Caruthers Canyon in the Mojave National Preserve was the perfect spot to pitch my “swag” for the night while traversing the Mojave Road. The swag is extremely popular in Australia and has many devotees now in the U.S. as well.
Links: Hiking in Mojave Preserve
The lava tubes off Aiken Mine Road in the Mojave National Preserve are a great place to explore and are only a short hike from the parking area. Three separate beams of light were shining through from above ground on the day I visited.
Links: Lava tubes
I never tire of this magnificent view of downtown San Diego from across the bay at Cabrillo National Monument.
It doesn’t get much better than sitting on a log while viewing Lower Yosemite Falls but it would have been a little chilly and wet on this day!
Up to 30,000 black bears have been estimated to inhabit California and one of them left this paw print in the snow in Yosemite National Park (that’s my adult daughter’s hand for a size comparison). I like how you can see some of the impression left by the ends of the toenails. There are no grizzly bears in California, with the last one being killed in Tulare County in 1922.
About 18 miles from the start of Titus Canyon Road in Death Valley National Park you will find the Klare Spring petroglyph area. Although there has been some vandalism, several original images still persist.
Links: NPS previous related post
Hole in the Wall is a small gap in a natural wall of rock some four hundred feet high. It is located 3.7 miles up a sandy wash/road that takes off of Highway 190 close to Zabriskie Point and Twenty Mule Team Canyon.
The Converse Basin Grove in Sequoia National Forest was extensively logged in the late 1800’s and many of the stumps are still intact. The oldest sequoia stump in this area is just over 3,200 years old!
Links: Sequoia National Forest
Twenty Mule Team Canyon is an unpaved 2.7 mile, one-way loop drive in Death Valley National Park located off Highway 190 just east of Furnace Creek. This badlands area is quite spectacular in color and texture.
Links: NPS previous related post
The Inn at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park was built by the Pacific Coast Borax Company of Twenty Mule Team fame and opened in 1927. It remains a luxurious oasis in the middle of an inhospitable desert. Included on the grounds is a large palm grove that invites one to stroll its paths and enjoy the shade!
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