THE SOUTHWEST EDGE OF TOWN

THE PICTURES BEGIN ON BARREL SPRINGS RD. NEAR SIERRA HWY
THE DATE IS APRIL 27, 1998
BARREL SPRINGS ROAD IS NAMED FOR A SPRING FREQUENTED AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY
SPRINGS OCCUR IN THIS AREA BECAUSE IT IS THE FRACTURE ZONE OF THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT

IMAGES BEGIN AT THE LOCATION OF THE RED ARROW AND MOVE NORTH UP SIERRA HIGHWAY
UNA LAKE (ON THE MAP) IS A NATURAL BODY OF WATER ABOUT THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL FIELD LYING IN THE FRACTURE ZONE, THE DEPTH HAS BEEN MEASURED TO SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET WITHOUT LOCATING THE BOTTOM

TEJON PARK IS ON BARREL SPRINGS RD. IN THE FRACTURE ZONE

HAROLD IS THE NAME OF THE ORIGINAL SETTLEMENT AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY NEAR THE SPRINGS

A SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD OF HOMES ARE SITUATED IN THE OLD HAROLD SETTLEMENT, THEY ARE LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE MARSHY FLAT WHERE THE RIFT ZONE CUTS THROUGH THE LOW FOOT HILLS

BARREL SPRINGS ROAD IS NOT PAVED, NOR ARE THE ROADS IN HAROLD. THE HOMES SEEM TO DATE FROM THE EARLY 70'S. BARREL SPRINGS ROAD WAS ORIGINALLY FORT TEJON ROAD

SIERRA HIGHWAY WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED MINT CANYON ROAD AND BARREL SPRINGS WAS ORIGINALLY THE OLD MILITARY TRAIL CALLED FORT TEJON ROAD

SIERRA HIGHWAY WAS CREATED WHEN MINT CANYON ROAD WAS PAVED IN 1921, IT RAN FROM THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY NORTH THROUGH MOJAVE, EAST ALONG THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS AT LEAST TO BISHOP. THE HIGHWAY WAS THE FIRST EASILY NAVIGAVABLE CONNECTION TO LOS ANGELES

LOOKING EAST OUT BARREL SPRINGS ROAD FROM SIERRA HIGHWAY

HOUSE ON THE CORNER OF BARREL SPRINGS AND SIERRA HIGHWAY

AS YOU TRAVEL NORTH ON SIERRA HIGHWAY, ABOUT A HALF MILE PAST BARREL SPRINGS ROAD ON THE RIGHT IS A CHAINLINK FENCE

STANDING ACROSS SIERRA HIGHWAY LOOKING EAST OVER UNA LAKE

LOOKING EAST ACROSS THE LAKE

STANDING ON THE SOUTH SHORE LOOKING NORTH, THE DEPTH IS BEYOND SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET--THE BOTTOM HAS NEVER BEEN LOCATED

THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT RUNS DIRECTLY UNDER THE LAKE

A STAND OF JOSHUA TREES GROW JUST ABOVE THE SHORE

THERE ARE SMALL BASS IN THE LAKE WHICH ARE FED ON BY THIS HERON

THE WINGSPAN IS ABOUT THREE FEET

LOOKING WEST

THE WEST BANK IS THE LANDFILL OF SIERRA HIGHWAY

THE LAKE IS FULL DUE TO THE HEAVY WINTER RAINS OF 1998, THAT IS THE TOP OF A TREE ABOUT TEN FEET FROM SHORE

THE NORTHEAST BANK IS A LONG HILL RUNNING EAST WEST ALONG THE FAULT

TREES GROWING IN OTHERWISE SCRUB DESERT RUN FOR MILES ALONG THE RIFT ZONE ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE ANTELOPE VALLEY

MORE SUBMERGED TREES INDICATING THE NORMAL SHORE LINE

LOOKING WEST TOWARD THE HIGHWAY

LOOKING NORTH ACROSS THE NARROWER WIDTH

LOOKING SOUTH DOWN SIERRA HIGHWAY, THE LAKE IS TO THE LEFT

THESE TREES GROW IN THE NARROW SHOLDER BETWEEN THE HIGHWAY AND THE LAKE

A LARGE CONIFER GROWING TWENTY FEET BACK FROM THE SHORE

ABOUT A MILE NORTH OF UNA LAKE ON SIERRA HIGHWAY IS THE INTERSECTION OF AVENUE S, AVE. S HAS BECOME A BUSY STREET OVER THE YEARS. ON THE SOUTHEAST CORNER IS A NEW MINI STRIPMALL FEATURING A GAS STATION ON THE CORNER.

A HUNDRED YARDS NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION AT AVE. S IS ONE OF THE OLDEST GROUP OF BUILDINGS STILL STANDING IN PALMDALE. THE PROPERTY IS ABONDONED AND THE WINDOWS ARE BROKEN. THE LAST TENET WAS OBVIOUSLY A CHURCH THAT LEFT THE BANNER INDICATING WHERE THE NEW LOCATION CAN BE FOUND.

THE TREES ARE LIKELY SOME OF THE OLDEST IN TOWN

THE STRUCTURE SEEMS TO HAVE ORIGINALLY SERVED AS A RANCH

THE HOUSE AND OUTBUILDINGS SEEM TO BE CONSTRUCTED OF ADOBE, A DANGEROUS BUILDING MATERIAL SO CLOSE TO THE SAN ANDREAS

THE TREES AND GROUND COVER ARE THRIVING UNDER THE EL NINO QUANITY OF RAIN

IT IS LIKELY TOO EXPENSIVE TO REMOVE THE STRUCTURE AND THE VALUE OF THE LAND IS QUESTIONABLE JUST A MILE FROM THE RIFT ZONE

THE ABONDONED HOUSE IS PICTURESQUE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE NEW HOUSING TRACTS

SURPRISINGLY NEXT DOOR IS THE VALLEY PRESS BUILDING, LIKELY BEEN AT THIS LOCATION LONG BEFORE THE FAULT WAS UNDERSTOOD AS A DANGER

OBVIOUSLY THE FACILITY HAS BEEN REMODELED SINCE ITS ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION

THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD CROSSES SIERRA HIGHWAY ON THE OVERPASS BUILT IN THE 1960's, THIS SECTION OF SIERRA HIGHWAY IS NOW LITTLE USED

THE RAILROAD CROSSES SIERRA HIGHWAY AGAIN A MILE NORTH AT SURFACE LEVEL, BLOCKING TRAFFIC FOR UP TO TWENTY MINUTES

MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS LATER THIS CONCRETE UNDERPASS WAITS FOR AN INFREQUENT AUTO

THE ANTELOPE VALLEY FREEWAY HAS LONG SINCE MADE SIERRA HIGHWAY OBSOLETE
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