SENIORS TRAVEL TO ALABAMA HILLS, CALIFORNIA



Seniors Find a Most Photographed Area

AlabamaHills One would think right away ALABAMA…well, it has to be in the South. Wrong.  Senior travelers will find Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California.

This “range of hills” and rock formations are located near the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine.

This is one of the most photographed areas in California, the panoramas are breathtaking. If you love landscape photography, there are a few places in America you simply must photograph, and the Alabama Hills is one of them.

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The Alabama Hills is a several-mile-wide patch of rocks and eroding hills, at the foot of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states.

The Alabama Hills has been a popular filming location for television and movie productions for some time, especially Westerns.

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Since the early 1920s, 150 movies have been filmed in the Alabama Hills, including old favorites like Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, the Gene Autry Show and the Lone Ranger.

On May 24, 1969, the Bureau of Land Management dedicated nearly 30,000 acres of public land as the Alabama Hills Recreation Area. Management plans are being considered that will eventually include a scenic trail system that people may walk and enjoy this geologic phenomena at a leisurely pace.

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Seniors Learn How It Got Its Name

The unusual name Alabama Hills came about during the Civil War. In 1864 Southern sympathizers in Lone Pine discovered gold “in them thar hills.”

When they heard that a Confederate cruiser named the Alabama had burned, sunk or captured more than 60 Federal ships in less than two years they named their mining claims after the cruiser to celebrate. Before long the name applied to the whole area.

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A favorite subject of photographers and filmmakers, the Alabama Hills Natural Arch, also known as Mobius Arch, can be found off Movie Road in Lone Pine.

A neat contrast to the towering escarpment of the eastern Sierra Nevada, the massive boulders scattered throughout the Alabama Hills have been chiseled away leaving impressive holes through the center forming perfect archways.

“The Alabama Hills is a favorite spot for hiking, picnicking, landscape photography and the Movie Road Tour. Whether visitors come here for the Sierra views, identifying native plant life or photography, this area offers a variety of activities.”

Hot, Cold, Water And Wind

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While the rocks of Alabama Hills are identical in composition to the 14,000 foot peaks looming above, the difference in appearance is the result of the weathering processes.

Up high, the freezing, expanding and thawing of rainwater and melting snow has caused the more chiseled splintering of the granite seen at Mount Whitney.

Down in the warmer Owens Valley, the Alabamas took shape when the climate became drier, and erosion slowly stripped away the soil mantle, exposing and shaping the piles of boulders. Water and wind continue to shape the landscape and rocks to this day.

So head west, drop by Lone Pine and take in and enjoy ‘them thar Hills’.  jeb

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