Whirlwind Tour of Ash Meadows and Death Valley - 11/11/14

Our daughter, Amanda, and her partner, Justine, arrived in Las Vegas the evening of November 10. We picked them up at the airport and drove back to our Nevada Treasure RV Resort where we are staying. We wanted them to have the opportunity to enjoy the wonder and beauty of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and Death Valley National Park. But with only one day to see both, we narrowed down all of the places we wanted them to see to the following sights. Including drive time, this took us 8 hours.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. This is the largest remaining oasis in the Mojave Desert. There are 25 endemic species of plants and animals here (meaning this is the only place on the planet where you can find them). Wow!

Crystal Reservoir

Justine and Amanda.

Visitor Center and Crystal Spring Boardwalk. Next to the Visitor Center is boardwalk that follows the path of Crystal Spring where the water temperature is a constant 87 degrees. Water from the limestone aquifer feeds the spring at a rate of 2,800 gallons per minute.

Can you see how clear the water is here?

Mesquite - key source of food for Native Americans who resided in the area.

Then onto Death Valley National Park. First stop: Badwater Basin. This is the hottest place in North America (134 degrees F recorded in July of 1913), as well as the lowest elevation (-282'). This is a must-see stop in the park.

Salt!

Justine pointing at sign on the rocks that represents sea level.

Can you see the sea level sign in this photo?

Amanda at Badwater Basin.

John and Sadie...exploring.

Artists Drive. 

Artists Palette.

Furnace Creek Visitor Center.  Be sure to check out the exhibits here.

Harmony Borax Works. Twenty mule team wagon used by the company to haul borax 165 miles between 1905-1912.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. 

Zabriskie Point.  We were so fortunate to see such a beautiful sunset here.

When we got back to the RV resort in Pahrump, we headed for the [heated] pool and hot tub  What a fun day of exploring this desert landscape. There is so much more to see in both Ash Meadows and Death Valley, but our visitors loved what they got to see in just one day.

Ash Meadows Website:  www.fws.gov/refuge/ash_meadows
Death Valley Website:  www.nps.gov/deva

Cacti - China Date Ranch - 10/22/14

Since my fall last Saturday when we were doing some rock scrambling at Red Rock Canyon, I have been taking it easy hoping that my bruised side will quickly recover. Our daughter is visiting next week so we have been preparing for that and finalizing our sight-seeing plans for the time they are here.

When we visited the China Date Ranch that is located near Tecopah, CA, I snapped some photos of a variety of cactus plants they have on the grounds. They also grow and sell cactus plants as well as, of course, date palms.

As an east coast girl, I find these thorny plants fascinating. I grew up with the lush green forests in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. The desert terrain here is a sharp contrast, and yet very beautiful as well.

Here are some plants I liked.

There is no cost for visiting the ranch or hiking the various trails on the property. 

Website:  www.chinaranch.com

Desert Moon - 10/26/14

Moon rise over the desert.

It was such a lovely evening as we took a long walk here at Nevada Treasures RV Resort.Pahrum

St Augustine Light Station - 2/27/14

Our first sightseeing adventure after arriving in St. Augustine on 2/26/14 was to the historic light house built approximately 140 years ago. We climbed the 219 steps (and yes, I had to rest a couple of times on the way up), for the fabulous panoramic views from the top.  The lighthouse keeper's home is part of the museum on the grounds as well as a display of the fresnel lights that could be seen 25 miles out to sea!

View from the top facing east. In the foreground is the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

Link to:  St Augustine Light Station Web Site

First Creek Trail, Red Rock Canyon - 11/01/14

Today we hiked the First Creek Trail in the beautiful Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The trailhead is on Rte 159 a few miles prior to the left turn towards the Visitor Center and Scenic Loop Drive.

We did our normal routine: John packed sandwiches for lunch and snacks for the trail; I threw together dinner in the crockpot; and we filled our backpacks with water and other stuff we take with us when we hike. Sadie always gets excited when she sees these activities going on, hoping that she will be able to go with us! And at Red Rock Canyon, dogs are permitted on trails. So the three of us started off on our adventure.

First Creek Trail is about 1.5 miles each way with a waterfall deep in the canyon here. I had expected to find a trail guide at the trailhead (as the web site indicated that there is a supply there), but we did not see any. Next time, I will go to the Visitor Center to get one as there are many trails in the area.

The first part of the trail is across the desert which is easy-going. There is a wide array of plants along the trail and, of course, beautiful views of the Red Rock area.

Sadie had a fabulous time running from one side of the trail to the other exploring glorious new smells, sights, and sound. Can you see her in this photo?

Lichen always fascinates me since I learned that colonies can be 10,000-20,000 years old!

Check out this crazy-looking rock.

Trees lined the creek bed once we entered the more rocky area of the trail.

Suddenly we heard a splash and found that Sadie had discovered a lovely pond...such a contrast to the desert terrain..

The hiking gets more strenuous as there are many trails that veer off in all directions into the rocky (and beautiful) parts of this trail. Here's my happy hiking hubby.

Let the rock scrambling begin!

This where things got really interesting...

John and Sadie were scouting out the trail at this point...

Of course, I followed and came to two large rocks with a tree between them. It was about a 10' drop to the ground from that point. I thought I had the situation under control, and started moving down the steep rock face while holding onto the tree. I am not sure exactly what happened, but I fell, bounced off a large rock, and ended up on my back on the ground. Ouch!

Fortunately, I was only bruised as I hit the rock on my side (no broken bones, thankfully!) and no head injury (yay!)  Sadie came running back to me, and, of course, John did as well. I was very happy that he found my glasses that had come off during the fall and our camera was safe as well (whew!)

I will definitely be more careful in the future. At this point we headed back and did not continue to the waterfall.

Also, the sky was overcast and it had started to rain and then hail (what the heck?) That subsided after we reached the desert part of the trail.

This was a very interesting hike, despite, my fall. These rock formations are fun to see close up...so many crevices, caves, etc. Additionally, we encountered numerous other hikers and their dogs. What a great day!

Admission to Red Rock Canyon is $7/vehicle. However, there is no charge to access the First Creek Trail as it is on Rte 159 prior to reaching the Scenic Drive.  We always do the scenic drive first in these parks and then return for hiking adventures. It's great that our government has taken the steps to ensure that these amazing areas are protected for our enjoyment.

Website: www.nv.blm.gov/redrockcanyon