Death Valley camping/photo trip

Back in October (told you I was back-blogged) P and I went for the 2nd time (see previous blogs here) to Death Valley National Park. (and here and here.)

We love this place. There are canyons, dried up huge sea of salt, ghost towns, sand dunes, Europeans running around sun burnt (Elsa is a euro=phile) and a quaint cafe and gift shop in the middle of it all (to escape the midday heat with a good lunch or cold ice cream is welcomed).

But our favorite spot here is the Racetrack Playa. A photographer's dream - this huge, desolate flat area (the Playa) where almost magical rocks inexplicably slide across the dried surface so slowly that you can't see it happening - all the while leaving an inch-or-so deep trail and indentation... is just amazing!

Getting there is a challenge. It takes us almost another 2 hours once you turn off the paved main road in the Park. We have 4 wheel drive in P's car but still we have to be careful - to get a flat tire out there or to overheat could be a life and death situation - no cell phone coverage, hardly any other passing traffic to help you out, the intense heat during the day and cold at night plus if one did not bring enough water - there is no way we could walk back all the way to the main road.

So I always have huge respect for Mother Nature out there - it's worth the drive - - not many make it our there that far - just the hardcore campers and photographers.

Sadly, this year there weren't as many rocks out - - people disgracefully steal them. So we had to really hunt and walk far to get our pictures.

A great time - I love my road trips with my husband and feel so blessed that we have this in common.... as I tell him, "I would get in a car with our cameras and hiking boots and go ANYWHERE in nature" with him.

click on slide show below!

Death Valley 2009

Sunset Drama

Earlier this month I had driven out to the desert to 'get away' 2 weekends in a row. I have been working so much, even Saturdays - - that to get away after work even though for only about 24 hours - was so good for me.

I actually love long drives out in Nature - the first weekend I saw the amazing desert valley sunsets and revelled in it. It is my favorite time of day - going back to as a kid riding my Arabian horse and staying out as long as possible before having to return home at dark. I love that magical transition from day to night. Always have, always will.

The following weekend I did not fail to bring my camera. Sitting on the passenger seat next to me on the way home I pulled over to shoot and then simply breathe in the sky.

I followed the lowering sunset as long as possible in my car that Sunday...eventually losing my race with it as it disappeared quietly behind the mountain range.... Beautiful. Alone and basking in that kind of glory of Mother's Nature utterly feeds my soul...

click on slideshow below -

Desert Valley Sunsets

Golden walls to Bad Waters - Death Valley

 

After a brief, welcome lunch stop at an air conditioned cafe (the ONLY cafe - I should say) in the National Park, we then drove to the Golden Canyon with beautiful walls of varying yellows and golds. There was also a large natural bridge. By this time it was quite hot, upper 90s - - all the walking on trails we were doing was even starting to wear on me and I love desert dry heat.

 

Death Valley is the hottest and lowest place in the Unites States. Since it is surrounded by such large mountains (at almost 12,000 feet and get all the snow and rain), no water gets to the 182-mile valley making it so hot and dry.
 
Our next stop after the Canyon was the Badwaters Basin. The interesting part here was that it lies 282 feet below sea level. That means I've traveled with my P from 282 below sea level (the lowest point in North America) to one of the highest points in South America (14000 feet above sea level in Peru). Just a quick fun fact - he he he!

In any case, the Badwaters Basin is basically an almost dried-up large salt-water reservoir. The reason for its name was that at one point a tired, thirsty miner led his mule there when they saw water. The mule refused to drink, sensing the salt and bad quality to it. The miner, disappointed and still thirsty, named it right then and there, "Bad Water". It was interesting to crunch around on the white salt crystals under our feet. But, boy, was it really hot by now.

I was amazed at how many foreigners we had seen throughout our different trails. I guess since there is no desert in Europe a lot of French and also Japanese were around. And wearing the wrong shoes and clothing I might add. I mean - these were not easy, fun trails to saunter - it was really hot, really dry, almost no shade and it was dusty, rocky or sandy. With that our day was slowing down as we continued hiking about and seeing the different ecological sights of Death Valley.
Click on Slideshow below!

Death Valley 2008- Golden Canyon and Badwater Basin

From Aliens to Craters - "Beam me up, Scotty"

 

Editor's Note - It's a strange headline - but it makes perfect sense if you follow my previous blogs on Death Valley... he he he
After our impromptu photoshoot at Racetrack Playa, P and I packed up and set off around 8:30am back on the dusty, slow dirt road back towards the one main (and paved) road that cuts across the entire Death Valley from one park entrance to the next (a 1.5-2 hour drive in itself). It was growing quite hot already and the road was incredibly dusty - since we had driven down at sunset the previous day we didn't realize how painstakingly slow and hot it was during the day. P's windshield actually developed a large crack from the shuddering and vibrations of the car going s-l-o-w-l-y over the dirt, bumpy road. (Shoot - Good thing we had a great night alone with the stars and good pictures for P to make the damage worth it).

Park Rangers warn people that cars can overheat on that road and you need extra tires if they should go flat. Well, we did run into the abandoned army jeep of the weird guy alone in fatigues that we had passed the night before. Evidently, on his return his car didn't make it and he tried to start walking back all the way (about 30 miles) towards the paved road - - incidentally, this is exactly what they tell you NOT to do. They tell you to stay with your car and with water and food, hopefully, and eventually in the next day or so someone will be making the off-road drive to the Playa and can pick you up. We never saw him on the road back so either he got picked up or the cannibalistic "These Hills Have Eyes" people or aliens came down and ate him!!! (Insert the cascading musical sound effect here: Duh-duh-DUHHH!!!!)

As we almost reached our glorious, paved road we sidetracked shortly to the top of the Ubehebe crater to check out the view. (By the way: I LOVED repeating over and over the name "Ew-buh-hay-bee - so much fun - try it!) The crater was from a volcanic eruption that left a several-mile radius of black, dry lava on either side of the unpaved dirt road. I hadn't seen any lava fields except for in Maui a couple years back so this was pretty cool to look at.
After the crater we got back on the real road and wound ourselves up a hillside to a natural oasis (I have always loved that word, too) with probably an acre of lush grass, believe or not, growing amidst some tall palm trees and other man-planted trees. Next to that was the tourist destination of "Scotty's Castle".

 

Death Valley Scotty told everyone that he built this castle in the hidden canyons of Death Valley. But that was not quite the truth. Albert Mussey Johnson, Chicago millionaire businessman, built his "Death Valley Ranch" in the cool of Grapevine Canyon and he let his cowboy mining partner, Scotty, live there as a guest. Ahhhh, it's a bit more than a white lie, Scotty, okaayy?? Scotty's Castle is a fantasy house. We didn't pay to take the guided tour, but one can still freely walk the grounds and take pictures and see the now empty huge swimming pool that rivals the Hearst Castle one we saw last summer. We also went up to the stables which have now been turned into a 'garage' of sorts of some of the old cars and wagons used during that time around the 1920s. Fantastic and interesting!

Click below for slide show!

Death Valley - Ubehebe Crater & Scotty's Castle

Death Valley - Racetrack Playa

Alas, I am blogging about our pleasure trip camping in Death Valley the weekend after Joshua Tree. Now, firstly, please let me warn: do NOT, I repeat - do NOT go camping in a place called Death Valley any later than April - for it was so hot even me with my fondness of hot desert climate - was feeling almost (not quite!) heat stroke.

So back to our adventure. Another Friday of hooky (it's nice to have someone whose travel priorities are almost as high as mine he he he) and we packed up the car again and set off.

It took us almost 7 hours to get to our first destination at sunset: Racetrack Playa. This was so great - - it is very private as it takes (once inside the National Park) over an hour on a very slow, bumpy dirt road to get there. One can only reach it by sports utility car with 4 wheel drive. With no campground, no toilets - - this separates the real campers from the tourists. Patrick and I love this kind of camping! Outside of 1 scary-looking chap in fatigues and army jeep by himself that we passed up a mile or so, we were completely alone. And when I say 'alone' - I mean pitch quiet, out-in-the-boondocks alone. Put it this way - we were so isolated that even I was slightly freaking myself out stating that if we were to break down or have a flat (a very real possibility) we might not see anyone else for days (they actually warn people of this who trek to Racetrack Playa). I also thought that this is exactly where those scary "U-Turn" movie cannibal people would live in the hills and come down and steal us in the night. (I'm not kidding, I actually had nightmares of it all night, thinking it was real).

Anyhow, we set up camp, P's new camping grill and chairs off the side of the dirt road and grilled delicious fajitas and margaritas before setting off on our moonlight trek about a mile into Racetrack Playa. P's camera equipment included several lens to take night shots and I went to stargaze. This was amazing, it was our own private Idaho, as they say. The big draw to this remote location is that the playa is a dry, cracked 'playa' of light-colored terrain with random rocks ranging from small to TV-set size that for some unknown reason slide s-l-o-w-l-y by themselves over hundreds of years and leave trails - as if they are racing each other! They move so slowly that their movements are undetectable by the human eye! It is so different, so strange and fantastic! Some people believe that aliens(!!) are responsible for the phenomenon. Shoot, if you saw this place you would be a Believer like me - it is so remote and different, I would have no doubt believing aliens land there and the government knows all about it but doesn't tell us he he he..

As P snapped away at rocks I laid back on a blanket and stared up at the stars. I am blind as a bat, but this was the best and clearest star-gazing - hands down- that I have ever experienced. I saw, quite clearly, the Big Dipper and Orion for the first time ever. It was just amazing that we had the place to ourselves! It was well-worth the long off road drive. We were both happy as cats as we retired to sleep in the back of P's Honda Element. Stay tuned for Day 2!


*photos courtesy of PatrickM Photography...

Joshua Tree 2008

 

You saw the video, now here's the blog. Last weekend we took Ciara to Joshua Tree National Park. It pretty much was Ciara's first time camping (outside of camping at the beach). We were all pretty excited about it. But not excited enough that somehow both Patrick and I slept through and didn't wake up to the phone alarm at 6am...

** editor's note - I still don't believe it was set, for I NEVER sleep through an alarm.

Thus, I was preparing myself that our leaving 2.5 hours late probably meant we wouldn't get a camping spot at Jumbo Rocks campground on a Friday. :(

Sure enough as we paid and drove through the Ranger Gate we were informed that all campgrounds were full already except one clear on the opposite entrance (30 miles of slow turns through the Park). With expectant breath we stopped at the campgrounds on the way as we made our way to the Cottonwood site. Luckily we found one in Jumbo Rocks after all - someone must have recently packed up. We were so excited!

Jumping out of the car Patrick and I started pitching the tent and unloading food while Ciara happily started running and climbing around on our campsite's backdrop of ...you guessed it: big rocks.

 

That afternoon we continued exploring the huge, slightly orangish boulders - climbing, scaling, slithering through small passages - that was definitely Ciara's favorite part of the trip. We then continued down a trail to see Skull Rock. It's amazing how much it resembled a skull! As we shot photos and Ciara climbed around, a very amiable family from London joined our spot and I knew the minute I heard the father's accent that P would mention he was from Ireland and that he also lived and worked in London for a year. The 2 ended up sitting together chatting about photography as they both had expensive cameras and the Brit commented that he was a professional photographer. Meanwhile, I chatted with the mom and her daughter who was about Ciara's age. Anyone who knows me knows I love foreigners, so I enjoyed myself plenty. The daughter was so sweet and bright. She commented to me, "I know I've only been here 3 days but I REALLY like America. The people are SO nice...!" Wow - God Bless her for saying that:)

 

As we returned to camp we all stopped short when we saw an older couple camping with not one but 2 Basset Hounds. We always lament that we can't take Fred-the-Basset camping or on our big hikes. He barks too much and also he just doesn't have the stamina. We ended up talking to the couple a good half hour while petting their hounds who - being the social breed they are- loved the attention. Then, unbelievably, came a Biker who ALSO had one and he came to let the dogs play together. Patrick and Ciara were going nuts - P, especially - wants 1 or 2 more in addition to Fred. He is almost obsessed with sending me pictures almost daily of multiple Bassets playing together. I keep telling him I love Fred but I will go NUTS with another one.

Finally after returning to camp and having dinner we went to the presentation (solar-powered, of course) at the Ranger Station. I really enjoyed it as they talked about the dangers of light pollution from LA, San Diego and Riverside that are making it harder to enjoy stargazing in the Desert. The ranger went on to point out constellations and I even saw a shooting star!! But it was very windy that first night and quite cold so we left a little early to warm up at the fire and then hit the hay.

The next day we awoke and Patrick contentedly fired up his new camping gas stove that he just bought. He was adamant about having eggs, bacon, sausage and hashbrowns for breakfast - even though I rolled my eyes stating he was high-maintenance and that I grew up camping and happily eating a simple bowl of cereal. Well, there you go.

After breakfast we took an easy couple-mile hike to Baker's Dam. It was lovely - not too hot at all. The path also led us to real petroglyphs drawn at least 100 years ago by the native Indians in the area. That was amazing to see in the caves. We then went off the trail a bit and found a few more, faded but true - - very cool!

After a big lunch and a short nap for Ciara and I we then drove a ways and got out to hike the 4-mile, more difficult terrain and hilly trail up to Lost Horse Mine. I had done this trail a few years back and remembered it being long and harder going then just a leisure trail. But I didn't let Ciara in on that. She was already commenting at lunch that she wanted to go back to the campsite to climb on the boulders. But her dad and I both commented that we'd have time to do that later and that we like to get out and hike and see things on our trips.

Poor Ciara - at 9 and a half years and Physical Education only twice a week at her school (don't get me started ya'll) she isn't in the shape that I was at her age. The trail was a 'trek' to her. She did her best and pulled through it but not without 1 tantrum (he he he) and a whole lot of complaining. But she did it - although she was disgusted when we got to the gold mine to see that they had constructed a chain-link fence around most of it since it was so unstable that they couldn't have people climbing around it. "We came all this way and we don't even get to go inside it??!!!" she exclaimed. Ha ha ha. I had known that already as well, but didn't fill her in on it beforehand. Smart Gal...

Nighttime was less windy that Saturday and we had a huge fire and roasted and ate a disgusting amount of marshmallows and Ciara actually went to bed before us this time since she was exhausted.
The next morning was our final hike to the ruins of Key Ranch. Not too much left to the shambled old building, but it always interests me to think that at some time someone lived and worked in this exact spot so many years ago.

Alas, time to pack up and head home - I truly love the desert and seeing it bloom this time of year with the wildflowers was an extra treat. Good Times :)
Click on Slideshow below!

Joshuatree2008

Joshin' Around at Joshua Tree

On Friday we all played "hooky" and took Ciara to camp at Joshua Tree National Park in the California desert. Here we are at dinner time with my barely-adequate recording on my digital camera...:)

P n E at Joshua Tree

It was another lovely Spring weekend memory made with my Patrick. This time we packed up my gas-efficient Scion and headed out to the Southern California desert park of Joshua Tree. Only 2 hours away, I try to go every spring as I love desert, dry heat, hiking and camping. Patrick had never been and this is the best time of year to go, so it was a no-brainer.

During a most-enjoyable drive up P entertained me for once (hahaha) with some stories of his youth in the Navy. I love it when he tells me stories, as I am very good at it myself and it runs in my family and culture. Story-telling runs in his Irish culture as well, but P doesn't have E's "gift to gab". :)

We stopped off first in Palm Springs – also a first for my man. The weather was perfect – warm, about 88 degrees – but not too hot. We parked, and strolled around the main street, stopping in galleries and boutiques that caught our fancy. It was such a charming afternoon there! One interesting thing we both noted was how gay-friendly (“Frisco!!”) the town had become. They even had a “Hamburger Mary’s” bar there – it was HUGE in Hillcrest, San Diego. Being the Gay Man’s Best Girl Friend that I am, this accelerated my good mood to an even better level.

Eventually we made it into the Park – after making us drive the long way around it to the 29 Palms Northern entrance – oopps! It was late afternoon – the best time to take pictures. Patrick is becoming increasingly involved in his photography and this trip was definitely an invitation to partake in it.

Joshua Tree Park is interesting. One is able to enter at one entrance and drive completely through to the opposite side. In doing so, you can see and enjoy the different ecosystems and plant growth according to the elevation. We started out in flat lands with many Joshua Trees and then enjoyed the famous Jumbo Rocks in the middle of the park – which have a red sheen at sunset – (but there was too much cloud-coverage that day). Many rock-climbers flock to the rocks nowadays – I couldn’t believe how many were scrambling up those HUGE boulders like spiders. Very cool.

Eventually we ascended some hills where it definitely got cooler and I had to break out my jacket. After enjoying the view (but not the strong, cold winds) – we headed back down again to see a different desert terrain with blooming, tall Ocatillo bushes. All very stark but lovely.

Early the next morning we got up early to embark on one of the several hikes. We chose to do the short 2.5 hour loop to Mastedon Peak. Along the way we got to enjoy 2 natural oasis’ and an abandoned gold mine. The weather had cooled – perfect for hiking. I think Patrick took about 500 pictures! We will definitely head back again in the Fall.
Click below for my short photo gallery slideshow!

Joshua Tree 2007

A spiritual time in Sedona, Arizona

By the time I visited this lovely desert haven, my Italian ex boyfriend, Mik and I had mutually decided that after close to 5 years it just wasn't going to work out. It's hard to move on from someone you are so used to and who knows you at your best and worst. And here I was just shy of turning 30 and for the 2nd time in my young life having another relationship of 3+ years end. That said, Mik and I were still on good terms and meanwhile, he had very generously (and without my being consulted!) invited his childhood friend, Neno, from Italy to live with us for a few months. After about 1 month of this very crowded setting Mik and I decided we needed some fresh air and took a free couple days at a timeshare resort in Sedona, Arizona. Like I said: we were still on amicable terms and we definitely already knew how to travel well together. (We also both needed a break from taking care of Neno - whew!) So this was to be our last trip together before I moved out.

I came to love Sedona's awesome beauty. I HIGHLY recommend it - the Spring is perfect! Summer, I hear, the heat is almost unbearable to be outdoors, and I know that it snows in the winter. We were there during perfect weather. It was right up our alley (neither of us like cold vacations). One of the big draws to Sedona are the natural red tones in the region. Driving and exiting the freeway, heading west after a couple bends in the road you suddenly spot the majestic red hillsides. You can imagine how picturesque it can be at sunset. Everything is red!

We stayed free at the Hyatt Pinon Point timeshare. Wow - what a great place! Definitely the nicest timeshare we had stayed in. It was set up like an upscale condo - complete with large kitchen (we saved money by driving to a nearby store and mostly cooking inside the whole time), living room, 2 TVs, great stereo system, fireplace, huge bathroom with huge shower, separate large round jacuzzi bath with jets, tile flooring, patio and balcony with great view if you were on the 2nd or 3rd floor like us. We didn't go but there was also a gym and the pool with 2 Jacuzzis were beautiful and modern.

As nice as our housing was, the real treat was being outside in Mother Nature. Another big draw of the majestic red mountains is the fact that for whatever reason Sedona is a major vortex capital in the world. A vortex is the funnel shape created by the motion of spiraling energy. The vortexes in Sedona are swirling centers of subtle energy coming out from the surface of the earth. They characterize Sedona as a spiritual power center. The energy of the vortexes interacts with whom or what a person is in their inner self. Some strengthen your female or male side. Very interesting stuff! It resonates with and strengthens the Inner Being of each person who comes within about a quarter to a half mile of it. This resonance occurs because the vortex energy is very similar to the subtle energy operating in the energy centers inside each person. We were able to get a map to the several that are in Sedona. Some are longer hikes than others. But the interesting fact was that as we approached closer and closer to a Vortex, the Juniper trees that dotted the region would actually twist due to the spiral-like energy. Sedona is now a center for Spiritual Awareness and Evolution. Mik and I eat up this stuff! There were New Age shops in the very quaint main street where we bought some cool crystals - I really believed mine worked by the way (but that will need to be another blog).

One memory I won't forget was during one hike when he was in front of me about 10 feet as we walked the trail ledge of a cliff. Suddenly I saw Mik in mid-stride with his left leg swinging in the air - do a strange, exaggerated leap forward. "RATTLE SNAKE!!" And indeed it was! It was nearing sunset and it was coming out from under some rocks where it had probably been sleeping during the day in the shade. Mik had almost placed his left foot on the rock on top of it when he saw it and thus did the dramatic hop forward! (See web photo album for picture.) The ironic thing is that since I had met Mik he has been intrigued with seeing a California Rattlesnake. Well, here was his final opportunity! And thus, Mik and I enjoyed a couple otherwise peaceful and spiritual days hiking beautiful trails and meditating at the couple vortex sites we reached. I definitely plan to go back!

Sedona, Arizona

Click on webalbum above and watch slideshow!