December 28-29, 2023 Shoshone, California

 High of 68 and sunny.

I went hiking with my friend Toni in the Badlands trail behind China Ranch Date Farm. It was lovely. 

Some flowers. Five spots and phacilia. We went up a side canyon.

Toni coming up the canyon. Mesquite bush. 

Toni in the canyon.

Fall color at China  Ranch Date farm. Some desert gold out the window on the way back. 

High of 67 and sunny. We hiked today with the Pahrump hiking club, off Emigrant pass looking for the mule Old Spanish trail. Evening primrose, gravel ghost, desert star, lizard, the Old Spanish trail marker, phacelia and three tiny cactus.

The group coming down the ridge and taking a break. 

On the trail. The Mesquite valley and Kingston Mountains. 

The dry lake bed of Lake Tecopa, Desert gold along Lake Tecopa.

Field of desert gold. Mackerel sky. 

Last light in the Kingston Mountains. Sunset west of Shoshone. 

Looking straight up at the clouds. Cactus with twin branches, cool rock, ground cherry, cool rock, desert 5 spot, yucca with a crowd of cactus at it's feet and another primrose.

December 24-27, 2023 Shoshone, California

High of 62 and sunny.

Moon rising over the Resting Spring range as I head for the Aqua trail. I finished this basket. It is made from dyed pine needles, polyester thread, glass and ceramic beads. The center is a piece of selenite that I sand blasted and painted petroglyphs on. I love this particular petroglyph.  It is 6 x 7 x 2 inches. 

The phone salesman told me I could photograph the moon with the camera on my new camera. I took this with 100x zoom. I did not crop this, this is how it came out of the camera. I love the camera in the new phone. Last years dates and goldenrod blooms 

Last light over the Resting Springs range. Sunset with the moon in a palm tree. 

Sunset over the Dublin Hills. We are now parked and plugged into my sisters house. We are there with our  bus and car, her camper is parked on this side, on the other side is her late husbands tesla. We are a full house. 

Lake Robbie. Desert gold. 

Road runner and a coot.

Sunset.

Moon rising. Still playing with taking photo of the moon. This one is when it was much darker than the previous one.

Beautiful, downtown ,historic Shoshone. 

Last light.

Last light and sunset over Lake Robbie.

December 20-23, 2023 Death Valley to Shoshone, California

 75 and sunny. 

The Sunset campground is deserted. Only about 10 spaces full. We walked over  to the Visitors Center at Furnace Creek. 

Me with the thermometer. 75 degrees. It is delightful. From the visitors center, Death Valley is the hottest, driest, lowest spot in the western hemisphere. Baskets made by the Shoshone. and a quote from Edward Abby.

The casitas at Furnace Creek Ranch. The ice cream parlor at Furnace Creek Ranch. 

The square at Furnace Creek Ranch. Outside the general store.

John heading into the Last Kind Words Saloon. We had snacks and a drink. Sort of sunset from the campground.

Later at sunset we went to the Furnace Creek Inn. We had a drink on the patio, but sunset was behind the clouds. 

These photos  and the ones below were taken with my new phone. Dublin Gulch. The miners back in the day dug out homes in cliff, the temperature was more moderate there. Desert gold along the white trail.

Desert gold along the white trail. Sunset.

Sunset. Desert holly, 5 spots, crypanthia, dodder, desert gold, white flower and evening primroses. 

Desert gold. Desert holly, 5 spots, crypanthia, dodder, desert gold, white flower and evening primroses. 

John bought me dinner at the BBQ and brewery in Tecopa. Excellent dinner.