV commercials have been filmed here.

 

Another geological feature I've been wanting to see is Red Rock Canyon State Park, located between Ridgecrest and Mojave.  These rugged, colorful cliffs have also been the location for many film productions.  In some spots, it looks more like the Bisti Wilderness than any place I've seen outside New Mexico.  Most of these photos are from the campground, where camp sites are located right next to these dramatic formations.