X-STREAMS

FROM 7782 FEET
Well are we crazy or what????!!!! Left the rugged coast and headed for the rugged mountains. Missed the redwood hike in northern Cal. So decided to head for the Sequoia National Monument. Not only are they in the mountains, we had to pass through an 8,000 foot high pass. You guessed it, we got snow, all the campgrounds were closed. We did get to do a short trail through the valley of the hundred giants and a few pics of monstrous trees. I think it took us 2.5 hours to do approximately 60 miles. Finally got down to about the 3,000 ft. level and had enough of driving. Stopped in a small town, Inyokern, primarily Mexican, went into a Mexican restaurant and had a fabulous meal for a very reasonable amount of money and they let us stay in their parking lot over night with four cats as company.


TO -282 BELOW SEA LEVEL

Extremes!! From the snow clad Sequoia Mountains into Death Valley. I drove today and relished the interior position while Marty clung to the edge of his seat overlooking the cliffs of the Sierra Nevada. Stopped in Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley and was rewarded with the appearance of a coyote which came very close to our vehicle. Thankfully, we were inside. The pics are through glass and I think not too bad considering. It gave us great hope for some animals, but unfortunately, other than the coyote, a pair of ravens, a few other birds and the antelope ground squirrel, Death Valley lived up to its name. Sunset is at 4:15 but rising early at about 6:45

Next day hiked the Mosaic Canyon, a 4 mi. return hike through marble walled canyon and 1000 ft. rise in elevation. Good moderate hike. Had lunch at the sand dunes and on to Furnace Creek Campground. Very comfortable 65 degree temp with clear blue sky.

Hiked into Goldlen Canyon a 2 mi. (return) hike with an additional .25 mi. more to the Red Cathedral, a wall of red sandstone. Then went down to Natural Bridge Canyon and did a 1 mile return hike but the 1.5 mile rock road was a killer on the RV. Gas is $4.12 here and 2 qts. Milk was $3.00. Good hikes but feeling it in my legs.

In the old Roy Rogers/Gabby Hays westerns, the black hat wearing villain used to be called a “low down, dirty varmint”. Since we are 200 feet below sea level with no showers at the National Parks and our on board tankage in conservation mode, our daily showers are somewhat less than daily. This has put us at just a black hat away from varmint status. Fortunately it is so dry here that perspiration just doesn’t form. There is only sparse plant life and virtually no insects. We did see some water spiders in a saline stream right at the lowest elevation of the valley. There is also a “Pup fish” that is supposed to reside in this stream but we must have caught them on their day off. It’s probably for the best that we did not catch them at home. They are an endangered species and you are not supposed to catch them at all.