Death Valley Dune Stomping

Did a winter jaunt to Death Valley in January.  It rained!  Not a lot, but enough to get the pavement wet.  I noticed that the motel roof at Stovepipe Wells had no gutters...I reckon you don't need them when only two inches of rain fall in an average year.

Lizards are hangin' on the sea level sign...can't see it from here, but you're on a notable downslope when you pass the sign heading west.  Lowest elevation hereabouts is -282 feet.

The dunes near Stovepipe Wells.  The big ones in the center are my destination.

The sand is two toned in parts of the dunes.  The Lizards are showing their artistic side here.

Fine abstract dune shot.  At 60 degrees it was good weather for dune stomping.  Last time I did it here was April 1991, and it was about 90.  No problem...I was a lot younger and slimmer then.  Now...I wouldn't go far in that kind of weather.

Despite its dryness, Death Valley has many fine alluvial fans, visible due to the lack of vegetation.  It rains considerably more in the mountains than on the valley floor, of course...good for fan development.

Fine abstract shot of the dunes and the playa on the valley floor.  The tallest dunes here are about 70-100 feet high.

The three highest dunes.  I summitted them all, as the person on the top of the middle one is in the process of doing.

The damp weather created some fine cloud patterns not usually seen in these parts.  I even ran into dense fog in the Panamint Valley, west of Death Valley.

Salt Creek.  Here on the floor of Death Valley, one of the hottest, driest places anywhere, fish live year round.  Desert pupfish hang out in the creek, though it's only a few inches deep.  I read that this time of year, when mountain runoff is light, they hang out in springs upstream.  Later in the spring, when snowmelt increases the flow, the fish come into this part of the creek...I've seen them on previous visits.  DV is a remarkable, surreal place.  It grows on you, and you come to realize that it's fascinating and unique.  This was my third visit...I need to make it a regular stop.