A nostalgia trip to Death Valley

California, Camping, Death Valley, Photography,

After driving through Yosemite, over Tioga Pass, down Highway 395, and east on the Big Pine Road, Michele, Ed Dieden, and I got to Eureka Valley as the sun was going behind the Saline Range. We set up camp in the twilight, ate barbecued Polish sausage and zucchini, and went to bed. We woke the next morning just in time to see the Saline Range light up. Part of the plan was to go over to the Eureka Dunes to photograph but the day was windless and the dunes were pretty marked up with footprints. Rabbits, lizards, coyotes, and people footprints – including somebody walking bare foot.

Still, in the early morning light, the dunes were haunting and the Last Chance Range behind them seemed dark and moody.

The night before had been colder than we expected and we decided to bail on going to the Race Track because it was a little more than 3,000 feet higher and that much colder. We decided to drop down into Death Valley its actual self where it would be much warmer.

On the way, we decided to revisit Titus Canyon. Titus Canyon is a drive that starts in the Amargosa, the next valley to the east of Death Valley, and then wanders through the Grapevine Mountains before dropping through a deep canyon back into Death Valley proper. It is one of the classic – meaning ranger approved Official League – drives that usually can be done in a car. Michele and I had not done the drive in twenty years and had forgotten how spectacular it is.

Of course it was alot more crowded than we are used to.

Michele had been driving, but, when we got to the actual canyon, Ed took over the driving chores and we walked for a while.

From there, it was back into the valley and a drive to below sea level then up The Hole in the Wall Road to 2,000 feet where we had a steak dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marble bath at Steel Pass

California, Death Valley, Photography

 

 

Several years ago  – probably more looking at how much less I weighed  – I was involved in what I like to call The Marble Bath Gambol. At Wendel Moyer’s suggestion, several of us installed a marble bath at Steel Pass where one did not seem to exist but was shown as Marble Bath on many maps. It had been increasingly likely that the area was going to be annexed into Death Valley National Monument which was then going to be upgraded to a National Park – the highest level of protection and control. Wendel felt that the park would need a real Marble Bath but it would have to be done before the area was actually a park.

The installation did involve a certain disregard for the rules and regulations governing the installation of a structure in a Wilderness Area but it was felt that the end result justified the violation.

Somewhere, I have a bunch of pictures of the whole thing but my picture storing protocol has been pretty casual and I am not sure where to even start looking for them. But, today, while looking for something totally unrelated, I ran into this picture.

A fall day

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I do hope that it is not just because I am getting old, but one of my major enjoyments is going to the Farmer’s Market on Weekends. As much as possible because we are often out of town or have something else going. The scarcity of deep winter that turned into some leafy things in spring and then the abundance of the livin’ is  easy summer is all a prelude to the explosion of the fall harvest season.

The two Farmer’s Markets that we have habituated on are Saturday at the College of San Mateo, just 16 miles up 280, and Menlo Park, just 7.5 miles of traffic jamming away. As aside, San Mateo used to be a suburb of San Francisco. When I grew up there, and the Market Street streetcar from San Fran eventually ended up in San Mateo on B Street. Now the College of San Mateo advertises itself   as located at the northern corridor of Silicon Valley. End aside.

On Sunday, we went to the Farmer’s Market is in Menlo Park. For Michele, the first stop was to get a couple of the last tomatoes of the season.

For me, it was to get some greens, while listening to a jazzy combo in the background.

But the stars of the day were the squashes and other fall only fruits? veggies? whatever.

And, of course, this being California – and in San Mateo County, a long time flower growing area – orchids.

From Menlo Park, it was north to San Francisco to see Tracy’s Open Studio.