I’m shocked to realize that its been over a year since I’ve blogged. Clearly my new job is taking up too much of my traveling and writing time.
Over Indigenous People Weekend (Columbus Day for you old-schoolers), M and I decided to take a quick 3 day trip up to Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Amarillo, Texas. I decided on this trip over the summer after seeing pics of the park and needing to be in red rocks again. What better time to travel somewhere new than for our 3 year anniversary!
Happy Anniversary couple right here!
Since it was fall and the weather can be a bit unpredictable, we decided to rent a rustic cabin. Rustic here means bed and table with four chairs. That’s it. BUT we had heat and a fireplace!
super-rustic
Rockin’ my fleece Buff because it was COLD!
Our cabin is off the edge of a wash. Chimney is just barely visible on the left.the view from our cabin
The first night we were there it was very cold and windy. We had a fire on the porch, until I couldn’t take the cold anymore. Then we moved in to our indoor fireplace, where I read by the fire. This is exactly what I was hoping for!
The next day we went hiking. We chose the most popular trail, the Lighthouse Trail.
This is Capitol Peak. I think the color scheme looks remarkably like Capitol ReefM is starting to get the red-rock highThere’s the Lighthouse off in the distance. This trail would be a nightmare in summer. There are signs everywhere telling people to drink water.Cute little shade structures made the perfect lunch spot.The trail, which started off easy, got pretty serious at the end.
Happy 3-year Anniversary to us!The Lighthouse up close is kinda scary. Its made of really crumbly rock!
After the hike, we went into the college town of Canyon. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a great used bookstore, as well as a fantastic restaurant.
Of course we bought some books – no trip is complete without hitting a bookstore, or getting Indian food. We did both on this trip! Indian food in Lubbock and 4 bookstores in 3 days!
Overall it was the perfect 3-day weekend. Our cabin was cute and cozy with a fire, and the night skies were utterly breath-taking.
morning coffee with a great view!M enjoying his last Palo Duro morning coffeePalo Duro Canyon State Park did not disappoint!
We left the Redwoods and drove east, through the Shasta-Whiskeytown area. There was a wildfire close-by and we saw lots of burned areas….
Now is a great time to discuss all the unusual ways we could die on this trip.
Wildfire…
The guy next to me who kept his cell phone on the whole time we were flying… It was clear that he didn’t know how to use it. He kept putting it on “Airplane” to try and send a text. I guess “Airplane” mode to him means “safe way for dumbasses to send texts while 6 miles in the air!”
Falling through crusts and into thermal features
Tsunami! Japan’s gift to us
Elk rutting and going temporarily insane
But I digress… As we climbed to 5000 ft, where our campground was, it was significantly cooler than sea level/ sea adjacent. We set up our tent just before the sun went down, then went for a walk by Manzanita Lake.
Peekaboo!
Thought we’d left the fog…. but no
Colder… and rainy. Did I mention the rain? yeah, it rained most of our Lassen trip.
The next morning (after a very cold evening where I really seriously considered using the rental car’s butt warmers to stay alive, while M stated he was quite comfortable) we bundled up and decided to drive the park’s 21-mile main road over the pass and down to the visitor center, hiking along the way. The weather was foggy and cold but the park is very very pretty. Think of Yellowstone but WAY LESS CROWDED!
Looks like autumn has come to northern California, while in Carlsbad it was still triple-digits!
Cold selfie
M taking edge of the road pics
again with the autumnal gorgeousness
The brilliant engineers of this road decided to build it directly over a thermal feature. Great for people who demand to see everything from their vehicles but not so great for the road itself…
Bubbling mud pot
other side of road, more thermal stuff
Super-active pot is throwing boiling mud ONTO the signs for visitors to stand at and read
We took a hike up to a mountain lake. The 7,000 ft elevation was killing my lungs and I made it all but the last 10 minutes. M went on up without me. The lake wasn’t great so maybe I made the right decision to sit down on the trail and eat cashews.
M hiking amongst the huge gorgeous trees
Me, gasping for breath and taking in the beauty of everything
After our hike, we went down to the visitor center where I bought warmer clothing and checked the weather. They were calling for snow (SNOW!) that evening and the next day. I have a pretty serious No-Snow camping rule. So we decided to get a KOA cabin, with heat, a few thousand feet lower down and take it easy.
The rain didn’t stop M from making a campfire… It stayed lit for HOURS!
The weather wasn’t going to stop us from enjoying what we could of the park. The road was closed over the pass but we were able to drive about 10 miles of it. I bundled up super-warm (triple socks, multiple layers, rain poncho) and we took off.
In the sub-freezing winds…
More rain…
M bundled up to stand in the wind next to a glacial erratic. (for non-geology nerd, a glacial erratic is a big rock that isn’t where its supposed to be. It was deposited in a random spot by glaciers many eons ago)
This rocky area is called the Chaos Jumbles. Lassen has the most creative names.
Ah the rainy trails…
Ain’t nobody kayaking in this
We drove to another entrance to the park and hiked up to a cinder cone. I love cinder cones, rain or shine… I do NOT like hiking up them.
M suited up for the wind and rain, and not loving it
M hiking up to the cinder cone. Look at those footsprints!
The point where we both said “yeah, there it is” and turned around.
The trees up there make GIANT cones
Super-green moss
After our day of freezing cold and rain, we snuggled down in the cabin to read and relax. The next day the sun was out and the mountains were blanketed with snow! It was so glorious and I’m very happy we persevered and drove the road one last time before leaving.
What was a soggy meadow lake…Is actually a GLORIOUS mountain meadow
Happy sunny selfie
Look at that gorgeous Peak!
Snow on my boots for the first time this season.
cold bird
After our wonderful weather-ranging time at Lassen, it was time to head back to San Francisco. One stop before the big city… dinner with an old friend of mine. She lives in an urban hub outside San Fransisco/Oakland. We had a great dinner full of conversation and laughter. It was M’s first time to meet my friend, but he’s heard about her a lot over the years. It was great to reconnect!
Honestly, after M proposed, M second thought was ‘where should we honeymoon?!’ This is what a wanderlust-infused person does. Based on the weather in early spring, we had to rule out a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, Southern Utah, and the Pacific Northwest. Based on time constraints, we ruled out Hawaii. Somehow we settled on Death Valley National Park. Neither of us had ever been there and February is a fantastic time to go.
We also decided to stop off at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on the way. I wanted to see the museum in the visitor center that I helped create, plus they just opened up the 50% of the monument’s land that had been closed for a decade. I was excited to be able to enjoy ALL of my public land.
M had never been to the Sonoran Desert and I was excited to show him the greenest desert in North America. (we did later figure out that on this trip we’d hit all four North American deserts… Chihuahuan, Sonoran, Mojave, and the Great Basin!)
Hanging with some of my favorite cacti! – photo by M
lunching in the Sonoran Desert – photo by M
M’s first carpet shoe! – photo by M
Sonoran Desert happiness! – photo by M
Me next to a marker for the Ajo Mtn Drive. I wrote the guide book for it! – photo by M
He’d also never seen the US-Mexico border fence other than in El Paso. The border fence out in the desert is very very different….
M and the border fence/vehicle barrier…. the long long gravel road is there for Border Patrol to use
The border fence isn’t ACTUALLY the border. Its all on our side. This marker is ACTUALLY the border.
We weren’t camping on this trip. Wanted to fancy it up for our honeymoon. Of course, fancy is a relative term in Ajo, AZ. It’s a great quirky little desert town and has exactly 2 motels… We reserved a deluxe room with a kitchen. This is what we got….
Its a single-wide trailer behind the main motel! Love it!
Relaxing on the porch
Fantastic Sonoran sunrises!
After a wonderful visit to Organ Pipe, we headed north to Death Valley. We didn’t even realize until we were only an hour away that we’d be driving right by the Hoover Dam. So we touristed up and stopped for a quick visit. And of course, I got my Lake Mead passport stamp. 🙂
Hoover Dam!
you walk along the edge of the highway bridge to look down onto Hoover Dam
M getting his shot
Some people wait in line to drive across the bridge… this requires security going through your car
World’s most unnerving office space
Then we hit Death Valley! There were canyons to hike, sand dunes to climb, waterfalls to splash in, old mining towns to wander around, and the most amazing vistas to take in! We didn’t camp here, either. We sprung for a hotel room at Furnace Creek Ranch, overlooking the golf course.
first sunset in Death Valley! – photo by M
Mosaic Canyon!
– photo by M
– photo by M
M hiking into Mosaic Canyon
M doing his best mountain goat impression… see him way up on the right?
M hiking the sand dunes
– photo by M
life finds a way
All photographers love sunrise at 20 Mule Team Canyon!
M getting another gorgeous shot highlighting the amazing geology
M communing with nature on a salt flat
Darwin Falls… a gem in the desert!
– photo by M
Another mountain goat impression…
really really straight roads across the valleys
Old mine
creepy creepy mines… Closed in winter to protect bat populations but open other times for hiking!
all kinds of minerals were mined out of these mountains
old mining town
Old mine
home is where the heart is… or where the stupid graffiti is
linoleum flooring way out here in desert ruins
– photo by M
view from our hotel. there is snow! – photo by M
– photo by M
The last two days at Death Valley, we got to experience another great part of the desert…. rain and snow!
Gorgeous sunrise view from Dante’s Peak!
M enjoying the view
– photo by M
Arty goodness! – photo by M
More arty goodness! – photo by M
We headed north, planning to hike Ubehebe Crater and enjoy some wildflowers after we gassed up at Scotty’s Castle, like my map indicated. However, my map was wrong and we almost ran out of gas. We made the most of our visit and wandered around Scotty’s Castle.
Since the weather was less than ideal for canyon hiking, we decided to hit up a lot of smaller hikes.
Salt Creek Interpretive Boardwalk
Devil’s Golf Course… Awesome!
Huge salt flats area
salt upheaval?
sprained ankles and broken legs are common here…. we can see why
– photo by M
Next up was Badwater…
Badwater Basin… the lowest spot in North America
About halfway up the cliff is a small sign that reads “Sea Level”. Its the best and most simple interpretive sign I’ve ever seen.
Also, I’m not allowed to post the image of M in a yoga pose in the middle of the salt flat, but I’m sure you can use your imagination! The unearthly landscape was making all the visitors a bit child-like. We saw so many people doing funny things for cameras.
Me making a “salt angel” – photo by M
teeny tiny salt crystals
M getting his shot of the tiny salt crystals
More awesome moody lighting….
Gorgeous sunlight hitting the valley and also lighting up the snow-capped peaks… Its hard to tell but the vertical difference here is about 8,000 ft!
We visited the Furnace Creek Golf Course for my parents. My dad has nothing but bad things to say about Death Valley. (he visited waaaaaaay back when he was in the army and I’m sure just passed through to get to Vegas) They love golf so I felt I had to share a few photos. I also had to pick up a score card for the course. I’m not a golfer so I’m not sure why, but it was asked for.
– photo by M
The park was running a hiking challenge, where you had to take selfies at the different trails to prove that you did the hike and you’d get a sticker. So here are our selfies….
Mosaic Canyon selfie
Harmony Borax Works selfie
Sand Dunes selfie
Eureka Mine selfie
Salt Creek selfie
After we left Death Valley, we realized that we were so very close to Mojave National Preserve. Neither of us had been there either so we decided to drive through on our way to the interstate. It ended up being way prettier than we had thought. (but honestly, what NPS site isn’t?) It was pretty rainy and foggy for most of the drive through, but the sun peeked out at the dunes so we decided to stop for a quick walk!
M at the Kelso Dunes
We spent that evening in Flagstaff, in a snow storm, and managed to make it home the next day on icy roads. It was an amazing trip! We aren’t planning a trip back yet, but we are looking forward to a return visit!
Sidenote: the food…. The food was fantastic! We had Indian food in El Paso and Flagstaff. We kind of planned our Indian food fixes into the trip. (if there was an Indian restaurant in Carlsbad, we’d be fat and broke!) We found a great Mexican place in Tucson, and in Death Valley I managed to eat a veggie burger at almost every restaurant! M ate a lot of bunless burgers. By far, my favorite spot was a Panamint Springs. Very laid back porch desert dining. I spent a lot of time Yelping all the spots we ate at.
We set out this morning with one main objective…. Find the rumored selenite mine where good-sized tailings were available for the taking.
First we stopped for lunch at Rattlesnake Springs, a section of Carlsbad Caverns NP where there is a large spring and lots of birds. All the water for the park is taken from here.
Rattlesnake Springs, CAVERattlesnake Springs, CAVE
Then we headed over to the Black River, scouting for fall and winter hikes.
Black River Management Area
Afterwards, we got back on the highway for our true destination… the tailings pile of selenite
Selenite Mine Tailings pile – E & A looking for cool crystalsSelenite crystals are very light and sparkle in the sunSome larger pieces were historically used for windows before glass was cheap and widely availableM and E look for the “perfect pieces”A is over it..The actual mine, surrounded by a fence, keeps the largest and best selenite piece for themselves – to sell i guess…but they’re cool enough to let us scavengers have some too 🙂
So technically we aren’t stealing
Then, since we were already in the area, we decided to check out some camp spots and a cave or two.
The world’s coolest recreation sign ever!Definitely not the world’s coolest caving sign, but a very important one. This cave is a wet one no matter the time of the year, but during monsoon season, it can be deadly!the pit into Parks Ranch Cave entrances
A was more than happy to head into the cavemy boys!
M and I, with A photobombing us
And then we headed home, with a side stop for some much deserved ice cream 🙂
Yesterday was a very long, but very interesting day. We walked down the natural entrance of the cave with a geologist. I learned SO MUCH new stuff.
What we know of sulfuric acid caves and how they are formed is currently changing. This geologist has a new theory that alters, not erases, what is believed to have happened 250 million years ago at Carlsbad Caverns. Very cool!
High Rises to Hiking Boots 