Photo Blog with Waterfalls, Hiking, Outdoors, and other Adventures
The day was young and my visit to the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes left me near the geographic center of Death Valley. I studied the map and decided my best use of time would be to drive to Panamint Springs on the far west side. This would take considerable time but would allow me to … Read more
Awoke before sunrise ready to stretch my legs a bit. The park newspaper gave suggestions for ideal sunrise viewing and I chose Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Left the campground and started my drive. Mountains encapsulate the area in all directions like a bowl. Besides one couple, I was the only other early bird here. You can … Read more
Returned to camp after watching the sunset at Zabriskie Point. Hours of driving made me quite tired, but clear skies & views of the stars granted me a second wind. I wasn’t getting cell service anywhere in the park except at the campground, and even then it was like 2 bars of 3G. Still enough … Read more
After leaving Artists Drive I didn’t have much daylight left but it still felt too early to call it a day. What to do next? A quick read of the park’s newspaper pointed me to Zabriskie Point which they claim is the best place to watch both sunrise & sunset in all of Death Valley. … Read more
Generally when I take these last-minute trips where I’ve done little to no planning, my first destination is always something “easy” to get things started. Today that location was Artists Drive which is located only about 10 miles south from the campground. (Important: Don’t forget to click the photos for a full-size image!) Located in … Read more
Woke early today, picked up supplies at Walmart, and started driving west from Las Vegas towards Death Valley National Park. Desert highways appeared to stretch into infinity, and because it was a Tuesday in the off-season I was often the only human for miles in any direction. Stepping out from the car to photograph the … Read more
2017 was full of travel, but December has come and I still somehow had vacation time saved up. I quickly searched airfare and weather forecasts and decided the Las Vegas area was the easiest and most economical shot. My plan? Get plane tickets and a rental car, then figure out the rest later. As usual, … Read more
I’m posting out of order today in honor of the #optoutside movement started by REI to encourage people to skip the evil that is Black Friday shopping and instead get outdoors. Luckily today in Wisconsin we had a mini heat wave and tied record highs around 65 degrees which made it an easy choice! Before … Read more
Last stop for this Tennessee journey was Piney Falls State Natural Area. After leaving Ozone Falls I had almost no cell service and had to rely on loose notes & Google map printouts. Took a chance and eventually found the trailhead – no surprise, with sunset looming I was the only one here. The start of the … Read more
Time was moving quickly today, and the sun was getting noticeably lower on the horizon. Next stop was Ozone Falls State Natural Area, a smaller park with a tall waterfall. I visited the lower section via the Plunge Pool Trail. Along the way, there is a cave eroded in the cliffs called Gambler’s Den with … Read more