Trona Pinnacles were a fascinating discovery as we wandered Southern California desert regions and provided us with a magical overnight boon-docking spot. Several miles off the highway along a dirt packed road, we stumbled on this strange world rising from the flat desert floor. Since we arrived on a Sunday afternoon, by suppertime we were the only campers left.
In an utterly silent world, we revelled in a magical sunset followed by a jam-packed brilliantly starlit sky. With precision planning we had moved our rig to be in the perfect position to catch the sunrise and settled down to sleep.
Abruptly, just before 5 am, we were startled awake by a low rumbling which rapidly grew louder and louder! A peak under the drapes revealed our future sunrise sky alive with brilliant flashing lights rising high above the peaks.
Nearer and nearer they came as thoughts of UFO’s flew through sleep befuddled brains! Finally, when it seemed we were destined to meet our first Aliens, the first of a long line of trucks rounded the long line of Pinnacles and proceeded to park right alongside our van!
We were not the only ones wanting to catch the sunrise! A film crew had arrived to entertain us!
Note:
Over thirty film projects a year are shot among the Tufa Pinnacles, including backdrops for car commercials and sci-fi movies and television series such as Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Disney’s Dinosaur, The Gate II: Trespassers, Lost in Space, and Planet of the Apes.
Nearest city: Trona, California
Location: California, United States
Trona Pinnacles – Wikipedia