Wednesday, July 9, 2014

On Hiatus

I  am sorry to have to put Secret Landscapes on hiatus because I am following my job to another state.  It has been an enjoyable three years of writing posts and reading your comments.  Perhaps next winter I will start posting again,  since propped boulders and other structures seem to be in almost every rocky place.

     May the trail always lead you to something new...


Wednesday, July 2, 2014

D.L. Bliss State Park, Lake Tahoe

D.L. Bliss State Park is on the west shore of Lake Tahoe.  This shoreline is very steep and there are few level sandy areas.  The most famous trail is the Rubicon trail, which runs north-south.
      Along the trail  are some balanced rocks, which were probably created by erosion.



However, there are a few features suggesting human alteration.  Here's a pointer indicating north, with a stone jammed underneath it.



 Way, way down the steep slope I spied a propped boulder on bedrock.  The foot is clearly visible.


Maybe it was supposed to be seen from the water.  If only I had had a few weeks to follow Lake Tahoe's 72-mile shoreline by kayak!
     One of the park's other  attractions is a balancing rock, in a rocky area away from the shoreline.



There is a cavity between the two sections, which was probably created by erosion.


There were many other boulders in the site, but the only possible structure was this rock stack.


The location of structures is as interesting as the structures themselves. Unlike Sand Harbor (6/18/2014), this steep area was probably not a Washoe summer camp.  The map at the Washoe tribal website indicates migration through this area in the fall for acorn collection. The natural and human-altered stone structures could have been landmarks for this migration.