We decided to try again to go to Death Valley before it got too hot. A late season storm caused us to delay our start until mid-day. With no chains for the van we had to wait for chain controls to be lifted in the Sierra.
It was beautiful Spring weather in the Sierra foothills.
As we rose in elevation, things changed. It looked more like Winter. The road was snow free but there were some light flurries still falling.
(yellow arrow points to sea level)
Death Valley had Summer time temperatures. It was definitely shorts weather with high temperatures in the mid nineties!
We got out early to view the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
We waited until late afternoon to go to the Harmony Borax Works.
Mid-day found us hiding under the awning of the Roadtrek. There was a nice breeze so it was fairly comfortable. The dominant flower was the Desert Gold Sunflower and if you stayed in your car that was all you would see. Of course, we didn’t stay in the car and I will show you some of the other flowers in a later post.
You can find more views from around the world at
Hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia.
18 comments:
These are amazing contrasts! And, such nice scenery in all of them, too. I was really wanting to get out to Death Valley this spring, but, if we don't get moving, it will be too hot to enjoy very soon. I also want to get out to Kelso Dunes too...we really have a lot to see in this great state of ours!
Amazing contrasts to see within one day! I love it! And your photos are superb as always, Martha! Looks like a great trip for the weekend! Enjoy the new week!
Sylvia
I would love to visit Death Valley someday - preferably not in the summer ;-)
Isn't it amazing the changes in landscape as you ventured there?
What a beautiful place and such a contrast in one day.
Great shot you have taken:-)
Wow. What a variety!
I still haven't been to Death Valley. Love the post and photos, looks like a great time!
Such a variety of temperatures and terrain in California! Definitely not a boring place. :) I've never heard of desert gold sunflower so off I go to look it up! :) Neat post!
I too would love to see Death Valley. California is such a huge state and there is so many things to see and do. It feels like every corner is worth exploring.
That is an amazing place. Thanks for getting me so close!
gorgeous scenic shots - especially that one of the dunes...
So - the Sierras are still getting snow! We've decided to cross the Sierras at Kirkwood Ski area where we biked going from Co to San Fran 6 years ago. This time we'll be in the van! I'll E-mail you Martha - thanks for the biking info. Keep those wildflowers blooming for me.
Beautiful shots and lovely views!
aloha,
thanks for showing us a little bit about your corner of the world today....sounds like alot of the wild flowers are coming out already...amazing snow is still coming down
Spectacular views of the place. Thanks for the nice tour.
A great trip Martha -- so interesting to go through all those climate changes in a day -- amazing country! The flowers DO show up beautifully. Looking forward to seeing more of them.
Each scene is beautiful. Isn't it amazing all the different climates you can find in California?! Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm looking forward to seeing the desert wildflowers.
such different weathers in a span of hours? lovely photos you captured! My World is up here.
Thanks for the memories Martha. I hope to revisit DV maybe this fall. Really looking forward to the flowers, heard there was a fantastic bloom this year.
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