West Yellowstone - spring?

We arrived in West Yellowstone yesterday for another season working in town. We had some piles of snow in the campground, but the ground was bare except for some mud puddles. We awoke this morning to a fresh blanket of the white stuff, about 7 inches. Quite a change from the 90's and 100's we experienced just a few days ago in the Lake Mead area. Here are a few shots we took at about 11 am.

Spring Mountains NRA

These pictures are from a week ago when we visited the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area. We had originally planned on spending that week in Death Valley, but during a heat wave with temps well into the 100's we left that for another time. So, since this lifestyle allows flexibility, we moved from Pahrump to the Red Rock Canyon Campground on the west side of Las Vegas. With the temperatures so warm we took advantage to visit the higher elevations. When we arrived at the Spring Mountain NRA visitor center we were informed that most of the trails were still closed because of snow, but there were two which were open. We chose the Mary Jane Falls trail, which starts at 7840 ft elevation and climbs over 1000 feet. The trail is 3 miles round trip. It was unseasonably warm here for this time of year, with temeratures from the mid 60's to low 70's. A great day for a hike. We were not acustomed to the elevation and decided not to go all the way to the falls. We hiked about 2/3 of the way.

View from the trail head.

Strange to be hiking where there is still snow in shorts and t-shirt.

This Steller's Jay caught our eye.

The many layers of bark on the trees make interesting patterns.

One of the magnificent scenes from our trail.

If you look at the bottom left corner of this shot you can see the trail.

This huge, dead ponderosa pine, seen in the last picture, reaches for the skies.

This log was a great place to sit for a spell and have lunch. Notice the piles of snow.

A wonderful, old ponderosa pine. If you smell the bark on these majestic trees, it smells sweet, like vanilla or butterscotch.

The size of this tree is representative of many we saw today.

Back at the trail head. It's hard to believe this house and it's setting is so close to Las Vegas.

On our way back down to the valley, where it's considerably warmer today, highs in the mid 90's.

Death Valley National Park

Our one day visit to Death Valley National Park, assures that we will return to spend more time here. It is a large area with much to see.

Dante's View was our first destination. With an elevation of 5,475 feet, it gives a magnificent view of the valley below. There was a dusting of snow here the night before our visit, as was evident wherever there was shadows from plants and rocks. If you look really closely, you can see a black line in the valley, which is the road we will be on later today.

Looking to the south from Dante's View.

These are scenes as we drive through Twenty Mule Team Canyon. If the name rings a bell, yes there is an abundance of borax here.

The road drops further into the canyon.

5,757 feet below Dante's View

They placed a sign on the cliff above us marking sea level. We have printed a line to help you spot it.

Here we are 282 feet below sea level with a wonderful view of Telescope Peak at 11,049 feet.

Must have been some recent rain, as there was water in the Badwater Basin. As you can see, most of the area is covered with salt, as far as the eye can see.

Here you can see the salt crust that remains when the water evaporates.

Our next excursion was on Artists Drive. The colors were amazing.

Artists Palette

These next three photos are representative of the variety of rock layers found here.

Joshua Tree National Park, 2 trails

We had the pleasure of spending another day with our son Christopher and share with him a day in Joshua Tree National Park. We decided on two short trails today, the Barker Dam and Hidden Valley trails.

A bee hovering over a snow white flower.

More spring flowers in bloom. Most desert wildflowers are yellow, but there are many varieties.

This hummingbird enjoys the flowers too.

Interesting rocks provide some shade.

Erosion can create some abstract art.

Lizard enjoying the warm sun.

A smaller lizard scampering along the rocks.

There was actually water behind the Barker Dam.

Cactus flowers near our path in the Hidden Valley.

Joshua Tree branches reaching for the skies.

Joshua trees are very unique and each has it's own beauty, kind of like people.

The moon rising between the rock formations.

Joshua Tree National Park, Mastodon Peak Hike

Joshua Tree National Park is much more than just about the trees. (Actually, they are not really trees, but members of the yucca family.) It is also known for it's interesting rock formations. This day we went on the Mastodon Peak Hike. Hiking anywhere in the spring, with the flowers in bloom, adds so much to the experience.

Here we are almost to the top, where we stopped to eat our backpack lunch. There is no finer restaurant than this.

Mastodon Peak up close and personal. Only a few rocks to climb up to the top.

Chocolate chip cookies, yumm!

Actually, they are just some large rocks along our walk.

Most of the animals who dwell in the desert are night creatures, but we do see many lizards scampering about during the day.

Could not resist taking some more flower pictures. Here are a few we will share with you.

Desert asters

Close up of Apricot Globe Mallow.

A very small fish hook cactus catches our eye.

Hedge hog cactus bloom

Purple prickly pear cactus in bloom