Gone to See America 2006 Driving Tour. Day 16: Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada.
Sometimes you just have to stop and take the picture. No idea where the guys with the hard hats went, but it is close to Area 51. The area is desolate. Just outside Rachel (population 54), Nevada there is an old mine site. Afterwards more desert. For those planning to attend the Area 51 stampede later this month bring plenty of water, otherwise you will end up dazed and confused — easy pickings for the aliens.
Extraterrestrial Highway Sign. Somewhere near Area 51 in Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 400, 62 mm, f/7.1, 1/180 sec). (David J Mathre)Extraterrestrial highway somewhere near Area 51 in Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 400, 27 mm, f/10, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre)Extraterrestrial highway somewhere near Area 51 in Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens (ISO 100, 38 mm, f/7.1, 1/180 sec). (David J Mathre)
Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery containing the individual images in the following slideshow.
Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)Dazed and confused after running out of water in the Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)Dazed and confused after running out of water in the Nevada desert somewhere near Area 51. Image taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-70 mm kit lens. (David J Mathre)
As the nights are getting cooler, it is getting near the end of the growing season for vegetables in my GrowTowers. Today I have taken pictures of all of the different types of peppers that I have grown this year. Some of the pepper leaves are turning yellow, so I probably should have added some fertilizer mid-summer. Other things that have done well in the GrowTowers are carrots and scallions (on the top), various lettuces, kale, and swiss chard. Early in the season I had some broccoli, and three cabbage. Later on the insects got the broccoli, and the cabbage got to be too big for the GrowTowers. I am still getting basil, but the dill were all eaten by Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars. I also planted three types of strawberries. Some of the plants are still producing fruit, and I have many strawberry runners that I need to cut and replant. I need to figure out how to protect the GrowTowers with the strawberry plants over the winter. I now have two air-puppet Scarecrows guarding the wildflower meadows. So far the deer are staying out (although they completely destroyed one rear sections with Sunflowers).
Individual images from all of the slideshows can be viewed in my PhotoShelter gallery here.
Late season strawberry. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens + 1.4x teleconverter. (DAVID J MATHRE)Late season strawberry flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens + 1.4x teleconverter. (DAVID J MATHRE)Doe and two fawns. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens + 1.4x teleconverter. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (39.3 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (37.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Clouds most of the day and cooler, so no need for the Geothermal HVAC. Overall a net deficit of 1.8 kWh.
The air-dancer kept the deer out of my kitchen garden wildflower meadow. I did however have an opossum visit my patio and Garden Towers. Unlike the raccoons, I am a little more tolerant of the opossums because they supposedly eat any ticks that attach themselves to the opossum. It has been eating leaves off my hot pepper plants (leaving the peppers). It has been a couple of weeks since I last mowed the lawn. Time-lapse video using a Garmin VIRB-360 camera. Video created using Photoshop CC (including the Little Planet view).
Daily Electric Energy Used (51.9 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (28.6 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Clouds most of the day. Ran a batch of laundry (3.9 kWh) and had to run the Geothermal HVAC system on to cool the house (11.7 kWh). Overall a net deficit of 23.3 kWh.
To keep the deer out of the wildflower garden next to the house, I have added a 10 foot tall Air Puppet. I have it set to run for 1 minute every 15 minutes all night. Unfortunately, I turned it off too early in the morning, and then didn’t turn it on again until too late in the afternoon. The two videos from my security cameras show the fawns feasting on the wildflowers inside the electric fence.
Daily Electric Energy Used (51.2 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (56.1 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Clouds in the morning but more sun in the afternoon. I had to turn the Geothermal HVAC system on to cool the house. Overall a net surplus of 4.9 kWh.
The deer are getting bolder and getting closer to the house. Here a doe is just outside my patio. The buck with a rack of antlers is next to the back wildflower meadow. I am guessing he got his antlers caught in the electric fence and panicked destroying a section of the electric fence. These images were all taken through a window impacting sharpness.
Daily Electric Energy Used (40.5 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (38.7 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy much of the day. Starting to warm up outside. Overall a net deficit of 1.8 kWh.
