It is a Jeep Liberty and it will get me to a lot of locations I haven't been able to reach in the past. So Saturday I took it out for a trial run down the Bitter Springs Trail over the Muddy Mountains. (And to work on the rule of thirds assignment -- can you spot the assignment pictures?)
I followed the rain up to the Valley of Fire turnoff. When I got to the trailhead I stopped and took a look around. The skies behind me were clearing so I decided to push on.
Once I got into the hills I came upon a camp of half a dozen or so Jeeps and Trucks.
I didn't get many pictures taken as I was focusing on the trail. Unfortunately I didn't think to get some pictures of the more difficult parts of the drive.
There was a small dam in the hills.
A large cactus was growing on a boulder. It is hard to tell the scale but it is about a foot in diameter.
I only did a couple of HDR shots.
When I got near the end of the trail the Moon was blazing between the coulds but by the time I pulled out the camera it had all but disappeared behind the clouds.
I will definitely be returning to the Bitter Springs Trail to take some more time. It was an absolutely gorgeous ride. It took me about four hours to travel the twenty miles and I didn't scrape the undercarrage once. :^)
Next weekend I think I might go up to Rhyolite - the old ghost town near Beaty. If time permits I might take a spin through Death Valley as well. If anybody would like to join me there is plenty of room in the Photo Jeep.
Such a poser:
I did the drive years ago - I'd like to go back again sometime. If you return from Rhyolite through Death Valley, check out Titus Canyon. It will add some time to the trip, but is an interesting drive. Just make sure it's not washed out before you go...
ReplyDeleteI also want to hit Racetrack Playa but that's for another day. It is about 25 miles of high clearance driving each way. But that's why I got the Jeep. :^)
ReplyDelete25 miles is a long way to drive on a rough rode!
ReplyDeleteThe Mojave Preserve has some interesting places to visit with a jeep:
Caruthers Canyon, Hole In the Wall, Vulcan Mine, Kelso Dunes, etc.
Yeah but I've always wanted to see the moving rocks. :^) I figure I will do that run in April or May. The wild flowers in Death Valley might put on a good show this year. I need to look up when they bloom. It might be nice to combine the two.
ReplyDeleteAnother trip that has been on the schedule is Great Basin for the meteor showers in August. It is supposed to be one of the darkest skies in the continental US. There's also lots to do up there including caves and fossil digs.