The Monday before Thanksgiving may not be the busiest travel day ever, but as we moved camp that day, each figurative bump along the road made it feel like a doomed day. (Spoiler: in the end Tracy found us the best possible boondocking site right outside the south entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, so […]
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I Spent My Birthday on Tatooine
I didn’t know this until I’d been here a few days and was scrolling through the Death Valley info on the NPS app: several Star Wars scenes from two of its movies were filmed here. This was a national monument back then, not a national park and national wilderness like it is now, so it was legal […]
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 […]
Surprising Death Valley
I feel like I should be saying, “Here, let me show you our slides from our family vacation this summer!” LOL, I have so many pictures, and we’ve been in Death Valley for only two full days so far. I’m going to write a ton of posts with a ton of photos, and you’re going to have […]
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, […]
Prairies and a Petrified Forest
Goodbye North Unit of Teddy Roosevelt’s Park I’ve been looking forward to getting out west for a year and three months now, so, in a way, this place has been a dream come true. And by “this place” I mean both the North Unit campground and the park that we’ve driven through and hiked. As […]
Teddy Roosevelt’s North Dakota
We’re camped right outside the Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit, which is in western North Dakota. This isn’t pure badlands like in South Dakota; there is a lot of green here, and the Little Missouri River runs through the park. I think the contrast between the sage brush, green scrub, and grassy prairies and […]
