Teakettle Junction
There's a story behind this photo. Well, not exactly the photo, but the fact that it's a small size. Some years ago, I did something stupid and opened a zip file from someone (I was expecting the attached file). Inside that file was a copy of the Zepto ransomware virus. Before I could react, the virus made its way through my two internal hard drive and a NAS drive and encrypted hundreds photos and files. Among other things, it got to my Death Valley photos for the years of 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2009.
Nothing was recoverable unless I paid the ransom. At the time, it amounted to over $600USD (paid in bitcoin). I refused. Consequently, I have only this one photo from my 2006 DV trip and it was downloaded from Flickr. Other years I have more photos, but none of the originals and all of those are small size files. This is the reason I now upload full resolution photos to Flickr - as a backup of sorts. I don't upload all my photos here.
Anyway, back to the photo. This is the old sign at Teakettle Junction Traditionally, people leave a kettle on the sign when they stop. No one knows why, when, or how this all started. It's been going on for decades. I'm sure the park Rangers love coming out and periodocally cleaning up the sign. In case you are wondering - and it was asked of me before - no, the Rangers do not save the kettles. They simple throw them away.
Teakettle Junction
Death Valley National Park
We are revisiting my trips to Death Valley, starting in 2003, and posting one photo a day from each trip, in antipication of my upcoming trip next month.
Teakettle Junction
There's a story behind this photo. Well, not exactly the photo, but the fact that it's a small size. Some years ago, I did something stupid and opened a zip file from someone (I was expecting the attached file). Inside that file was a copy of the Zepto ransomware virus. Before I could react, the virus made its way through my two internal hard drive and a NAS drive and encrypted hundreds photos and files. Among other things, it got to my Death Valley photos for the years of 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2009.
Nothing was recoverable unless I paid the ransom. At the time, it amounted to over $600USD (paid in bitcoin). I refused. Consequently, I have only this one photo from my 2006 DV trip and it was downloaded from Flickr. Other years I have more photos, but none of the originals and all of those are small size files. This is the reason I now upload full resolution photos to Flickr - as a backup of sorts. I don't upload all my photos here.
Anyway, back to the photo. This is the old sign at Teakettle Junction Traditionally, people leave a kettle on the sign when they stop. No one knows why, when, or how this all started. It's been going on for decades. I'm sure the park Rangers love coming out and periodocally cleaning up the sign. In case you are wondering - and it was asked of me before - no, the Rangers do not save the kettles. They simple throw them away.
Teakettle Junction
Death Valley National Park
We are revisiting my trips to Death Valley, starting in 2003, and posting one photo a day from each trip, in antipication of my upcoming trip next month.