I’ve really been enjoying myself boondocking outside the south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. I think I’m getting the hang of the desert, although I can’t say that I love it (yet, at least). I have lots of pictures to show you and stories to tell, but I thought I’d show you our hikes […]
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Hellhole Canyon and the Slot
There’s not a ton of hiking near us in Anza-Borrego, but we’ve done two short ones that have made the stay here worth it. Indeed, hikes are a memorable as the names. Hellhole Canyon The park brochure description makes this out to be a 6-hour hike into the wastelands of misery, but we did it […]
Famous Alabama Hills of California
We drove straight west from Las Vegas, to the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains—an area called Alabama Hills. (More on the name below). Unlike other times when Tracy’s felt confident exploring dirt roads to find just the right spot for us, here we could see campers scattered all over this national scenic area […]
A Different Salt Life
I do miss the Salt Life of the ocean; this time last year we were skirting the Gulf of Mexico on our way from Texas to Florida and loving the small towns along the way. The salt here is pervasive though, and in Death Valley the standing water at the lowest basins is sometimes saltier […]
Mosaic Canyon
This is another slot canyon like Golden, but the geology is much different. The rock here has been turned to marble due to so much flash flooding, and it’s as smooth as a marble countertop in places. We walked along the widest parts with a gravel floor for the wash and had excellent views of […]
Golden Canyon
Slot canyons are pretty common here in Death Valley due to flash floods, and they make for lovely hikes. The revealed geology is colorful and varied in texture. We hiked up this slot canyon, through soft clay-like rock with a gravel wash for our path, and the sun was rising still against the tallest peaks ahead […]
Adios Las Vegas
We’re leaving Las Vegas Bay campground just after most of our neighbors have left, oddly. You know those neighbors. The single lady living/traveling in her minivan with her little reactive dog; the mom and disabled daughter in their camper with their much bigger reactive dog (we all would walk at strategic times of the day). […]
Mojave Brewing and Mojave Hiking
To counter the downer of my last post about Las Vegas, here are some damned-near glorious experiences we’ve had here. Welcome Conversation At Mojave Brewing in nearby Henderson, we met up with this fun couple, Debbie and Paul, who were recommended to us by a mutual friend back in Maryland (Hi Bob!). It had been […]
Lost in the Valley of Fire?
We’re spending a week boondocking here northeast of Las Vegas, on BLM land out in the desert. Lots of RVs come and go around us, but, with the exception of one audacious #vanlifer who pulled through our campsite, between the truck and trailer, to get to the site next to us (that has its own […]
Field Trip to the Moon
This is a difficult post to write because I’d rather just show you my photos and leave you with an impression, which would reflect pretty well how I’m feeling about this place. Mystical. Otherworldly. Freaking strange and wonderful. But there’s some serious vulcanism (love that word) going on here (or I should say went on here, […]
