Under cover of darkness on the evening of November 2, the missus and I decamped for warmer climes—namely Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks (with a stop at Yosemite on the way down and Pinnacles on the way back up).
Death Valley, a starkly beautiful place of striking color—and oppressive silence.
All told, we logged close to 50 miles on foot through canyons, across sand dunes, and over old mining roads—and even managed to get a little spelunking in. We saw bats, roadrunners, coyotes, lizards, countless songbirds, rabbits, deer, and a bobcat. And lots of European tourists. And a U.S. Navy F/A-18 screaming through Rainbow Canyon at dusk.
Sunset at the Seussian Joshua Tree.
With temps in the low 50s at night reaching to the upper 80s by mid-afternoon, this is definitely the time of year to visit the southern California desert—though short days tend to limit your activities somewhat. On the other hand, that just means the crystal-clear night sky arrives sooner than usual.
Like last year’s #superepicmegaroadtrip, shots from this year’s #superhappyfuntimeroadtrip can be seen on Instagram if y’all are interested. More in tomorrow’s post…
