Driving along Interstate 10 in southeastern California, the desert may appear to some to be just sand and tumble weeds. The desert environment, however, provides a wonderful opportunity for viewing wildlife, wildflowers, and magnificant rock formations in the mountain areas.
The naturalist, Edmund C. Jaeger, in writing about the California deserts, observed:
"There is only one way really to see the desert, and that is away from the highways. The desert is largely a land of silence, but if you listen you can hear it."
I would add: if you look, you can see it.
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The area we've explored on several trips is in the north-eastern portion of the Orocopia Mountains, south of Hayfield, and nicknamed the Weeping Eye.
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Closeup view of the Weeping Eye Rock
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Weeping Eye Rock
Oil painting by Jack Harris, naturalist in Riverside
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