my day in death valley

Brad took me to Death Valley yesterday

WHAT A TREAT!

First let me say, Brad is an EXCEPTIONAL guide.

He's really in his element when guiding people through nature.

I can ask Brad anything about nature and 99% of the time he knows the answer.

We spent Wednesday night in the company apartment in Pahrump

and got up bright & early to begin our adventure.

Of course, he was actually working, so we had others to pick up and take along.

But that didn't change the magical experience it was!

Before I give the blog over to photos to tell the story, let me just say that being in Death Valley in the spring really is magical ... but being in Death Valley in the spring with Brad as the guide - well, that's perfection!

Here you go:

cotton-ball barrell cactus

some of the fluff had fallen off, so I picked it up ... it really did feel like cotton balls!

Brad at work... I know - it's a tough job, but someone has to do it!

Desert 5-point

yup - it's a real scorpion

this stuff is really neat ... it's called "dodder" and is a parasite plant that feeds off of other desert plants. It's incredibly moist and grows for only a couple of weeks in early spring. Yes, it's edible, and the taste is bland... just crunchy & moist. Brad thinks it would be great in a salad. (I just did some reading up on dodder and it's a horrid parasitic weed that steals nutrients from other plants. So no more praise for dodder!)

Don't know what this is called, but WOW! It's beautiful and fragrant.

This was an amazing site ... Brad called these purple mats - and that's exactly what it looked like. The hillside looked as if it had been carpeted in purple.

This was a Racetrack Playa tour. Look up Racetrack Playa to learn about it - it's remarkable. This rock made this track by being blown across the floor after a rain.

Indian Paintbrush

These were tiny little daisies about the size of a pencil eraser.