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Deserts are often considered to be synonymous with desolation. They are seen as barren tracts of sand dunes to travers in flowing white robes astride a camel or stallion in Lawrence of Arabia style. Yet, deserts are incredibly diverse ecosystems and the Mojave spans a wide range of territory including parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona. Along with sand dunes and hot springs, the Mojave is home to a brilliant array of wildflowers.
Cerro Gordo is not easy to reach. If anything, traveling there was a good reminder of the compromises we make with our living situation and the potential shift in mobility that comes with any change. The route to Cerro Gordo is 7 miles of rough road snaking sharply to the summit of Cerro Gordo Peak. Woe betide any unwitting driver that comes across a car in the opposite direction because most stretches of the road are a single lane with a mountain wall to one side and a cliff at the other. It is a route we never would have attempted with Dodgy I or even if Dodgy II had a top heavy camper. It is Dodgy II's light truck bed shell and 4 wheel drive that makes the road feasible.
I can tell you that we experienced 120°F, but I don't think a numeric measurement could convey what such heat does to a human body. Each step away from a cool air conditioned car winnows away energy, drive, optimism, and curiosity. The cool car becomes a recharging station, where one regains the will and ability to strive. The car is where a cool head can set priorities: how far I can safely travel and what pictures will I take. And when one comes to a point where cool air is no longer forthcoming, how willingly one will just give up.
Flanked by the Saratoga Hills, Paramount Ranch is part of an ongoing history of filmmaking. The ranch includes a full western set with the requisite general store, saloon, and sheriff's office. Yet, the location has been used in leu of San Francisco, Salem, the Pacific Islands, the Amazon, Kenya, Vietnam, Morocco, Israel, and more. Parts of The Cisco Kid, American Sniper, Planet of the Apes, and even The Flintstones were shot here.