Rockhouse Canyon in Carrizo Gorge Backpack

Veterans Day solo backpack trip out to Rockhouse Canyon in Carrizo Gorge. Was supposed to go with Tom but he couldn't make it. Took the new Fuji XE-1 camera, I still don't feel in command of it yet, especially with the night and star photos. The camera works quite differently then my Sony DSLR cameras. Biggest problem I noticed was it seems to focus past infinity but of course I couldn't tell until I got home and looked at the pictures. Good trip, found the palm oasis and stopped by the pictograph site. The old ranchers shack is still standing.

Remnants of the old road into the canyon before the park put the bollards up


I got in late at night and started looking for a place to put my sleeping gear down and found this guy


Not proud of any of these star shots, I need to dial in the new camera and it's settings






Moonrise


Here is a photo of the ranchers shack from an April 1947 Desert Magazine article and below is one I took on this trip. Much of the ocotillo still stands but one in particular right behind the shack is now gone.




And some random shots inside the shack










So now for the real agenda of the trip....follow the water pipe from the trough up the mountainside and see where it goes




Along the way I found a Sky Blazer, lot 61 Oct 2010(?)




Those damn ranchers were tough, that pipe went up 1,000+ feet to a palm oasis up on the ridge


I lost the pipe in several places and it is now since broken apart but I could find sections all the way up to the palm grove




Awesome views of Carrizo Gorge and the desert floor up at the palm grove


Some artifacts along the way


Figured I would stop and check out the pictographs while I was out that way










Total Mylar Balloon count this trip - 3 (sorry, no picture)