Death Valley - 2010

So, with a week off, Shannon and I headed out to Death Valley for some "summer" hiking in February. Despite having a rather disenchanting name, Death Valley is a beautiful place - at least in the winter!

The Mesquite Sand Dunes.

Climbing the dunes is harder than it looks!

Sunset from the Mesquite Dunes.

Climbing toward Zabriske Point.

My beautiful wife in Marble Canyon.

There were open mines everywhere! I scrambled down one hill, to find a sign at the bottom which said, "Stay Out, Stay Alive!"

Scotty's Castle! So the best I could gather is that a cowboy named Scotty swindled a rich banker into investing lots of money in a non-existent Death Valley gold mine. When the banker realized he'd been had, he decided to build a castle in the desert and call it "Scotty's Castle". Go figure.

Overlooking the valley from Dante's View.

Aha, when in doubt, consult a map!

On the Golden Canyon Trail with the Red Cathedral in the background.

Wandering through the hills. (Not all who wander are lost, but I might have been.)

Here I am lofting a snowball from Dante's View at 5500 feet toward Badwater Basin, the second lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at -262 ft.

Grilling sausages from Green's Sausage House in Zabcikville, TX. After a long day of hiking, they were especially delicious!