PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: SNOWFALL AT MCCAIN VALLEY

July 19, 2012 (McCain Valley) – Tom Klimek of Lemon Grove shared these photos that he took of McCain Valley “as few have seen it,” blanketed in snow, isolated in its pristine beauty.

“On March 18, 2012 I drove to Laguna Mountain and then to McCain to enjoy the late winter storm that brought wind, rain, hail, and snow to the East County,” he wrote. “McCain Valley Road begins at about 3200 feet elevation and rises to 4500 feet near the end of the road. There were no tracks in the snow as me and my son drove all the way to Cottonwood camp.”

His son had been there ten years earlier, but never when the road was covered with snow. “Casey was a little apprehensive,” he recalls, but concludes, “It was an epic trip and day.”

These photos depict the area as it may never ben again; this valley has been slated to become the Tule Wind Farm, with over a hundred 50-story-high wind turbines that may soon dominate the landscape on this public recreation area on Bureau of Land Management property.