Foreground illuminated by the setting moon. YAQUITEPEC...one family's attempt to live off the land In February 1932, while the country felt the grip of The Depression, Marshal and Tanya South came to this mountain to build their home and live off the land. They raised their children here, wrote magazine articles, grew vegetables, gathered native plants, and after 16 years decided to call it quits. Yaquitepec, or Ghost Mountain, still carries the reminders of South's homesteading adventure. The steep, mile long walk to the homesite will give you a breathtaking view of the land the South family called home. Look for signs of the ingenious water system with its cisterns and troughs. The adobe structure is quickly becoming a victim of the elements. Living off the land proved difficult. Supplies had to be brought by Model T from Julian and carried up on foot. Tanya South tired of her eccentric mate's life-style and the family split up, leaving Yaquitepec to the sun and the wind. The stories of the South family fade with time in the pages of old copies of Desert Magazine but the melting adobe and the garden terraces will remain atop Ghost Mountain for years to come. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park San Diego, California
"The native Kumeyaay of the area painted the Little Blair Valley pictographs hundreds of years ago. The pictographs are unusual for their well-executed yellow and red symbolic designs that include diamond chains and chevrons, typical of Luiseño rock art. The designs reflect the influence of this Indian group on the neighboring Kumeyaay that chose to use this style of rock art within their territory. As to their meaning, anthropologists are still conjecturing whether or not they served a specific purpose, such as part of a puberty ceremony or whether they simply reflect the inclinations of the artist. The pictographs are included in the 4757-acre Little Blair Valley Cultural Preserve that was created in December 2010. This pictograph site is the only one in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park that is openly advertised to the public." --San Diego Reader Shot with a Canon 6D and Sigma 15mm EX DG at my usual settings of 25 sec f/2.8 ISO 3200. Warmly illuminated via Nichia 219BT LED strategically positioned and diffused.
