Wow, time has flown by! I can’t believe our two weeks are up.
We managed to drag ourselves out of bed just in time to watch the sun rise over the dunes. The whitish blocks near the right bottom of the picture are dried mud flats.
There’s the sun!
Too bright to take pictures in that direction now.
Time for another visit to the Devil’s Cornfield.
On the way back to the hotel I take some more pictures of the sand dunes with my tele lens.
Luckily we had the foresight to undertake the monumental task of repacking our bags last night. Amazing the amount of stuff we brought with us! Sandy packed her bag so tight the zipper broke, but at least I was able to rig it with my luggage strap.
There’s a small convenience store at the gas station across the road so we pick up some stuff for breakfast. We’re still not very hungry and we have big plans for later so I just have some fruit juice and a cheese stick.
We rattle our way up yet another dirt road to the start of Mosaic Canyon. It’s pretty narrow at first.
Then it starts to widen out.
Beautiful coloring on the canyon walls.
It’s fun getting up and down from some of the ridges.
Sometimes it’s easier to just slide down the smoother sections.
The reflecting sunlight paints the rocks a warm orange.
It’s still pretty hazy when we get back to the car, even though the ranger last night predicted things would have settled down over night. You can barely make out the sand dunes.
We have to drive past Zabriskie’s Point on the way back to Vegas so we hop out to take some more pictures.
There’s a good trail on the right side of the viewing area, but I spot a faint trail leading to the bottom from the left. It starts out pretty decent, but then it gets steeper and the dried mud has no traction so even with the side of my foot dug in I find myself sliding.
Looks different from the bottom.
Dry cracked mud in a wash.
When I turn around to get back up I’m shocked …that’s some incline! I have to dig my fingers and toes into the dirt to make it past the steepest section. Whew, I’m huffing and puffing by the time I manage to draw myself up over the ledge.
You know, it’s sad that most people don’t give Death Valley the time it deserves. This was our second visit here and still there’s so much more left to explore.
Once we start getting closer to Las Vegas we drive past an area heavily populated with fuzzy looking Joshua Trees.
Some kind of palm trees.
The stupid GPS decides to make us drive all the way down the Strip. It’s kind of a nice drive, even though traffic barely moves. Luxor in the sunshine.
There’s just enough time to have a lavish lunch before turning in the rental car so we return to our new favorite: the glitzy Wynn. Hmmm so good! Again we stuff ourselves until the very thought of food is enough to make us nauseated.
Las Vegas airport is unlike any other airport; there are slot machines everywhere and it’s depressing to watch people thoughtlessly feed 5 dollar bills into the machines, while their kids keep tugging on their sleeve to get their attention.
After a short delay while we’re waiting for our pilots to get there we’re on our way home!
Miles for today: 163
Restaurant: Wynn (lunch buffet)
Restaurant: Wynn (lunch buffet)
NOTE: I don't know why, but it's rotating my pictures again. Sorry!
Hello, hello,
Sadly the last one.
What a nice sunrise! You must have been up very early.
The sanddunes are spectacular!!! I never understood why they build the pyramids that way, but now I see that they blend in completily with the surroundings. The dunes themselves look like pyramids!!!!!!!
Mosaic Canyon is a marvel again just like a lot of other places you placed in the blog. If you asked me to pick my favorit, I would have a hard time to choose one. This has been an amazing trip!
What a dangerous trail you picked, you almost got yourself in big trouble.
I always wonder what a Joshua tree looked like, but it's kind of a palmtree.
What a pitty your trip is over. I hope you planned your next trip already!
I'll be there to watch it!
Love you and thank you for letting me join you.
Love and a lot of kisses xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Joeve