Alien World
wfeller
Registered Users Posts: 2,625 Major grins
This was the beginning of a strange day for me once I went beyond the sign. You'd think they had never seen a guy with shoulder length hair. 
Anybody can do it.
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After a short orientation asking that no photos be taken of the facilties, we loaded up into a van and were hauled off into a remote location within the fort. Our party consisted of the fort museum director, an historian and several others interested in the natural and human history of the springs we visited. My part was documenting the area through photography for use in future publications as they may occur. The fort is expanding and this specific location will be land-locked by training grounds and firing ranges once the expansion is complete. Security at this time is tight, but future access will be impossible. I'm going out one more time, possibly two. They have the coolest vehicles out there. Things I've never seen. I asked if they had the mechanical walking dinosaur weapons like in Star Wars(?), and if so, could I ride in one? I was told they'd see what they could do for me.
A lot of umpf and kapooming, but this is one of about 4 shots I got. Once it warms up I'll be back in there when it's green.
The location is more about history than aesthetics.
http://mojavedesert.net/military/fort-irwin.html
http://mojavedesert.net/military/fort-irwin-06.html
Wow great colours in this shot and the one you posted of the grassy hillside too.
Got yourself a really nice sky in that first shot
Nicely processed
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Skippy (Australia) - Moderator of "HOLY MACRO" and "OTHER COOL SHOTS"
ALBUM http://ozzieskip.smugmug.com/
:skippy Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people just abuse the privilege :dgrin
-joel
Link to my Smugmug site
The place has quite a bit of historical significance. One incident goes;
In 1858 the Wiliams freight company had stopped at the springs while crossing the desert. A band of Piute Indians had been following them for several days and caught up with them at the springs, the only water for 30 miles in any direction. It was late in the season and all the grass at the spring had been eaten leaving none for the freighter's hungry horses and mules. The Indians told Williams and his brother-in-law, Jehu Jackman, that they would show them a meadow nearby where there was plenty of feed for grazing--they rode off.
A few miles away from the camp the Indians opened fire on Jackman and Williams hitting them with poisoned arrows. Jackman was struck in the neck and back, while Williams had been hit multiple times in the back and shoulders. They turned their horses and escaped back to the camp to warn the others of the ambush. Jackman was dead before they made it back. Williams was badly wounded.
Jackman was hastily buried there at Bitter Springs before the company departed. Williams languished for several days before succumbing to his painful wounds infected from the poison in the arrows.
Several weeks later Jackman's family returned to the spring to recover his body for a proper Mormon burial. They found that the Indians had returned and uncovered then stripped the corpse naked buring Jackman standing, exposed from the waist up (an insult). Coyotes and buzzards had savaged the body.
This enraged the people of Los Angeles and San Bernardino and by this (and another murder) a call to action was made of the U.S. Army. A Campaign to "punish" the Indians for these depradations was set into motion. And punish the Indians they did. Further acts of violence and horrific displays were made by both sides. The problem, the wrong Indians were punished.
There's much more. But that's it in a nutshell for now.