El Paso/Red Rock Canyon Field Trip October 10-11 2015
El Paso/Red Rock Canyon Field Trip
October 10-11, 2015
The LPA is hosting a field trip to the El Paso Mountain Range with a view overlooking Red Rock Canyon. This field trip is also open to the AV Photography Meetup and China Lake Photographic Society (CLPS). LPA members should sign up so we can get a headcount and keep everyone posted should any problems arise. Others should e-mail the organizer so they can be notified if need be. The organizer for this trip is Glenn Olson, glenn@glenn-olson.com.
This trip will be held the weekend of October 10-11 to capture sunset, stars, and sunrise. The location selected overlooks an extended section, about one mile long, of the red cliffs as well as canyons not seen by most visitors. This means that we should get some very unique landscape photos. This location is also remote from any paved roads and there will be no moon so it should be a good site for photographing star trails. The morning sun should shine directly on the cliffs.
Participants are hereby warned that this area is somewhat remote. Once we leave the pavement there will be places to park passenger cars but the road up the mountain is rocky and suitable for SUVs or better (a 1996 2WD Ford Explorer made it with relative ease) with experienced drivers. The location selected is within the Red Rock Canyon park boundaries and we will not be able to camp on the mountain but there is plenty of desert space at the bottom to park and sleep over if desired. There are no facilities so bring your own water, food, and other necessities. Cell phone coverage may be spotty so you may want to bring a CB radio. The Park does not allow commercial photography without a permit. A permit may take some time and expense to acquire.
Directions: This site is in the El Paso Mountains east of Hwy 14, just west of Last Chance Canyon, and north of Red Rock-Randsburg Rd. From Mojave go north on Hwy 14 about 20 miles and turn right on Red Rock-Randsburg Rd (if you see the sign to Bishop you just missed it). Go east about 4.6 miles where you'll see a dirt road on the left going up a canyon. There should be some form of sign and/or cars parked. The actual site is about 2.6 miles from the pavement.
For those interested, we will meet at Denny's in Mojave at noon on Saturday for lunch, leaving about 1 pm for the site. This should allow plenty of time to get up on the mountain, scope out the area, and set up for the shoots.
Disclaimer: This is a personal adventure and everyone is invited to join in. However, this is not a conducted tour and everyone is on his/her own. There are no guarantees that you will get useable photos and if you get hurt or your vehicle gets damaged you are on your own. Therefore you should carefully consider your own abilities and limitations before participating.
