“Warning:  Bears Active in the Area” signs warning of bears, greeted us at 8,300 foot elevation at Mt. Whitney Portal, the small store and already crowded parking lots, gateway to the famous Mt. Whitney hike.  22 miles roundtrip and an elevation gain of 6,000 feet can take you to the top of the highest peak in the lower 48 at 14,605 feet.  We didn’t see any bears and we didn’t do the hike, but did enjoy the scenery and cool mountain air.

We did some rockhounding earlier in the morning to find dolomite, a brilliant white form of limestone that sparkles in sun light.

Labor Day Art in the Park in Bishop, California is next on the agenda.  As we look forward to a great show, our five weeks on the road is coming to a close.

Hope your holiday is blessed.  Hope to see you there.

Pirate booty, food, fun, music, shows and gems, minerals, crystals and stained glass as we set off for Lompoc, California for the Annual Pirate Fest.  Lompoc River Park will once again be the site of this fun, family filled event this weekend.

We enjoyed our visit with family in Palmdale, some craft time, as well as some R&R.

5 to 20 million geologic years ago Central California was covered by the ocean during what is called the Miocene Era.  Bakersfield, in addition to being a great depository of oil, is home to fossil beds rich in marine fossils.  The area is known for an abundant collecting of fossil shark teeth.

We venture out into grass covered hills.  The best digging is on hillsides, just below a caliche layer of sediment.  Dig, shovel, sift, repeat is the process that yields fossil finds.  Some shark teeth are a mere 1/8″ and easily fall through the sieve.  Some megalodon shark teeth have been found up to five inches.  We have never found such a treasure, but have found teeth that make nice pendants and earrings.

Our fun and family visits are coming to a close, here in Bakersfield.  Next stop:  the Annual Mountain Festival in Tehachipi.  Hope your week has been blessed.