February 26-27, 2021 Shoshone, California

 73 degrees and sunny. I went on a hike in Nopah mountains with the Tecopa Hiking Club. John worked on the mammoth. 

View from lunch into Chicago valley. View looking up canyon.

In the mouth of the canyon. One of many caves in the rocks.

Another cave with an agave, some cool cactus and a bighorn sheep skull. Me with the skull, it was huge and very heavy. 

Toni and Diana hiking back. The group hiking back with the Nopah mountains behind us. 

Some Indian mesquite  grinding holes in the rocks. another photo of the bighorn skull, a cactus that a bighorn decapitated and ate the interior of it. And some hedge hog cactus.  The group at the end of the hike in front of 12 mile spring. with the Nopah mountains in the background.

Full moon rising from Shoshone. Sunset over Grimshaw lake in Tecopa. 

The full moon over some mars looking terrain near Tecopa. Tonight  in Tecopa  Christie Horne on stage story telling. This one was the sword in the stone complete with the sword. she is excellent.

Followed by Paul on stage and some dancing. The two neighbor boys entertaining us adults. 

The boys came over for their painting lesson. The wind was chilly, so Judy and I sat in the lee of the bus. They boys were not bothered by the wind. Judy and I took a hike along the river trail.  The high wind was in our faces, and was blowing dust up by Judy's feet. 

The wetlands along the Red trail. 

February 22-25, 2021 Shoshone, California

 72, sunny and nice breezes. 

John has been working at the museum trying to shore up this sagging mammoth display. 

John working at the museum.  I am close to being done with this one. I am learning a new technique. There is supposed to be a wave around it, but I got it too low. I am still going to add beads to it. The center is a piece of dichroic glass I fused. It is 6 1/2 x 7 x 3 1/2 inches. 

So I am making another basket and the wave looks more wavelike on this one..  So far it is 7 x 7 x 2 1/2 inches. 

I walked on the river trail this evening. Evening light on the Resting Springs range and sunset with moon over the phragmites in the wetlands. 

John is still working at the museum shoring up the sag in the mammoth display. 74 and sunny, windy. The Kingston Range this afternoon. 

Cool clouds over Shoshone. My sister Judy arrived today. We had dinner on the patio. Judy, John and Judy. 

Sunset tonight. Today was 73, sunny and light breezes. Judy D and Judy P painting with the neighbor boys. 

The basket is nearing completion. Contemplating some more beads. Went for a nice hike with Lorraine and Phyllis today. Phyllis and Lorraine in the Vole habitat under big palm trees this afternoon. 

A coot swimming in the pupfish pond. John and Vickie visited this afternoon. Great to see them. John and I.

Vickie and John at the Crowbar. We woke Griz up in the back of the pickup. He is a big cutie. 

February 20, 2021, Death Valley California

 Another 75 degree day and sunny. We had signed up for a hike with the Death Valley history assoc in November to a canyon that is usually closed to the public because of all the fossils. They take a couple tours a year into it. There were about 17 people total, lots of guides and relations came with the guides. We were required to wear masks the whole time because it was a federal government thing. Had to arrive at the crack of 730 am. That is why we took the bus down to the valley, saved me a hour of sleep. 

The group hiking up canyon.  We were in a canyon that is not opened to the public. It was well signed. Some tiny fossil mussels. 

Our leader was Torrey Nyborg PhD who is a paleontologist/geologist and did his doctoral dissertation on this area. He is showing us some of the layers and faults in the canyon walls. Walking up the canyon.

Rain drops on dirt on the way up, fossilized raindrops. Manganese oxide crystals are fernlike. The area had a lake. The animals all came and drank there an left foot prints. The mud fossilized, then was uplifted. The fossils are on the canyon walls. These are mostly camel foot prints and some small birds.

This part of the canyon is called the Barnyard because of all the fossil foot prints on the walls. Small bird foot prints, a fossilized worm tube, a large and detailed camel foot print and some stromatolites made of cyanobacterium that originally oxygenated the earth. 

Lots of camel foot prints and the large circle is a mammoth print. We hiked all around the basin looking at fossils. 

Looking down at the basin. Death Valley below has blowing dust and the Panamint mountains are obscured. Camel tracks, an odd formation on a rock, fossilized plants and ancient horse prints. 

Fossilized plants, a cat foot print fossil and a chuckwalla. Some giant mammoth tracks. 

 Looking back at the basin as we leave. Drippy rock formations in the canyon. 

The group hiking out. There was high wind with dust blowing in Death Valley. John hiking out.

 Palm trees and the turret from the ranch across the street with dust and sun back at camp. There was so much dust that the sunset pinked it up like clouds. 

The edge of the dust plume and some clouds in sunset colors.