The weekend before Thanksgiving I went to Death Valley (about a 6 hour drive from my home in the Santa Barbara area). Autumn is a fabulous time in the desert!

Enjoyed sunrise on the dunes:


and a few moments later...



Walking on the crests of the dunes was fun!



Went up a side canyon off the well-traveled Golden Canyon:



Discovered fascinating shapes of salt on Devil's Golf Course:



Found a salt pool that the rangers measured to be about 11 feet deep. Inside I could see huge salt crystal structures (not seen in this photo):



Another early morning walk on Cottonball Flats -- it's always a delight to find water on the salt flats:



Cyty's Mill and cabin are interesting places to explore!



Took a photo of my shadow on the inside of the cabin:



What a great view Cyty had from the front door of his cabin!



I was amazed to see a beavertail cactus blooming in November.



End of a perfect trip:

I went two years ago. It looks like you stopped at many of the same paces I did. I need to get back there!

Sam

DV is a wonderful place in the fall and winter.

Nice pictures!

Thank you both -- it is a pretty fascinating place.

Joan

Very interesting series joan..thanks.

I lived so close to DV but never went. I'd love to see it in the future. Thanks for sharing.

Awesome place. I saw a program on TV about diving in the caves somewhere in Death Valley.

Lovely series, thanks for sharing.

I particular, I like the difference between the firs two. That ealy dawn light was amazing on the dunes

[FONT=Tms Rmn]Joan,[/FONT]

[FONT=Tms Rmn]One thing I'll add to what has already been said: you're to be commended for hiking alone. There is something unnerving yet exhilarating about being in a place like that by yourself. Takes everything about it up a notch!
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Very nice series, Joan. And very cool that you did it solo. I'll bet it was nice not having anybody around so you could concentrate on your photography.

Did you see much in the way of wildlife?

Regards,
-joel

Originally Posted by kdog Very nice series, Joan. And very cool that you did it solo. I'll bet it was nice not having anybody around so you could concentrate on your photography. Did you see much in the way of wildlife? Regards, -joel

Just coyotes and ravens and a few lizards. Often in November I see tarantulas, but not this trip. Other trips I've seen snakes and scorpions (in my campsite), kangaroo rats, bighorn sheep, pupfish, burros (years ago), hawks, various other birds -- most surprising one I saw was a white-faced ibis:


It's a very interesting place, and yes, hiking alone is soul-refreshing and humbling -- it's huge, magnificent, beautiful country.