Zabriskie Point

We're back from our annual desert sojourn. We've never gone to Death Valley at this time of the year, so with the boys in Canada and Japan, we decided it might be a good time to develop some new holiday traditions.

We camped for two days at Hole in the Wall, a beautiful spot in the Funeral Mountains just a few miles from Zabriskie Point. It allowed us to be there for sunrise on the morning of the 26th. Rather than photograph it from the viewing area, we climbed a ridge leading toward Manley Beacon and from that vantage point I was able to photograph with both Manley and Telescope Peak in the frame.

But the photos I'm publishing with this post were taken by Bruce with his cell phone. I especially love the first where he captured the first light behind us and somehow managed to get both me and himself into the shot. I don't know how he did it, I was petrified of our perch up there on the foot wide trail at the very crest of the ridge which fell away on each side. When we found the "wide spot" on the trail I relaxed enough for him to shoot this second one.

Yup, that's me....December 26th, with my back to the spectacular view of Manley Beacon in Death Valley.