RJ Elliott

The sunrise over the mountains was beautiful. Steam from the scattered hot springs rose gently into the crisp air. We packed up camp in our usual efficient manner and headed off towards Death Valley, still several hours away. Seems we should call this the Day of Irony, as we are leaving our coldest location to go to the hottest place in the world.

On that note, Death Valley holds several records: hottest temperature on earth recorded here in 2021 and the deepest point on the North American continent. For us, it's a personal record - Death Valley is the 16th and final official park/recreation area we visited on our 22 day trip. The most any of us have done in a concentrated amount of time.

Death Valley possesses an otherworldly beauty, but surprised us with the variety of colours and features there were to explore. The park boasts a waterfall, brightly coloured hills and huge stones that mysteriously 'move' ever so slowly across the desert floor, leaving obvious tracks. While we didn't have time to explore all these we did stop by 'Badwater Basin' - the lowest point in the park and North America (and 8th lowest in the world!). The salt left by evaporating water creates a crystallised crust across the dry lake bed. Becky found the deepest indent in sight so she could say she stood at the bottom of America. Cilla scuttled across the searing saltpan to snap stunning shots of the scintillating scene (couldn't resist 😉). We stopped at Artist's Palette and Natural Bridge and drove many miles of beautifully windy road (unless you're a motion-sick prone Nomes, then beautiful and windy don't belong together :)).

We were staying at Panamint Springs Resort: an old collection of camp sites, scattered motel rooms, a general store and restaurant. Nestled in the valley, this peaceful and quite location was a perfect spot to spend our last night. Cilla cooked up a scrumptious meal with a random assortment of leftovers (kinda wishing there was a recipe!). We finished off the night and celebrated the repacking of our cases with an equally random pancake recipe, cooked under the stars (also delicious).

Hard to believe it's our last adventuring day, we've packed so much into every day, going home to routine is going to be a big change.

- NomesThe sunrise over the mountains was beautiful. Steam from the scattered hot springs rose gently into the crisp air. We packed up camp in our usual efficient manner and headed off towards Death Valley, still several hours away. Seems we should call this the Day of Irony, as we are leaving our coldest location to go to the hottest place in the world.

On that note, Death Valley holds several records: hottest temperature on earth recorded here in 2021 and the deepest point on the North American continent. For us, it's a personal record - Death Valley is the 16th and final official park/recreation area we visited on our 22 day trip. The most any of us have done in a concentrated amount of time.

Death Valley possesses an otherworldly beauty, but surprised us with the variety of colours and features there were to explore. The park boasts a waterfall, brightly coloured hills and huge stones that mysteriously 'move' ever so slowly across the desert floor, leaving obvious tracks. While we didn't have time to explore all these we did stop by 'Badwater Basin' - the lowest point in the park and North America (and 8th lowest in the world!). The salt left by evaporating water creates a crystallised crust across the dry lake bed. Becky found the deepest indent in sight so she could say she stood at the bottom of America. Cilla scuttled across the searing saltpan to snap stunning shots of the scintillating scene (couldn't resist 😉). We stopped at Artist's Palette and Natural Bridge and drove many miles of beautifully windy road (unless you're a motion-sick prone Nomes, then beautiful and windy don't belong together :)).

We were staying at Panamint Springs Resort: an old collection of camp sites, scattered motel rooms, a general store and restaurant. Nestled in the valley, this peaceful and quite location was a perfect spot to spend our last night. Cilla cooked up a scrumptious meal with a random assortment of leftovers (kinda wishing there was a recipe!). We finished off the night and celebrated the repacking of our cases with an equally random pancake recipe, cooked under the stars (also delicious).

Hard to believe it's our last adventuring day, we've packed so much into every day, going home to routine is going to be a big change.

- NomesBaca lagi

We awoke this morning at 6.30am determined to see the sunrise in Bryce Canyon. As we drove into the park, the night sky was replaced with the soft pink and blue hues of dawn. It was a chilly 3 degrees, quite a contrast to the 43 degree days we'd experienced a little closer to Las Vegas. We were glad for the warmer clothes we'd brought, as we layered up and set off up the short, steep hike to Inspiration Point to watch the sunrise.

The view from the top did not disappoint. The gentle warmth of the rising sun illuminated the hoodoos and set them aflame. It was a photographer's paradise and I didn't want to leave! Nomes and Bek kindly let me stay while they went down to Bryce City to fetch hot coffees.

After consuming our coffees and donning our hiking gear, we set off to walk the Navajo Loop Trail. This 1.3 mile hike drops right into the canyon beneath the towering hoodoos that dwarfed us, (and provided so many photo opportunities that it took us much longer than 30 minutes to reach the canyon floor!)

We passed Thor's Hammer, the park's most famous rock formation (seriously impressive) and Two Bridges, a pair of small water carved arches. We met so many friendly fellow-hikers and exchanged tales on where we had been, where we were going and what we'd recommend. The return loop of the hike took us up via "Wall Street" a narrow canyon which features 100ft walls which block most of the sunlight, keeping it cool and revealing only a sliver of sky above. Towering between the walls are Douglas Fir trees, some of which are 750 years old! We welcomed the shade as we climbed 30 steep switchbacks which led to the rim.

By the time we reached the top, we were in a small race against time to get back to our airbnb Yurt and pack up before checkout. Team work makes the dream work, and we were out only 15 minutes late. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch stop at Ruby's Motel & RV park, where we also made use of their laundry and hot showers - delightful after two days of camping! This afternoon promises tocbe an adventure too as we head into the more remote Grand Staircase regions, stay tuned!
- CillaBaca lagi