Back to Chicago to see Declan and enjoy Oscars with family and friendsInn at Death Valley for Backroads trip with Mary and Eldon. Lots of history here and in the areaFirst ride to Badwater Basin was very cold, windy and raining! The perk of the tough ride was a visit to Artists’ Palette.. This canyon reveals ( but cannot be captured in a photo ) the variation in color and structure of the rock formations. Scenes from Star Wars filmed here46 mile total for the day. The way back was with ever increasing head and side winds. I bailed with five left but Mary made it all the way backMore rain today but we got in a quick hike in Natural Bridge CanyonAfter a game of dominoes we rode to Zabriskie Point for gorgeous viewsI’m out of order but day 2 started with a ride to Borax ( think 20 mule team ). The ride out to dunes was sweet. Mosaic Canyon was notable for wide areas and narrow rocky areas that were hard to traverseMosaic Canyon was wonderous with bold colors and stone that looked and felt like wood and some that looked like your new kitchen countertopDante’s View of Death Valley ! Too cloudy to see the snow covered peaks across the valley. Badwater basin is directly below. We headed out to Red Rock Canyon.Back to Red Rock Canyon. Planning to ride the 13 mile loop on my bike but the 40 degree temp forced me to take a few hikes insteadThe Petroglyph Wall Trail was fun to explore as well as the Willow Spring Loop TrailValley of Fire not available for camping but found this Redstone Dune Trail off the side of the road to another camping siteThe Moenkopi Trailhead was at my next camp site and I enjoyed two hikes here I met Natalie and her family in Palm Springs. We spent one day at the Living Desert.Joshua Tree was next on the list ! We took three to four hikes and were only lost once. Besides the Skull Rock I hiked to on my last visit, we found this formation that resembles another head. After lunch in the Hidden Valley Picnic area we drove to Pioneertown to check out this famous music venue and ghost townWe enjoyed a walking tour of the grounds at Sunnylands. We ended the week with relaxation in the enormous hot tub at their house and enjoyed the desert warmth and landscape.
