February 27-28, 2022 Death Valley, California

 76 degrees and sunny. 

I finished the masterpiece. It is made from natural and dyed pine needles, birch bark, glass, metal and bone beads. We went to Badwater to pick up Judy and Judy finishing coming inon their final sttetch from Beatty to Badwater, 170 mile 2 week hike. Bec and I hiked out to meet them. They  are the two tiny dots in the middle of the salt flat. 

The water that goes into the valley dries up and brings the salt up to the surface in these cool formations. Judy, Bec and Judy heading back in to the parking lot.

Judy was taking a photo of this group of people for them, I photo bombed it in the center. Heading back to the parking lot at Badwater. The red arrow points to a sign that says sea level. Badwater is 282 feet below sea level. It is the lowest place in the Americas.  It is called Badwater because there is so much salt in the water that it will dehydrate you long before it quenches your thirst. 

Judy and Judy at the Badwater sign. Greeting Judy and Judy in the parking lot are Susan, Judy, Judy, Emmett, and Bec. John is also there, just not in the photo. He is fetching cold drinks for them.

Badwater spring. We dropped the Judy's off at Furnace Creek Inn for the next two nights. 

John and Emmett toasting to Laurie, our late brother in law at Furnace Creek Inn. The waiter took our photo with sunset, but he missed the sunset part. Emmett, John and I. 

We had a scrumptious dinner at the Inn dining room. We visited the Judy's at the pool at Furnace Creek Inn. Love this place. 

Hanging out in the shade at the pool.

The Judy's casita at the Inn. Sunset from the Inn dining room. 

Dinner at the Inn. 

Febraury 25-26, 2022 Death Valley, Caifornia

 76 and sunny.

John and I backpacked in the spend the night with the Judy's on their long hike. Judy D's tent. 

Sand verbena. Judy P with her tent.

Our tent. There is foliage around it behind me. Judy and Judy cooking their dehydrated dinners. John and I brought in burritos, rather than mess with the stove. 

Sunset. Our tent at night with the stars. The stars are incredible here.

John making me tea in the morning. Artist Palette on the Artist drive on our way back to camp. 

Judy and Judy will be staying here at the Furnace Creek Inn at the top of the photo when they get back. We will be staying at the campground, at the bottom of the photo. Furnace Creek Visitors center. Get your fuel before you come to Death Valley, it is over $7 a gallon here. The Dark Sky Festival is going on this weekend at Furnace Creek. John and I went to a talk on the James Webb space telescope that was very good. 

They just opened the new cabins at the Furnace Creek Ranch and planted these palm trees. I  watched Joe at the flint nknapping demonstration. 

Sunset tonight. 

February 24, 2022 Death Valley, California

 

We started out hiking to Gnomes Workshop but I cut off about an inch on the side of the directions when I copied it, so we went up another way following spring water. These are coral reef like salt formations along the trail. 

Salt crystals on a rock, some cool hoo doos, salt 'icicles', another weird formations, salt formations, cauliflower like salt crystals, bubbles under the moss on the water. The first large waterfall,

 John working his way through the coral reef formations at the top of another waterfall. Looking up canyon at the mud hills and the Funeral mountains and salt in the stream.

Lots of salt in the stream. Salt crystals the size of cauliflowers, hoo doos, salt crystals on a heart shaped rock, cotton ball salt crystals, broken bubbles salt pockets, each are about 6 inches across. 

Really delicate salt spires, They are hard as rocks and very sharp.

The stream meandering down through the salt and rock sculptures. John walking up the salty stream bed in a colorful canyon.

Mud hills along the canyon. Wild rock formations where a spring comes up. 

The upper huge springs. One on the right and one on the left. Overlooking the deep canyon below the springs with really cool rock formations that John would not let me climb down to, he said it was too steep. . .

Looking back up the sculptured canyon. Winding down the canyon on the way back. 

These are sharp rock formations, not soft looking dirt. Delicate sharp pinnacles. 

Looking back at the mud hills. S bend in the stream bed. 

John walking through craters of the moon stuff. John taking a photo of me in the 3 foot tall fins. 

Coming back down. John mincing his way through the obstacle  course. 

Waist deep narrow section. Beautiful reflections on the stream and salt. 

Me at the top of a small waterfall. Looking down canyon at the valley floor and the Cottonwood mountains on the other side. 

Last light on the folded hills at Harmony borax works. The ruins at Harmony Borax works.