Lazy Morning in the Dunes

Creosote shrubs in a depression with drying and cracking mud, Mesquite Flats, Death Valley National Park, California; January 2023.

On the second morning of our Death Valley trip we took it easy. We slept in a little bit and a beautiful mixture of clouds and clear sky greeted us. After a good breakfast from the buffet in the restaurant at Stovepipe Wells we packed our things, loaded the car, checked out, and drove the short distance to the dunes of Mesquite Flat*.

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Middle Basin Morning

A sliver of warm morning sunlight falls onto the vast expansive of Middle Basin, with an ephemarl rivulet winding through the coarse desert landscape. Interesting cloud shapes hang over the snow-covered peaks of the Panamint Range. Death Valley National Park, California; January 2023.

After the sunrise at Zabriskie Point we went on to hike Desolation Canyon, which is just a short distance away. As mentioned in the previous post, clouds began to move in quickly. We drove down from Zabriskie Point, made our left turn from CA-190 onto Badwater Road, and wow! A beautiful stripe of warm morning light illuminated the landscape.

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