The Slow Shutter

Pointing To Jupiter

I had been trying to get to Patriarch Grove, at the end of a 12-mile dirt road way up in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, for several years. Every year, something would happen. Trees would topple. Too much snow. Lightning storm. On this day, I thought my efforts would again be scuttled. A large big rig had overturned in Highway 168. A motorist told me to turn back. I kept going. I pulled up to the accident. A policeman waved me through. Whewww! That was that! The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is located in the White Mountains by Owens Valley. At over 10,500 ft (3200m) in elevation, the sky is clearer, the stars more visceral, and my smile much larger. The bristlecone pines are some of the oldest living things on the planet, some growing before Buddha or George Burns walked the earth. This time, I did not use the ProtoMachines to light anything, letting the universe do the lighting for the rest.