Gone a long way...

The last couple of days have been days of contrast, and early mornings. We left Mojave, Ca about 7am Monday morning on our way to Death Valley. There was frost on the car, frost on the desert floor, and water on the highway a bit later when the sun rose higher and melted it off. By mid-day, on our mini-hike up Mosaic Canyon, we stuck to the shade and wished we were wearing shorts. It was "officially" 18 degrees or so, but much warmer in the sunshine. I even went for a swim in an outdoor pool before bed that night.



We spent a lot of time driving through desert.....at first desert with Joshua trees and mesquite, and then desert that looked almost moon-like in its apparent absence of life. But our first view of Death Valley from an overlook outside Panamint Springs included a jet pilot on a "training" run dropping his plane into Rainbow Canyon. (Sure looked like he was just having fun to me, but what do I know? Edwards Air Force base and the China Lake Naval Weapons Testing Range are both close by.) Quite a contrast, but not quite as much as driving down "the Strip" in Las Vegas today.


And today started about 6:40am and 190 feet below sea level, and ended in Flagstaff, AZ, after a brief stop at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (elevation 6000 ft), and a trip over a snowy mountain pass at 8046 feet.


Dawn at Death Valley, sunset at the Grand Canyon. And now bed time.....good night!