California 12/2006 Ricky/Dan - Day 7

We start out exploring Death Valley National Park.

Start out on this road. Don't worry about that sign, it's always there just to discourage folks.

The road soon looks like this as it makes its way over the South Pass of the Saline Valley.

Then we head up the Lippencott Mine jeep trail.

We make it to the top, and Dan checks out the views.

Poor Dan, seems he has been staked out for the ants to eat.

We check out the moving rocks.

Then we make our way to the Ubehebe Crater.

And some of the canyons.





And the sand dunes.



The view of Death Valley

And night is about to fall on our trip.

We stop at Tecopa Hot Springs to wash off the trail dust before heading to Las Vegas and a red eye flight home.

California 12/2006 Ricky/Dan - Day 6

We wake up sore and in need of hot water, but alas there was none to be had, so we Advil up and head out.

Here is the view up the rock wall toward Glacier Point (where the rock slide came from)

One of the domes.

Yosemite Falls.

El Captain

Yosemite Valley

Next stop: Sequoia National Park.

And the big trees.



Some of the big ones have fallen.

Ricky is checking out the inside of one that has fallen.

From the inside looking out

And out the other side

Dan and a big one.

We leave Sequoia and head toward the desert.



We find some hot water - Miracle Hot Springs.

Yep, we qualified here.



Post Note: I think these springs have been destroyed. What a loss.

Not really sure why InyoKern was so funny, but it was at the time. (A place between Inyo County and Kern County)

California 12/2006 Ricky/Dan - Day 5

We arrived at Yosemite National Park and get checked in to our room at Curry Village.

Our plans called for us to stay 2 nights here.

Dan relaxes and has a smoke.

We get a fairly early start and start our hike up to Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls.

Half Dome.

The trail with all that snow that Ricky just loved.

Lots of pretty views during the day.





Dan is leading us up to Vernal Falls.

Vernal Falls.

Don't get too close to the edge.

We make it up to Nevada Falls

and check out the water as it is about to flow over the edge

and have a snack.

Dan on top.

Ricky is hurting bad by the time we head back down. He was hurting so bad we thought we were going to have to put him out of his misery.

Post Note: In October, 2008, a rock slide took out some of the cabins in the area where we stayed.