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Death Valley - Super Bloom 2016

3/19/2016

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A Super Bloom happens when there is plentiful rainfall after years of drought. We missed the last one ten years ago in 2005, but hoped to be able to see one this year in Death Valley, if the rains came as predicted. In September we made reservations for Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley with hopes that March  would be good timing for possible viewing of a super bloom. Timing was perfect. 
South East Entrance to Death Valley via Death Valley Junction
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South East Entrance to Death Valley via Death Valley junction
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Death Valley drive on valley floor
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Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, CA
What makes the blooms in Death Valley spectacular is the fact that they come from what had the appearance of a field of rocks with few bushes. Many of the flowers are a foot or more apart so you have to get down and view at a little above ground level to make it more yellow. The contrast of the rock and the flowers is striking.
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Desert Gold, wildflowers on Beatty Rd, Death Valley
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Desert Gold, wildflowers, Death Valley
The Desert Gold wildflowers were blooming in areas that were very rocky and usually have little visible life. 
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Desert Gold, wildflowers, Death Valley

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley 
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Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, CA
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Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, CA
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Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, CA

Furnace Creek Campground, Death Valley - Elevation 190 feet below sea level. There are several campgrounds in the Furnace Creek area and we found that Furnace Creek State Park Campground was far superior to the two other across the road that were more akin to large parking lots. Our site opened up to a flat dry marsh with the view of trees and the mountains. When I made reservations in Sept for March it was nearly fully booked.
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The view from our campsite was spectacular. Furnace Creek Campground, Death Valley
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Mesquite Trees at Furnace Creek Campground, Death Valley
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Furnace Creek Campground, Death Valley
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The view from our campsite was spectacular. Furnace Creek Campground, Death Valley

Badwater, Death Valley 
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Badwater, Death Valley
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Badwater, Death Valley
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Death Valley, CA

"​Artist's Drive, Death Valley
A worthwhile loop off the main valley floor road that takes under an hour

A Palette of Color
"More than five million years ago, repeated volcanic eruptions blanketed the landscape, depositing ash and minerals, The volcanic minerals were chemically altered by heat and water, with variable amounts of oxygen and other introduced elements. Chemical analyses have identified a paint pot of elements: iron, aluminum, magnesium, and titanium, but no copper. Some fot he colored minerals here include red hematite and green chlorite. This is truly a natural artist's palette of color splashed across the slope. The time of day, clouds, and the rare rainfall shift the intensity of the colors, making each visit slightly different."
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Artist's Drive, Death Valley
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Artist's Drive, Death Valley
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Artist's Drive, Death Valley
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Sign at Ash Meadows Wildlife Reserve, Nevada

Furnace Creek Lodge, Death Valley
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Furnace Creek Lodge, Death Valley, CA
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Death Valley, CA
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Death Valley, CA
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Desert Gold, wildflowers, Death Valley
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Five Spot, Wildflower, Death Valley, CA
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Wildflowers, Death Valley, CA
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Desert Gold, wildflowers, Death Valley
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Desert Gold, wildflowers on Beatty Rd, Death Valley. Wildflowers are blooming in what is often a field of rocks.
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Death Valley, CA
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Death Valley, CA
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Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley
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Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley
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Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley
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Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley

Northern Death Valley 
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Northern Death Valley
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Northern Death Valley
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Northern Death Valley
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Campsite at Panamint Springs at the north west entrance to Death Valley. We could see dust storms in the valley.

Beatty, Nevada - day trip from Death Valley also included visit to Ash Meadow Wildlife Reserve 
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Beatty, Nevada
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Beatty, Nevada
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Beatty, Nevada

Legal Brothels in Nevada find humor for billboards
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Nevada Brothels
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Nevada near Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada - day trip from Death Valley

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/ash_meadows/ 
The Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a protected wildlife located in the Amargosa Valley of southern Nye County in southwestern Nevada . It is directly east of Death Valley National Park and is 90 mi west-northwest of Las Vegas.

The refuge was created on June 18, 1984 to protect an extremely rare desert oasis. 

The refuge is a major discharge point for a vast underground aquifer water system, reaching more than 100 mi (160 km) to the northeast. Water-bearing strata come to the surface in more than thirty seeps and springs, providing a rich, complex variety of habitats. 
Virtually all of the water at Ash Meadows is fossil water, believed to have entered the ground water system tens of thousands of years ago.

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Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
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Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
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Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
Nuwuvi/Newe Perspective
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Our stories speak of many trails throughout Ash Meadow. These trails have important messages to be shared, if you listen closely to their soft voices. We have a spiritual connection with these paths that help us to communicate with the land and with others. 

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Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
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Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
Spring at ​Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada is over 500 feet deep 
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Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
Devil's Hole is a deep, water-filled limestone cave, perhaps the deepest in North America. Scuba divers descended to a depth of 436 feet without finding the bottom and they believe it is at least 500 feet deep. From core samples taken in the depths of this watery cave, scientists have been able to piece together a 500,000-year history of the earth's climate. ​
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Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
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Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
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Large cat prints of either a cougar or bobcat at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
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Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
Nuwuvi/Newe Perspective
When we go to the mountains, we're supposed to talk to the land ... you stop and let yourself be known to everything and ask to be received in a good way, making everything safe. That you bring goodness, not harm of any sort.
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Joshua Tree and Death Valley - Super Bloom 2016

3/19/2016

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Joshua Tree National Park is in the Mojave Desert. This high desert landscape has many large rock formations and an abundance of Joshua Trees. 
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Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
The appreciation of the desert's beauty can be an acquired taste. I remember seeing a Joshua Tree years ago and wondered what the big deal was about. Now I am drawn to the beauty of the high desert and find it one of my favorite places with many things to appreciate. ​
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Yucca blooms seen on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Yucca blooms seen on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Yucca seen on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA

Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Our first camp was Jumbo Rock Campground in Joshua Tree National Park.  Reservations are on a first come basis and it's packed on weekends in the spring and fall so we arrived before noon on a weekday to get a great spot for the entire week.

NOTE - There water and dumpsite ONLY at Black Rock Campground on the edge of the park. This is the only campground has any facilities and cell coverage and it is barely inside the park . There is limited water ranger station as you enter and none inside the park so it is best to come prepared. The cell coverage disappears shortly after you enter the park and go up in elevation. 

I have never experienced such silence as I have in this area. When the wind is not blowing the silence is so dense and complete that it seems to have matter. 

Jumbo Rock Campground is set among large rock formations and has many scenic sites.  We were able to walk directly out of our campsite and explore in several directions so most of our explorations were directly from our campsite or from a trail leading to Skull Rock from our campground. . The GPS on our phones were helpful to find our way back easily  to our camper since we were not on trails. ​
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View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park,
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View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park,
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Cactus seen on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park,
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View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park,
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View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park,
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View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Trail to Skull Rock from our campground at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Yucca blooming. View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Yucca blooming. View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA

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Note how much darker the sky is high in the sky than it is near the horizon. It was such an intense blue! Roatdtrek at the bottom of the photo.
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I was noting how much darker the sky was above my head than it was near the horizon. See photo to the left for what I saw. It was such an intense dark blue!
The blooms on the Joshua trees were massive and dense with a velvety butter texture and color. ​
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Joshua Tree Blooms at Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Joshua Tree Blooms at Joshua Tree National Park, CA

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Trail to Skull Rock from our campground at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park,

Mara Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park, CA 

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Mara Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Mara Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Cactus at Mara Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Mara Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Mara Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Mara Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park, CA

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View on walk behind our campsite at Jumbo Rock Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
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Route 66 - Amboy, CA

3/19/2016

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Route 66 - outside Amboy, CA
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Route 66 - Amboy, CA
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Route 66 - Amboy, CA - our van camper by Roaktrek
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Route 66 - Amboy, CA
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Route 66 - Amboy, CA
Art Exhibit in retro motel in Amboy, CA on Route 66 
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Art Exhibit at Roy's Motel, Amboy, CA, Route 66
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Art Exhibit at Roy's Motel, Amboy, CA, Route 66
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Art Exhibit at Roy's Motel, Amboy, CA, Route 66
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Gas Station on Route 66 and Roy's Motel, Amboy, CA
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Amboy, CA
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Amboy, CA
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Route 66 outside Amboy, CA
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San Joaquin Valley, CA - Highway 5 in the Spring

3/19/2016

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San Joaquin Valley fields in spring - Highway 5 California
Driving down Highway 5 on the way to Joshua Tree from the Bay Area was great on this beautiful spring day. 

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San Joaquin Valley fields in spring - Highway 5 California
 All seven photos in this series were taken from a speeding car on the freeway.

​Being a passenger gives one the opportunity to take quick photos as we zipped by on the freeway. I refer to these shots as "drive bys". 
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San Joaquin Valley fields in spring - Highway 5 California
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San Joaquin Valley fields in spring - Highway 5 California
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San Joaquin Valley fields in spring - Highway 5 California
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San Joaquin Valley fields in spring - Highway 5 California
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San Joaquin Valley fields in spring - Highway 5 California
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    Joshua Tree

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