March 26-28, 2020 Shoshone, California

Low 60's and sunny with wind.

I went for another bike ride up Dublin Gulch. Got a little farther today and walked a little less. I am getting there. Clouds rolling in, 40% chance of showers tonight. Cool storm clouds over the Kingston mountains. 

The latest master piece. The center is a piece of glass I made. It has black kokopeli sandblasted into the salmon dichroic glass on the bottom, a couple layers of clear, then a layer of blue and purple honey comb, and a couple more clear on top. Then I beveled it and polished it. It has a tiny crack in one of the layers, that is why it is not an expensive pendant. It will be a discount basket because of the crack. The crack is in only one layer so the piece will not crack all the way though. It was too pretty to throw away! No clouds for sunset tonight. But the crescent moon and Venus are really pretty. 

We hiked with Judy D and Susan. We started at 3,000 feet near Salsbury pass and walked down Confidence Wash 10 miles to sea level off the Harry Wade Road. View of Telescope peak from the beginning of the trail. Pebble pincushion flower and plant, chia flower and plant. 

Field of flowers. Crypanthia, filigree, desert dandelion flower and plant.  

Monkey flowers and cluster of monkey flowers, desert 5 spot and desert trumpet leaves at the base. One of the Confidence Mine shafts.  

Gilia, white burro bush, poppies, mining ore and tobacco can. John by Confidence gold Mine ore bin.  

Another mine tunnel.  Judy, John and Susan climbing down a dry fall.  

Susan in a narrow canyon.  Dead tarantula, live front and top view of a large lizard who was nice enough to pose for us. 

Side canyon with flowers, a desert miner's dwelling in the rock.  

Another desert dwelling, these two may have been attached, could not tell. Field of poppies. 

John, Judy and Susan in a field of magenta monkey flowers. Gravel ghost flower and plant, mohavea, and evening primroses.  

Judy, Susan and John at the mouth of Confidence wash, the Confidence hills in the distance. Beaver tail cactus bloom and plant, gilia, crypanthia.  

Bristly langloisia, desert stars, weird dead tree, evening primrose. A rattlesnake near the trail.  

Desert glass with a big M, desert shaggy mane mushrooms, phacelia. Sunset tonight in Shoshone. 

March 25, 2020 Ibex Dunes, Death Valley, California

70 degrees, sunny and windy. We hiked to Ibex Dunes in Death Valley today.

Sheep Mountain from our meeting spot. Our destination Ibex dunes ahead. 

Sand verbena blooming in the dunes. Cool sand patterns and dunes.

Desert gold at the dunes. Ore bin at Rainbow talc mine just east of the dunes.  

There were some very deep shafts at the mine. We threw a rock in and never did hear it hit bottom. Desert gold and the ore bin in front of the dunes.

Lorraine  heading back to the cars with some desert gold. Really interesting dune cornices on this side.  

The dunes were pristine. The more popular Mesquite dunes in Death Valley are always tracked up and crowded. They are right by the highway. Ibex dunes are down the dirt Harry Wade road and you have to hike to them, so they are less visited. Squiggly dune ridge.  

Beautiful lines and rocks in Ibex Dunes. Shadowed plants on the dune face. 

Judy and Lorraine on the dune crest in the wind. Nice wind lines. 

Wavy lines in the sand. Judy, Lorraine and myself dressed for the wind and sun at Ibex dunes.  

Nice light on the dunes. Shadows and blowing sand at the BLM campground off the highway. 

Nice light on the hills off Ibex pass on the way home. Desert dandelions, 5 spot, cool rock, field of desert dandelions and creosote bush flowers. 

Sand verbena and spanish needle.