Death Valley Road Trip Part 1

We had been talking about visiting Death Valley for many years. We finally did it! Here is the first post in a series.

Snow in the Sierra Nevada mountain range along U.S. Route 50 near the “Sierra at Tahoe” ski resort:

A view from the inside of a vehicle showing a road lined with tall pine trees and high snowbanks on a sunny day.

Mono Lake from the vista point on U.S. Route 395:

A panoramic landscape of a snow-dusted valley leading to a large body of water, Mono Lake, with mountain ranges in the background under a clear blue sky.

Sunset behind the Sierra Nevada. Somewhere north of Bishop, CA:

A silhouette of a mountain range with snow-capped peaks against a twilight sky. Ghostly lighting illuminates some whisper thin clouds.

The east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, just outside Big Pine. The major mountain might be North Palisade:

A scenic view of snow-capped mountains behind rolling hills with sparse vegetation and a wooden fence in the foreground under a clear blue sky.

Driving by Manzanar, the vile World War II Japanese-American Internment Camp. The Sierra Nevada mountains are in the background:

An expansive landscape with a guard tower in the foreground and snow-capped mountains in the background, below a sky with light clouds. There's dry, brushy vegetation covering the ground, and several informational signs are visible near the middle ground. A barracks building can be seen.

Wind-driven dust on State Route 136, east of Owens Lake:

A view from the inside of a car driving on a straight road through a desert landscape with telephone poles alongside, under a clear sky with scattered clouds. Dust is visible in the air and snaking as ribbons across the road.

Rainbow Canyon near Death Valley

At Death Valley, a Crow Apparently Begs

Passed through Tonopah 🤡 😬 A roadside view of the Clown Motel with colorful clown figures on the sign and the building’s facade, under a partly cloudy sky. A colorful roadside motel attraction with clown motifs, including a large clown sign, against a backdrop of barren hills. The building features a welcome sign and a museum label, with festive clown murals and decorations with a red and yellow exterior.

The wind was far calmer today at Death Valley, so here’s a Desert Sunflower without motion blur #BloomScrolling #FlowerReport #DeathValley #Fujifilm A yellow flower with a prominent central disc and bright petals, set against a green, leafy background.

Meanwhile, yesterday, somewhere in Death Valley #DeathValley #Fujifilm A scenic view of a desert landscape with rolling hills in the foreground and a valley with mountains in the background, under a partly cloudy sky. The valley has a salt flat.

I’m trying the Tidal music streaming service. So far I really like the mixes they make based on the genres I listen to. They’re far more successful than Apple Music’s mixes. Also, on Tidal, when setting up my music preferences I could have gone all day selecting artists. Really good so far.

Conical perforated metal strainers are pretty great for pulpy food compared to fine mesh wire strainers (impossible to clean!). We just juiced all our backyard-grown Meyer lemons, got 8 cups. Now the juice has been heat pasteurized, portioned, and frozen for summer lemonade. A person is pouring fresh Meyer lemon juice through a conical fine mesh strainer, or chinois, into a stainless steel pot.

Daylight Saving Time means more energy use. The heat pump works harder w/hour longer low temps before sunrise. In summer, later sunset means the ambient air temperature won’t drop so windows must stay closed longer. I’ll be in bed during daylight, with the heat pump cooling longer to sleeping temp.

Our full bloom nectarine tree Branches of pink nectarine blossoms against a blue sky with bokeh clouds.

We were barely tolerated by a pair of nesting Osprey at the refuge today. 😬#Osprey #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm An osprey landing on its large nest built atop a wooden pole. Another osprey peaks over the rim of the nest.

Yesterday I picked up our wine club box at the New Clairvaux winery in Vina, CA. Couldn’t beat the weather! #Fujifilm A vineyard with dormant grapevines supported by trellis systems, numbered sign “34” in the foreground, clear blue sky above. Bare tree branches against a clear blue sky, dotted with round, brown seedpods or growths. A row of red brick buildings with closed white doors reflected in a large puddle on a sunny day. A red barn with an open door beside a large tree, with green grass in the foreground and solar panels in the background under a clear blue sky.

Our front yard Ceanothus bushes are nearly in full bloom. They are very popular with all sorts of bees and assassin bugs #BloomScrolling A ceanothus bush with lush green leaves and clusters of small purple flowers, bathed in sunlight. There’s an assassin bug perched on one clump of flowers and a few bees elsewhere.

A Glossy Ibis at the refuge yesterday #GlossyIbis #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge A glossy ibis in flight against a clear blue sky. It has metallic blue wings and a slight metallic red color. Its bill is long, slender, and curved. Its legs are pointed straight back.

Spotted a stunning American Kestrel at the refuge today #Birds #BirdWatching #AmericanKestrel A blue and orange kestrel perched on a leafing Willow branch against a clear blue sky.

Lagunitas IPNA is very good for a hoppy non-alcoholic beer. It’s has non-generic, tasty hops (citrus and tropical flavors) with a light malt background. I’d recommend this. Clausthaler is still my favorite NA beer (very malt forward). A bottle of Lagunitas Brewing Company’s IPNA, a non-alcoholic IPA containing less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. The label features large red and purple text with a dog illustration, describing the beverage as “Full-Flavored, Hop-Forward”

Some photos my awesome wife took at the airports she traveled through for a work trip. A319s and a 737-8. #AvGeek United A319 Airplane at airport gate with jet bridge connected, ground support equipment nearby, clear sky. A United A319 airplane parked at an airport gate during sunrise, with ground support equipment and jet bridge visible. Reflections and interior lighting elements are seen on a window. Airport tarmac with deicing ground support vehicles, a Southwestern Airlines plane in the distance, and a snow capped mountain range under a clear blue sky.

View from inside an airport terminal with large windows overlooking a United Airlines 737-800 aircraft parked at the gate with ground service equipment nearby.

Sun and rain! Thunderstorms are trying to develop. Maybe they’ll amount ri something on the east side of the Sacramento Valley. #CaWx Sunlight filtering through green leaves, casting a dappled glow on a wooden fence, with tiny airborne, slightly motion blurred, rain drops illuminated in the light.

Today, our nectarine had its first bloom #BloomScrolling A close-up of a pink nectarine blossom on a tree branch with buds and a bright blue sky in the background.

We think this is a Loggerhead Shrike, though could also easily be a Northern Shrike. Either way, what a sharp looking bird. This is the second time we spotted them atop the same tree. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Shrike #Fujifilm 🪶 A gray and black bird perched on a bare branch against a clear blue sky. The bird’s wing has a strikingly thick black leading edge.