Thanksgiving in Death Valley

Thanksgiving week this year was in Death Valley with Nina, Mark and Jerri. Weather was perfect for this four-day trip.

Sunday in Mosaic Canyon, where gravity was weird

Monday we hiked into the narrows of Redwall Canyon

We climbed this pouroff

Hiking back as the sun sets behind the Cottonwood Mtns

Crescent moon

Tuesday we rented a Jeep and drove Titus Canyon

Along the way we climbed 6300' Thimble Pk

The summit offers an outstanding view of the valley. From here we could even see peaks of the High Sierra

Wednesday we hiked to Zabriskie Point

We looped back to the trailhead in Gower Gulch

November 8 in Nightmare Gulch

Sixteen of our Hiking Club members spent the day in the high desert north of Mojave, in Nightmare Gulch in Red Rock Canyon State Park. Having hiked in most of the weird places of the greater southwest, Nightmare Gulch might be the weirdest canyon I've yet seen. This was my fourth trip to this canyon.

Weird erosional forms

Runoff has created this weird 'downspout' feature in the wall

An old wall collapse debris pile, eroding away

Colorful walls

The only animal we saw all day

October 18: Ocean View from Boney Mountain

I took this shot from the summit of 3111' Boney Mountain in the western Santa Monicas. Boney Mountain is the highest peak in the range, and on clear days offers a view of the Channel Islands. Today I could count five of them.

This paraglider was circling the peak