I had read on an internet forum that Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park was worth a visit. It’s fun to climb sand dunes, and they often make for nice scenes, so we figured we would head out of the park, stop by the sand dunes, and continue home from there. I wouldn’t say I regret going, but the dunes were not exactly spectacular, either. Kelso Dunes in Mojave, or the Mesquite Flat dunes in Death Valley are both a lot cooler places. For one thing, the dunes here were not very extensive. There were really only two peaks worthy of mention. Secondly, they were inhabited by off-road vehicles, with accompanying tracks and noise. When you walk in from the parking lot, there is a small section of sand fenced off, with a few openings. At the openings, there is a sign which doesn’t forbid walking around the dunes; it just says it may be dangerous, and suggests maybe you shouldn’t, or at least be careful. We decided to trust the kids on ATVs not to run us over and walked out to climb up the tallest dune. We climbed it. We watched the ATVs ride around, took some photos, then headed back towards the picnic area to make some lunch before heading to Vegas for the night.

After we left the park, we crossed over into Arizona. As soon as we did, the pavement ended. My first thought was, “Maybe we’re on the wrong track here?” But, no worries. The dirt was smooth, and 5 miles later the pavement re-appeared.

I spent Thanksgiving with Mary and her family at Zion National Park in Southern Utah. It was quite cold while we were there, and we had a really good time. It snowed the day before Mary and I arrived, so everything was still covered in a dusting of snow, and it was cold enough that wherever there was water to freeze, there was ice!

On Friday, Mary, her father, and I hiked up to Angel’s Landing. This is probably a really awesome hike any time of year (although I bet it is ridiculously crowded at peak season). With the snow and ice when we were there, it was the most fun I’ve had on a trail in a while. First the trail goes through a canyon, and then up two sets of steep switchbacks. Then you double back on the ridgeline above. This is where it gets awesome. It is a fairly technical trail with a lot of scrambling along a sometimes narrow ridge.  However, there is  a chain installed along all of the sketchy parts, so it really isn’t that bad. With the ice, it was still a bit of a challenge in spots even with the chain (just enough to be a lot of fun, as long as you are in reasonable shape, and not terribly scared of the heights).

The first really interesting part of the hike was at “Walter’s Wiggles”. This is the second, and the steepest, set of switchbacks, which take you up to the ridgeline. For us, they were completely covered over with snow and ice. The best part though was actually on the way down. On the way up, it was passable. By the time we had come down, it had re-frozen, and was super slick. The whole canyon was filled with hilarity. I thought it would make great inspiration for a mario kart track. The canyon echoed with people laughing, owws!, and general chatter. A group of kids was having a great time sliding down each segment. One of them was a strong supporter of the “penguin style” belly slidel. Adults were falling constantly, some stoically insisting on getting back up and walking again (until they fell again), and others just giving in and sliding down. It was all out comical.

After getting up the wiggles, there is a bit of up and down along the ridge line, out to the landing. There are some flat part, some steep parts, and a lot of good views!.

This is taken while climbing of the last bit of ridge, looking back along where we came:

Now I will leave you with a quick video clip of the wiggles:

I sat and watched these surfers in front of the sun for a while. I might have lost a bit of my vision in the process, but I really like these:

Check out this well-polished bi-plane:

The seagull:

Lots of dogs (of which this is one):

And a paddle boarder, riding a wave. Love the wetsuit and trucker hat!

Paddle boarding looks like something I want to try. Standing up high above the water and paddling down the coast…looks nice.

Mary and I spent an awesome Fourth of July weekend camping and hiking at the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite. I love this place; especially at this time of year. Green meadows, babbling brooks, snow streaked mountains, waterfalls, and the occasional remnant snow patch. Also, it was not nearly as crowded as Yosemite Valley was, I’m sure. The valley in the summer, especially on a holiday weekend, is a traffic jam. Here, people are much more manageable; and once we got a mile into the wilderness, there’s hardly anybody at all. The meadows were teaming with wildlife, especially deer and marmots. Lots of marmots.

We spent Friday night at the Tuolumne Meadows Campground. It was full when we got there, but fortunately they have a backpackers section where you can spend the night before/night after you hit the trail. Saturday morning we took off south down Rafferty Creek trail, heading for the Vogalsang lake area. We ended up camping next to Fletcher Lake at 10,160ft, in a little grove of trees next to an open meadow, next to a cliff overlooking the valley we had just climbed up. There is something very relaxing about setting up a tent by yourself in a perfect alpine meadow and cooking a mountain house for dinner.

As long as I’m in California I think a trip to Tuolumne after the snow melts and Tioga Pass opens is going to be an annual tradition.

More photos are on flickr. You can check-out/download the GPS track on trimbleoutdoors.com.

It was not a complete failure, though most shots did not come out as great as I’d hoped.

Moonrise:

Mary, shortly before the ocean sent us scurrying away:

I include this final shot mostly to point out that, though they are clear as day in the picture, it was quite dark and while I was there I had no idea this couple was up on the rocks.

It seems I’m getting a bit flower crazy lately…

A few weeks ago, I and nine other adventurous souls headed back to Death Valley for the weekend. Our primary objective for the trip was to make it out to the Racetrack Playa. The playa is a large, flat surface of hardened mud, cracked into a rather appealing texture. During the winter, it often gets flooded and stays wet and muddy, but in the spring it quickly dries.

Prior to leaving, and right up to the moment at Scotty’s Castle where we decided to go for it, we questioned whether driving all the way out there in our not-so-rugged, low-clearance vehicles was a wise idea. Although I don’t usually picture myself as the conservative one, I in particular was very hesitant to drive the Prius out there, fearing vehicle damage, major hassles, or expensive towing fees when something broke. The big concern, from everything I’ve read, is that the rocks on the 27 mile long unmaintained road puncture tires; often more than one. The lady working at Scotty’s Castle, when asked, said “No way, don’t go. About once a week someone gets stranded out there and it can be $1500 to get towed out.” And I didn’t even have a full-size spare. If I had been alone, I would almost certainly not have gone; but since we had three vehicles, I figured our chances of being stranded were low, and..what the hell. So we drove nice and slow for two hours or so until we made it! Along the way we passed teakettle junction: A fork in the road where people decorate the sign with old teakettles.

Here is the view approaching the Playa from the north:

One of the cool features of the playa is the rocks that slide across it, leaving tracks in the mud that zig zag in all sorts of directions, and last for years. I’ve not heard a conclusive explanation for how they move, and as far as I know no-one has seen or recorded them moving, but I think it is some combination of wind and water pushing them across a slick, muddy surface. After it rains, a lot of water from the surrounding mountains runs down onto the playa, and I believe the winds through there can get very fast. When were first arrived, we parked up by the grandstand and ran out onto the playa. I had read that the best sliding rocks were at the southern end, so I set off walking that direction. I quickly learned that the playa is a LOT bigger than it looks. I kept walking, running, walking. When I looked back, the grandstand had gotten a lot further, but the south end did not look any closer. In the end, we gave up walking and returned to the grandstand for a bit. We then drove down to the south end, but by the time we found the good rock tracks, it was already getting very dark.

In the end, we made it in and out with no problems. I’m not quite as confident about it as Kendall is, but it was a calculated risk. I’m sure many people do have problems, and the fact that our three cars were fine does not say much about the actual odds of getting stuck with two flats. Definitely, if you are going, bring supplies (food, water, sleeping bag) to spend a couple of days/nights comfortably. I’m not sure I would do it in the middle of summer when it is deadly hot. And finally, be prepared to accept that there is some risk of a major hassle and financial costs if you are unlucky. I don’t know about other seasons, but when were out there in April, we saw at least 8 other vehicles along the way. Also, I regret that we tried to drive in and out on the same day. I would much preferred to have camped out there for the night. There is a primitive campground a couple miles south of the Playa.