Desert Destination: Ash Springs

Just off Nevada Highway 93 in the town of Ash Springs, across from the Shell gas station, is Little Ash Springs. An unmarked dirt road leads to some BLM bathrooms, a parking area, and steaming water flowing underneath the cottonwoods.

Next to the parking area is a built-up area for soaking. 

Some signs give a little indication of what's going on: Ash Springs Recreational Site. No camping is allowed, and in fact the sign says that visitors are only allowed to stay two hours. The times I've visited I've only seen a few other people there, but I've heard that the place can be absolutely packed during weekends.

It's not much of a surprise--the water feels wonderful! The temperature varies between 88 and 97 degrees Fahrenheit, and the water flows from 17 to 23 cubic feet per second.

 
The springs originate from several orifices, although the BLM asks people to stay in the developed area to protect the rest of the spring habitat. With only 1.2 acres in the recreation area, there's not much space for so many people, and trampling and social trails are obvious.

During chilly winter days, the rising steam makes the path of the water especially obvious. The warm water not only attracts humans.

A tiny fish, the White River springfish, (Crenichthys baileyi baileyi) lives in this spring. In fact, it only lives in Ash Springs, and this endangered subspecies only survives where the water is warm, so it doesn't go very far downstream. There are at least three fish in the photo above, each about an inch long. Desert fish often don't get too large because they are limited by the small amount of water in the desert.

The fish swim all over the spring. The BLM held public meetings in November 2008 to solicit public input about how to better manage Ash Springs to reduce vandalism, decrease erosion, help keep trees from falling, and keep the springs accessible to the public. The Caliente Field Office will be writing a development plan for the site. The plan will be discussed at the June 25 & 26, 2009 Resource Advisory Council meeting in Tonopah.

Trying to keep good habitat for the White River springfish while managing the spring for heavy visitation is a challenge. But there's still another challenge--proposed groundwater pumping in nearby areas may reduce the water that emerges from the spring.

Life in the desert is always a little tricky, but especially at Ash Springs. So if you're on Highway 93 and about two hours north of Las Vegas, take a break and check out the springs. The fish are easy to see, the cottonwoods provide some shade in the summer, and the water is enticing. We just have to remember not to take it for granted. 

Windmills in the Desert

Out on the desert floor I see a windmill, looking lonely out in the desolate brush. The windmill is a sign of early technological progress--a way to harness the wind to pump water from the ground and provide for livestock, irrigation, or other water needs. The windmill is an indication of a rural area, a place without electrical lines.

Over the last 120 years, the basic design of a windmill hasn't changed much. The fan (or wheel) at the top of the tower is turned by the wind. This rotary motion turns a set of mechanical gears that raises and lowers the "sucker rod," the rod that extends below the fan and down into the ground. The up and down movement of the rod (reciprocating motion) powers the cylinder pump located underground.

This cylinder pump is near the bottom of the well, which is dug or drilled into an aquifer. Perforations in the well casing allow water to percolate into the well, and then the pump keeps adding water to the bottom of the pipe, creating enough pressure that the water is forced upwards and out of the pipe. 

For this windmill, once the water reached the surface, it was put into this livestock tank. Today it's full of tumbleweeds, and none of the similar windmills in the valley are working. It's been quite a few years, even decades, since the last one pumped water to the surface. My husband says he can remember one working windmill as a child. 

So why aren't more of these windmills, with their simple technology, in use? With the arrival of electricity, brought by the Rural Electrification Association from the 1930s to 1950s, windmills all over rural areas went into decline because it became easier to pump water with a motor that had a steady power supply. Nowadays, with increased energy prices, more people are repairing, restoring, and installing windmills, and learning how to maintain them. 

This windmill is an Aermotor, made in Chicago. Aermotor windmills were first sold in 1888, and were made in Chicago until 1958. Today they are still sold, made in San Angelo, Texas. 

I had a little fun with lighting effects. The windmill is a fun subject to photograph.

The old timers were on to something, harnessing the free power of the wind to make life easier for them. Nowadays, more and more people are turning to the wind again, not so much to lift water from the ground, but to create electricity. The windmills that are used for electricity are called wind turbines, and we are starting to see more and more of those out in the desert.

Desert Destination: Cave Lake's Fire and Ice Show

January 17-18 were the dates of the annual Fire and Ice Show at Cave Lake near Ely, Nevada. The fire consists of a huge fireworks show and an historic black powder cannon being shot off "as often as possible." The ice covers Cave Lake and is the scene of ice fishing and ice sculptures, with a top prize of $1,000.

I think those ice fishing outnumbered those ice sculpting, and people of all ages participated in both. I asked one fisherman how thick the ice was--we've had unusually warm weather the past two weeks--and he said 12 to 14 inches. 

Here's an ice sculpture in progress. We toured about 2 1/2 hours before the quitting time, when the sculptures would be judged. This is a sculpture of a man riding a horse. Not shown in this picture is the same scene but going in the opposite direction. I'm guessing these ice sculptors were fairly experienced, bringing plywood to keep off the wind. But the weather was really pleasant--the ice sculptors just wished there was more snow.

This scene has a bed/recliner, fireplace, a tree, and a couple other things. We'll revisit this scene at the end of the post and see what they've accomplished in 45 minutes.

This is a rendering of the Hoover Dam. A huge group came up from Las Vegas to work on it. They said if they won the top prize, it would pay for their hotel rooms next year. The Fire and Ice Show has been in the Top 100 Events for both 2008 and 2009.

We wondered why paths were shoveled out on the ice, and before long we got our answer--the ATV-towed wagon. We couldn't resist a ride around the lake. 

Some of the ice sculptures were still in the blobby phase. 

Others were pretty much done, like this steam locomotive.

Here's a mouse watching a cat catching a mouse and some catnip in front of it. The sculptors are busy shoveling snow around their creation.

An ice cream sundae. yum.

I think this is the doughboy. Or maybe the monster in Ghostbusters crashing through skyscrapers. I was fascinated by the process of making the ice sculptures. Buckets, shovels, sleds, heaters (to warm up water), ice augers (to get lake water), chairs, ladders, and concrete finishing tools were the most popular tools to make the ice creations.

Here are some cute penguins, part of a bigger sea scene.

The Hoover Dam is getting bigger. The columns were starting to tilt a little, but they just kept patching them up.

The tree is looking a lot more like a tree that we saw in the first scene.

Walking around could be a little slippery.

Next year we'll have to bring a sled--kids loved being pulled around. And people were sledding off the hills all around the lake, playing ice bowling, and generally having a great time. It was a wonderful day to be out and about. Now if I can just convince a bunch of friends and family to join me in ice sculpting next winter, maybe we can try for that prize!

Here's a video from last year's Fire and Ice Show from another blog:

2009: La Niña Returns?

So far the winter has been extremely dry out here, with only a dusting of snow left up on the nearby mountains and nothing on the valley bottom. NOAA weather scientists believe that a weak La Niña may be forming, and in our area, a La Niña means less precipitation. 

La Niña is associated with unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. These ocean temperatures impact temperatures globally for up to two years. During a La Niña, the easterly trade winds are stronger than normal, allowing colder water to upwell along the equator and western coast of South America. These colder water temperatures can be as much as 7 degrees F below normal.

In the U.S., La Niña causes drier than normal conditions in the Southwest, Central Plains, and Southeast; and wetter, cooler conditions in the Pacific Northwest. In our area, we hear news reports about places less than one hundred miles to the north that are receiving wonderful snowfall. But we are just far enough below the invisible line that we aren't benefiting from an excess of precipitation. We've been dry for the last couple of years, so it's not great to be getting a La Niña.

La Niña is part of a natural cycle, alternating with neutral conditions and El Niño, when the ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific are warmer than normal. During El Niño years, climate is often the reverse of La Niña conditions.

So I guess we'll just have to do the best we can for now and hope that this La Niña will be weak and soon end. The intensity of La Niña and El Niño events can vary a great deal. If you'd like to learn more about this weather phenomenon, check out the NOAA website.

Polar Bear Club

Henry likes water. A lot. Even if it's very cold water. With ice on it. 

We watched him gingerly step on the ice until he could get into the creek. This water is snow melt from high in the mountains.

Henry hangs out in it for quite awhile, sniffing around, investigating the ice formations.

He tries to eat some ice. The longer I watch him, the colder I get.

I've never tried to enter the Polar Bear Club--I wonder if watching Henry gets me any points?

Fun with Water

We've been having fun with the icy stream near our house. Desert Boy will throw rocks into it until his hands turn into frozen icicles (he won't wear mittens).


And Henry likes to chase ice.

It's kind of funny when it's someone else's kid misbehaving, isn't it? We have some work to do!

Desert Destination: A Cold Lake

I think because we live in the dry, desolate desert, we are attracted to water. That would certainly explain why I post more photos of water than dry terrain in this blog! Last weekend we took a detour to visit a nearby lake.

The lake is very popular for fishing. During the summer lots of boats dot the blue waters, while in the winter ice shacks are set up over holes in the ice. The main catch is rainbow trout, although northern pike have invaded and are also found in the lake. They aren't good for the rainbow trout population.

We didn't have any fishing gear with us, so we had to entertain ourselves by throwing rocks into the water. Desert Boy was happy to participate.

He spent a lot of time throwing rocks.

And throwing another rock.

And another.

But don't worry, I realize I've had a lot of posts about Desert Boy lately, so here's some other information about where we were. This is rabbitbrush with some seeds still clinging on despite the chilly temperatures.

There were a number of birds out on the lake, including this American Coot. It's easy to tell apart from other waterfowl with its all-white bill.

Here are a couple more coots, also called mudhens, swimming away. The birds didn't seem to like having their photos taken.

It was fun seeing the lake before it gets covered with ice for the next few months. The cool temperatures seemed to make the water look icy blue, and it was definitely cold. The wind pierced our coats and made the water choppy. We definitely live in the cold desert!

Desert Destination: Zion National Park in the Rain

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

Zion National Park is one of my favorite places, with its soaring sandstone walls, secret creeks, challenging canyons, and variety of vegetation. My brother Ed came out for a visit, and we took time to discover some of the beauties.

The view from Angel's Landing is spectacular, with the Virgin River far below, curving around the rock outcrop. The hike up to Angel's Landing is also spectacular, as you cling to chains drilled into the rock so that you don't plunge 1,500 feet to your death. I didn't manage to get photos of that clinging part--I was too busy making sure I wasn't plunging! 

Here's Ed, all relaxed. Notice the clouds building in the background. We had originally planned to go canyoneering that day, but the weather forecast was for certain rain, so we decided to stay out of slot canyons and avoid flash floods. The morning was beautiful, though, and we made the most of it by hiking.

Here I am. In the background you can see a couple different layers of rock, red and white, and the far-reaching canyon that extends as far as the eye can see. Because those canyons are so long, it can be sunny where you are and raining upstream. That rain can cause a flash flood into your sun-drenched spot without much warning.

This is the West Rim trail, a scenic area without the crowds on Angel's Landing. The sky looked quite blue behind Ed. But before we got down to the trailhead, the skies let loose, and we were drenched. Then the fun began.

We watched water cascading over sandstone in places we never thought saw water. The water twisted and turned, forming rivulets and then roaring streams of dirty water.

The number of waterfalls was amazing. Some poured nearly one hundred feet off the rocks above.

We were supposed to come out of one of these canyons, so we were really glad that we had played it safe. Besides, the views of all these waterfalls made for a one-of-a-kind experience.

We were even able to get nearly underneath a couple waterfalls.

This is a waterfall at the Emerald Pools.

Don't expect this sight if you go visit Zion. Nevertheless, there is always water around, it's just usually at the bottom of the cliffs, rather than pouring over it!