When we last spoke we were in Arizona, Cave Creek Regional Park Arizona. Since then we've covered some ground.....
We spent a little time in Boulder City, Nevada. We did a some exploring and had a couple of physically distant visits with Pam and John.
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| Lewis supervised the cutting of the turkey - he doesn't need a mask |
I was lucky enough to score four days of full hook up camping in Death Valley State Park so we left Boulder City and headed to Furnace Creek, California. This is a park we've never visited before so we both were excited to finally get there.
We settled into our site at Furnace Creek Campground late in the afternoon. No TV, or internet and very little Verizon coverage. We didn't mind one bit. Robin and Tom gave us a big box of old DVD's before we left the lake so we dragged them out and kept ourselves entertained in the evenings.
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| site 77 |
The weather was lovely, warm enough in the sun during daylight hours and cool for sleeping. The campground was a bit of a zoo after the Thanksgiving holiday, but we didn't spend much time there and when we did I was thankful for our "poof" curtains and DVD's!
The park is so huge, the scale of it boggles my mind. It's almost impossible to capture it's hugeness (is that a word?) in a photograph so I focused, instead, on smaller pieces. We covered most of the popular sites within a 20 mile or so radius and managed to find a deserted canyon to follow for a wonderful, private lunch and afternoon of exploring. Here are some pictures of our time in Death Valley.
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| oh Dave..... |
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| see the tiny white rectangle above and to the left of Rocky? |
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| Yep, that's where sea level is..... |
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| lots of folks at Badwater so I snapped this picture and moved on |
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| Dave pondering Devil's Golf Course |
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| close up of the lumps! |
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| Artist's Palette |
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| Dave heads up the trail to the Natural Bridge |
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| Jeep commercial |
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| driving through Twenty Mule Team Canyon |
One day we packed lunch and turned off state route 190 and headed into Echo Canyon, away from the "must see" spots. It was a wonderful drive through a geologic wonder. We were all by ourselves the whole time, ahhhhhh
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| entering Echo Canyon |
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| can you see Dave enjoying lunch in our private restaurant? |
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| lava squeezed up from an ancient sea |
I'm sorry if you're tired of rock pictures.... I was in my glory in Death Valley!
Dave is reminding me that it's happy hour time, so I'll sign off and head outside - the chairs are waiting.......
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| Lake Havasu State Park |
Glad Lew got some Gramma Pamma time - and the rest of you got to visit too :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderful pics of Death Valley. It's such a wonderful and surprising place. The Desert Golf Course area was closed due to flood damage when we were there. Love the three views pic with the window and mirror, very cool!
I thought the golf course was just "meh" until I squatted down and looked at what it was actually made of....beautiful!
DeleteThat's someplace that's been on our Bucket List for some time. Maybe someday.
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Definitely put it on your list when things open up again!
DeleteDEVA was our last big hurrah before things began to unravel. For that, and all the reasons you mention, it holds a special place in our travel memories. I'm glad you could still find some beautiful isolation and peace there. Also glad you could share thanks with good friends. I hope Lew got a yummy reward for his outstanding supervisory skills.
ReplyDeleteAt Gramma Pamma's house, Lewis always gets yummy rewards. Sometimes rewards for absolutely nothing at all! This time he went home with a whole bag of turkey gleaned from the turkey carcass just for him.
DeleteSo many great places in Death Valley to explore. You've done a great capturing photos of some of them.
ReplyDeleteThe photos never seem to capture the actual views, perhaps it's my skill level and equipment! My "mind's camera" took wonderful shots and committed them to memory though.
DeleteEvery time I have looked at Furnace Creek, it has been booked up solid. Like, not a single available day anywhere at any time (granted, I was looking for a spot with electric and those are limited, but still... not one site, ever.) If you got one of those for 4 nights around thanksgiving, you should buy a lottery ticket asap.
ReplyDeleteI kept checking and checking and finally (probably 8 months or more out) found 4 available days, but split between two different sites! I considered myself lucky.
DeleteWe have never visited Death Valley...definitely on the “to go to” places for the future. We haven’t had TV for nearly a year and a half so that is a plus in our opinion! Your beautiful photos are certainly motivating. Nice to visit with friends and share the holiday...John was quite lucky to have Lewis there supervising.
ReplyDeleteThat last photo of Beluga, your chairs and the lake is so inviting...it would be hard to go anywhere or get anything done!
You're right Gay, it is hard to go anywhere or get anything done with this beautiful, sunny, waterfront spot. So....we're not going anywhere and getting things done is highly overrated!
DeleteYou ended up in my home town! I have been following you, silently, since introduced to your blog by Chapter 3 Travels. If you are here now, the weather is really perfect!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the weather is just perfect. We're just lazing by the water, reading and enjoying what we have!
DeleteLovely! I don't believe I've visited Death Valley since I was a kid...some day when we have an RV again me need to go!
ReplyDeleteIt's much easier to explore when you're headquartered at the campground!
DeleteWhat a gorgeous view you have right now! Okay back to Death Valley—very cool that you scored a site. We love Death Valley. The light and colors are magical—I enjoyed the photo tour, but couldn't help but notice that you left some of the captions to our imagination. 😝 Rewinding a bit further, it looks like you had a very fun Thanksgiving with very good friends. Is Lew any good at figuring out when the turkey is done? I could use some help.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's always necessary to caption photos, other's imaginations may see different things than mine does....... Lew is a good supervisor. He always delegates things to people with greater knowledge. It usually works for him.
DeleteA wonderful Thanksgiving with very dear friends and the cutest furry poodle. Your weather was perfect for your first visit to Death Valley. You photos of all the colors and variety are beautiful. We'll have to visit again one day. Now another perfect spot. You have the jackpot site!! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThe weather at DV was really perfect and we were overwhelmed - you can't really see it all in just a few days. Now enjoying our quiet time here beside the lake. So nice to just veg and enjoy living life.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great explore. I've never really been very interested in that area but honestly, now I might be. See what you did!
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested in rocks and unusual scenery, this is the place.
ReplyDelete