February 23-25, 2026 Death Valley, California

 82 and sunny.

Field of pink sand verbena with a few desert gold.

Sand verbena and desert gold. 

We backpacked in to camp with the Judy's on their last night. My tent, John snores without his cpap and he didn't bring it, so I had my tent. Johns sleeping bag for the night in a field of flowers. 

Judy cooking her dehydrated dinner in a field of primroses. Judy and John on a patch of grass having dinner.

Sunset. My astrophotography for the night. It was cloudy, so I got a ring around the moon.

Judy and John walking back to the truck. Evening primrose, gravel ghost, gila, cryptanthia, sand verbena, Schotts calico, painted lady and phacelia with verbena.

Spanish needles, pincushions, chicory, 5 spot with no spots! I have only seen 3 without spots ever and two were this week. Desert gold with a 5 spot with spots , and sand verbena. Desert gold and colorful formations. 

Judy treated us to lunch at the Inn. The Judy's are staying in a casita at the Inn, we are staying in our RV in the campground, but hanging with them at the Inn, at the pool, their casita and having dinner at the Inn. Love the spring fed pool at the Inn. 

Sunset. We had an exhausting day around the pool. You get a golf cart with the casitas, so Judy drove us up to dinner. 

Sunset. Furnace Creek Inn, Death Valley. One of my favorite places. 

We had a delicious dinner at the Inn dining room.

February 22, 2027 Death Valley

 75 and sunny,

John walking in a field of flowers on our way to Mummy Canyon.  Mummy canyon.

Entering the mouth of Mummy canyon. John going from the narrows to the narrowest narrows.

Narrowest narrows.  John in the alcove at the end of the canyon. 

Jensen natural bridge over the alcove. John back in the narrows.

John leaving the narrowest of the narrows to the normal narrows. The trail description called them this. White streaks of travertine calcium carbonate embedded in steep slopes of conglomerate.

This rock formation is supposed to look like a mummy in a mummy case. I don't see it. Barrel cactus near the mouth of the canyon. The whole hike was 1.8 miles. The history assoc. is leading a hike into this canyon, for $60 a person. I would be very disappointed if I had paid $60 to see this. 

Field of purple phacelia and yellow desert sun cups. John heading back to the truck. 

Coreopsis,  huge mohavea, checkerspot butterfly, pink monkey flower, coreopsis bush, markings on a rock. Where are the flowers blooming? with a map and identification of some of the flowers. They are calling this a super bloom. It is a good bloom, but not as super as the last one. 

Sunset on some hazy clouds. 

February 21, 2026, Death Valley National Park, California

 67 and sunny.

Desert Gold in front of the Panamint mountains new snow from the last storm. We were going to hike Room Canyon. There is no trail and the directions were a bit vague. We went up the wrong canyon, but it was lovely. A hoo doo at the mouth of the canyon.

John in front of a cool cliff with an arch in it.  I am not used to  Death Valley being so green. John heading up canyon. 

Cool looking hoo doo.

An arch and a U hole with desert gold. John on the way back.

Heading out the canyon. Desert stars, gravel ghost, five spot, mix of flowers, phacelia, tequilla. 

Desert gold. There is a super bloom going on now.

Fields of flowers along the road. Beautiful field of desert gold. 

Lake Manly still has plenty of water in it. Phacelia blooming along the water course. 

Phacelia.