Trip to Ridgecrest
2026-04-11
At the end of March 2026, we went to Ridgecrest, to visit nearby Trona Pinnacles, Alabama Hills, and other attractions. We went with our friend, my cousin in law, and their dog Emily.
FIGURE 1 Some kinda dried desert plant thing.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/4.0
- Shutter
- 1/1400 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
1 2026-03-26: Drive to Ridgecrest
We ate lunch at Harris BBQ while supercharging our car.
FIGURE 2 A cat at Harris BBQ, where we ate lunch.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF110mmF2 R LM WR
- Aperture
- f/2.0
- Shutter
- 1/170 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 3 Inyokern Station, a gas station, but I stopped there because there were Tesla superchargers next to it.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF110mmF2 R LM WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/640 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
For dinner, we wanted to dine at the restaurant called Mon Reve, but it was booked out for two weeks. So we randomly picked another restaurant, Saigon Flavor.
FIGURE 4 Emily.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/2.8
- Shutter
- 1/180 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 5 Pho.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/1.7
- Shutter
- 1/42 s
- ISO
- ISO 1000
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
2 2026-03-27: Trona Pinnacles
We went to Trona Pinnacles!
First we had breakfast at McDonalds. Then we bought takeout sandwiches at some strange online-only restaurant mysteriously embedded within Denny’s.
FIGURE 6 Tesla Model S.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/8.0
- Shutter
- 1/500 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 7 Tesla Model S.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/850 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 8 Tesla Model S.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/8.0
- Shutter
- 1/340 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 9 A sticker-encrusted stop sign at a railroad crossing.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/2.8
- Shutter
- 1/2900 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 10 I like trains.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/1000 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 11 Car.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/850 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 12 Car.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/900 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- darktable 5.3.0+959~gf86f0af591
- Date
Download
FIGURE 13 The pinnacles!!!
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/850 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- darktable 5.3.0+959~gf86f0af591
- Date
Download
FIGURE 14 Some pointy rocks.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/1000 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- darktable 5.3.0+959~gf86f0af591
- Date
Download
2.1 Ballarat Ghost Town
We went to check out a ghost town.
FIGURE 15 Model S near a dried up lake.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/1100 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- darktable 5.3.0+959~gf86f0af591
- Date
Download
FIGURE 16 Ballarat Trading Post.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/600 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
There was a really friendly and extremely skinny dude in the gift shop, who told us about the history of the place. He also told us about how he goes to Trona and buys bottled water as it is the only source of hydration (no potable water in the ghost town), but he would yank out the dollar bills from the vending machine to avoid having to pay money. His family are still gold miners. I guess gold mining is not super profitable today.
The trading post was in fact built in the 1980s, long after the town was abandoned, by some guy who built it all by hand apparently.
FIGURE 17 A Vocho abandoned in the desert.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/8.0
- Shutter
- 1/220 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 18 It was very hot, exceeding 313 K.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/4.0
- Shutter
- 1/52 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 19 Abandoned honky tonk.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/4.0
- Shutter
- 1/56 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
2.2 Dinner
For dinner, we went to Tokyo House, because they are okay with dogs. It’s just typical small-town American-Japanese cuisine with rolls and “hibachi”.
FIGURE 20 Tokyo House.
EXIF data
- Camera
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Lens
- iPhone 14 Pro Max back triple camera 6.86mm f/1.78
- Aperture
- f/1.8
- Shutter
- 1/40 s
- ISO
- ISO 1000
- Software
- 26.4
- Date
Download
2.3 Trona Pinnacles again but at midnight
We went to Trona Pinnacles again at 3 am to see the stars!
FIGURE 21 Disco doge Emily
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FIGURE 22 Trona Pinnacles
EXIF data
- Software
- darktable 5.3.0+959~gf86f0af591
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3 2026-03-28: Alabama Hills
For breakfast we had extreme American diner food at Kristy’s Family restaurant. This was probably the tastiest meal of the trip, and an extreme calorie bomb.
FIGURE 23 Breakfast.
EXIF data
- Camera
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Lens
- iPhone 14 Pro Max back triple camera 6.86mm f/1.78
- Aperture
- f/1.8
- Shutter
- 1/60 s
- ISO
- ISO 160
- Software
- 26.4
- Date
Download
Then we headed north to Alabama Hills!
FIGURE 24 A painted face on some rocks.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF20-35mmF4 R WR
- Aperture
- f/8.0
- Shutter
- 1/400 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 25 An arch.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF20-35mmF4 R WR
- Aperture
- f/8.0
- Shutter
- 1/170 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 26 Some round rocks.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF20-35mmF4 R WR
- Aperture
- f/8.0
- Shutter
- 1/420 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- Digital Camera GFX100S Ver2.13
- Date
Download
FIGURE 27 The same view as Tony Stark’s Jericho Missiles.
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF55mmF1.7 R WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/680 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- darktable 5.5.0+967~g46d32311e8
- Date
Download
Then I went to charge the Tesla again and found a Vocho.
FIGURE 28 Vocho
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF110mmF2 R LM WR
- Aperture
- f/2.0
- Shutter
- 1/1800 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- darktable 5.3.0+959~gf86f0af591
- Date
Download
FIGURE 29 Tesla Superchargers
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF110mmF2 R LM WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/300 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- darktable 5.3.0+959~gf86f0af591
- Date
Download
FIGURE 30 A house in Inyokern
EXIF data
- Camera
- FUJIFILM GFX100S
- Lens
- GF110mmF2 R LM WR
- Aperture
- f/5.6
- Shutter
- 1/320 s
- ISO
- ISO 100
- Software
- darktable 5.5.0+967~g46d32311e8
- Date
Download
For dinner, we went to Casa Corona, a Mexican restaurant.
FIGURE 31 Dinner
EXIF data
- Camera
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Lens
- iPhone 14 Pro Max back triple camera 6.86mm f/1.78
- Aperture
- f/1.8
- Shutter
- 1/60 s
- ISO
- ISO 250
- Software
- 26.4
- Date
Download
4 2026-03-29: Drive back
We had breakfast at Beanster’s Espresso. All the other customers were really hardcore Marines.
Then we drove back! We had In N Out for lunch.
FIGURE 32 Sleepy babby.
EXIF data
- Camera
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Lens
- iPhone 14 Pro Max back triple camera 6.86mm f/1.78
- Aperture
- f/1.8
- Shutter
- 1/121 s
- ISO
- ISO 80
- Software
- 26.4
- Date