Their Story
On the Road to Warner Lakes Basin
The Modoc area is remote, primitive, and has a stark beauty. Here are just a few of the sights I encountered along the way.
As you turn off the highway onto the forest service road, this guy (pictured above) serves as the official welcoming committee.
A few mining operations dot the terrain. This one warns of "blasting on top"... surprised that shack still stands.
As you come over the crest, the landscape opens up wide and in the early fall you'll see this hillside burning with color.
The high meadow is dense with grass and sage, so locating this extremely small creek can be tricky. Look for edges of the darker exposed bank (as seen in the upper third of the above photo).
The aspens blanket the surrounding slopes. With the cooler weather, their leaves turn a bright yellow.
As the above picture illustrates the habitat for the Warner Lakes redband doesn't look like much. If you are fortunate to make the journey here, keep a low profile - both in terms of your stance and your impact to the fragile creek these guys call home.