Trip Report
Appetite for Desolation Tour - Owens Dry Lake Art and More.
Sunday May 1, 2016 10:39am
Appetite for Desolation Tour - Owens Dry Lake Art and More.
Part 1: The search for "The Pavilion" by Maidy and Mr.E

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New art installation on the Owens Dry Lake Bed
New art installation on the Owens Dry Lake Bed
Credit: justthemaid
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The husband is on injured reserve this week. As a diversion, we decided to do some 'splorin' and started by venturing out to find the new $4.6 MILLION dollar art installation the DWP just completed on the Owens dry lake bed.

LA Time article:
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-adv-owens-art-controversy-20160426-story.html

Original ST Thread:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2804588/New-Owens-Lake-Art-LA-Times-Article

The thing doesn't really have a name other than “The Pavilion”??? as far as I can tell. Google the only two articles on the place and you get descriptions of how fabulous it is and how talented the artist is... uh... but no directions on how to find it.

Rwedgee provided the a nugget of information stating: "
The easiest way to get in is off 395 at Lubkin Canyon,at Boulder Creek RV park and go East then south just after the pumping station. Or from 136 take the dirt road a few miles north of Keeler."
so off we went- confident that a giant stone structure on a flat lake bed wouldn't be that hard to find. We were wrong of course.

We headed to the turn-off at Boulder Creek Campground (south of Lone Pine), and as we turned off, there was a sign that said “something” at 3.5 miles, so we gunned it down the dirt road. Multiple dust plumes in the distance were “obviously” a parade of vehicles from the 395 to gawk at the newest Eastside Wonder. ;)

Actually, it was just the massive sand-storm of a belligerent 40-50 MPH wind from the north. In typical male fashion, Erik totally blew by the fancy kiosk that would later prove to hold pertinent information.

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Info Kiosk.  Not to be ignored evidently.
Info Kiosk. Not to be ignored evidently.
Credit: justthemaid
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We turned right down an obvious road where it looked like some structures/pumping station? were off in the distance. We ended up at this:

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Here thar be art.
Here thar be art.
Credit: justthemaid
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OK- this was obviously “art” and there were “trails”... but it was not the pavilion. A circuitous raised walkway takes you out to a decorative interpretive display. Amazingly, we are the only ones here on a Saturday! Such luck! Did I mention it was really f*#king windy?? The winds were so strong it practically ripped the car door off and we were hard pressed to complete the trek out to the sign when we were physically being blown into the ditch next to the trail.

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Credit: justthemaid
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Interpretive display on the trail.
Interpretive display on the trail.
Credit: justthemaid
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Leaning against the 50MPH winds
Leaning against the 50MPH winds
Credit: justthemaid
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Pondering the mysteries of the universe. “Why do we have to wander random paths in the howling wind in the middle of nowhere to see rusty steel structures and random rocks and paths?

What does it all mean?”

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Credit: justthemaid
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So we decided to keep going- It must be further down the road... right???...as we convince ourselves that some mirage out in the distance is the final destination.

So began the 40 minutes of random wandering the maze of elevated roads that crisscross the Gulag that is the central dry lake bed. Experiencing the following:

1. Amazing bird habitats

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Skert em.
Skert em.
Credit: justthemaid
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2. Weird flesh-eating foam - did we mention it was windy?

[Click to View YouTube Video]

3. Putrid pits that smelled like a combination of sulpher and raw sewage. The WORST thing we've smelled in years, BTW.

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Credit: justthemaid
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4. The mysterious world of DWP underground piping

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Credit: justthemaid
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5. Endless, circuitous elevated roads that mock you with weird random signs.

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Credit: justthemaid
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6. Hundreds of acres with a blanket of 1” X 1” sifted gravel laid over it adjacent to the 395 Highway - where one would think the $4MIL installation should be, right? Or maybe it IS part of the $4MIL installation? Baffling.

We don't know – but what we do know is this: we are just tired of being lost dumb-asses wandering the lake bed aimlessly and getting hammered by the wind.

At this point I'm like.. “maybe we should go back and read that kiosk.” Begrudgingly, we admit defeat and backtrack to the kiosk.

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Credit: justthemaid
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And... there's a map of course...

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Credit: justthemaid
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Turns out the Pavilion is completely on the other side of the lake bed- FAR from our imaginary location. The kiosk isn't even that clear- but we get that we are on the wrong side of the lake. It's so far east it almost isn't in the lake bed. There are supposed to be “arrows” giving directions. Erik: "So they ...put the fukking thing out in the middle of nowhere on the other side of the vast expanse, where your typical North-to-South traveler will NEVER see it." I guess they are relying on the Death Valley tourists and nudist hippies to take notice while they are toddling down the 136? Even though there in ZERO signage...oh, wait - maybe it's for the locals only?

Back out we go- heading east. We're in deep now- gotta find this damn thing.

On the way there are some additional “trails” they obviously dumped some of the budget into.

Short trail to nowhere:

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50' paved and landscaped path to nowhere on the side of the road. We c...
50' paved and landscaped path to nowhere on the side of the road. We call them "display trails".
Credit: justthemaid
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A side road takes you to the Long Trail to Nowhere: There's a beautiful trash can! And the parking is expansive!

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"Trailhead" ???  To what??? And another paved & landscaped 50' "displa...
"Trailhead" ??? To what??? And another paved & landscaped 50' "display trail".
Credit: justthemaid
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Arrow to the LTTN (Long Trail to Nowhere) with sprinklers– it was too windy to get out of the car so we didn't walk it.

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Credit: justthemaid
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Exit sign: Just in case you were contemplating getting lost in a field of sprinklers.

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Just in case you thought you might get lost...
Just in case you thought you might get lost...
Credit: justthemaid
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Finally we see something out in the distance:

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soundbite: "angels singing "
soundbite: "angels singing "
Credit: justthemaid
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A left at the random interp pylon and a duplicate kiosk near the 136. Finally, we can see our objective in our sites.

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East end interp pylon.
East end interp pylon.
Credit: justthemaid
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The Pavilion at last

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Credit: justthemaid
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Credit: justthemaid
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Credit: justthemaid
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Markers in the concrete denoting prominent mountains
Markers in the concrete denoting prominent mountains
Credit: justthemaid
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FA of The Pavillion
FA of The Pavillion
Credit: justthemaid
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Dozen or so artificial hills build around the structure.
Dozen or so artificial hills build around the structure.
Credit: justthemaid
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In conclusion:

All in all- we think it's a pretty cool installation. We like crazy art,
BUT- the location totally sucks and there was too much money spent on random orbitals. There's zero signage on any Hwy advertising it's existence. If you spend over $4+MIL, don't you want people to go look at it? The dry lake bed will never be a “destination” no matter how much cool stuff you put out there.

I sort of agree with the posts in the original thread: Rwedgee's comment about the stark weird beauty holding it's own and an additional comment by Reilly about the money being better spent on habitat restoration rather than PR, but you can't fault the DWP for trying. It's there to stay for anyone interested.

Directions/Info: If you plan on a visit and don't want to make the side trip to the central lake installation -it's actually easiest to access it from HWY 136. Go east 10.2 miles on 136 from the Lone Pine Visitor's Center then south down the dirt road and you can see the kiosk and the Pavilion from the road. The only restrooms (port-a-johns) on the whole lake bed are located at the Pavilion FYI.

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Credit: justthemaid
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This was not the end of the adventure BTW- (A shorter) Part 2 to come.

PS: As a random comment... This MUST be one of the worst DWP posts – the newbies get thrown out there to see if they survive?

  Trip Report Views: 2,859
justthemaid
About the Author
justthemaid is a climber from Jim Henson's Basement.

Comments
pud

climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
  May 1, 2016 - 11:20am PT
I cannot legally ride my bike across this lake bed but they can get away with this?

In sixty years kids will be picking up tiny fragments of rusty tin at this site asking their parents "are these from the Indian times?"

Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  May 1, 2016 - 04:18pm PT
Thanks for sharing maidy
I hope E heals up quickly!
BLUEBLOCR

Social climber
joshua tree
  May 1, 2016 - 05:18pm PT

Arrow to the LTTN (Long Trail to Nowhere) with sprinklers– it was too windy to get out of the car so we didn't walk it.

so if the road didn't end you prolly would've just kept driving where ever, right? maybe that's it's purpose, and a good lookin one i'll say! and that's NOT an FA, the FA actually pulls the roof;)
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
  May 1, 2016 - 05:28pm PT
Wow, guys, epic indeed. On our next injured/reserve stretch we'll motor out and pay homage. Thanks for the TR!

BAd
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
  May 1, 2016 - 05:33pm PT
LOL! Thanks for the funny write up of your adventure. That wind on the video looked amazing.

I'm not sure it looks like art worth making a trip for. The structure doesn't seem to relate to the environment in any way. Andy Goldsworthy would have done something brilliant out there.
Seems like a wasted opportunity at that budget.
pud

climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
  May 1, 2016 - 05:42pm PT

Anyone else see the irony here?
fear

Ice climber
hartford, ct
  May 1, 2016 - 05:49pm PT
Seems like someone found the perfect way to launder 4 million dollars.
MisterE

Gym climber
Small Town with a Big Back Yard
  May 1, 2016 - 09:48pm PT
Anyone else see the irony here?

The bird-spikes above the representation of the bird flying free?

Yeah, we got that.

Bird spikes be all like:

"Keep flying, Pal - the the pond is that-a-way..."

Edit: vvv Cracking up, Locker - thanks for the laughs.
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, Bozeman, the ocean, or ?
  May 1, 2016 - 06:55pm PT
Absolutely wonderful tr. I want to go there.
Something so moving about the starkness and the art work that seems to fit.

Thanks Skip and Mr E

Susan

rincon

climber
Coarsegold
  May 1, 2016 - 07:50pm PT
It'd be cool if it was right next to 395 with signs and a turn-off. But out there nobody will see it. Locals only braj!!
Bad Climber

Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
  May 1, 2016 - 08:00pm PT
I'm sorry, Mister E, but that damn Locker's got me losin' right now.

Jeee Zuuuz Christos.

BAd
pud

climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
  May 1, 2016 - 08:07pm PT
The bird-spikes above the representation of the bird flying free?

Yeah, we got that.

Bird spikes be all like:

"Keep flying, Pal - the the pond is that-a-way..."

Yep,
seems like a nice place to wonder with your sweetheart though..
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
  May 2, 2016 - 05:44am PT
Austerity is a stern task maker....
Fish Finder

climber
  May 2, 2016 - 09:01am PT
breathing that salt air will make you sick
Hope you guys aren't affected
That is what I would call backyard art
Thanks for the report
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Author's Reply  May 2, 2016 - 11:50am PT
I cant stop laughing at that picture Locker.

I had no idea I was married to one of those ass-blasters fromTremors 3 :)
MisterE

Gym climber
Small Town with a Big Back Yard
  May 13, 2016 - 10:02pm PT
Not very nice.

;)
Sierra Ledge Rat

Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
  May 14, 2016 - 04:17am PT
love it
Ed H

Trad climber
Santa Rosa, CA
  May 16, 2016 - 03:41pm PT
cool report - thanks for posting!
MH2

Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
  May 16, 2016 - 07:56pm PT
Is DWP a comedy collective?

An outstanding tribute if so and if not I am very scared.
Mtnmun

Trad climber
Top of the Mountain Mun
  May 16, 2016 - 09:05pm PT
Flaming good TR!
Powder

Trad climber
the Box
  May 20, 2016 - 08:37am PT
Thanks for sharing!!! *^_^* Love it!

Had fun readig it and couldn't help but laughing a few times. : D

4.6 millions... Wow.. @_@

brotherbbock

climber
So-Cal
  May 20, 2016 - 09:06am PT
Pretty cool.

You inspired me to check it out at least next time I am nearby.
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