Gower Gulch to Golden Canyon
 
 
strokestrokestrokestroke
 
 
With the wind blowing the tent cover most of the night, I didn’t get much sleep, but the day was sunny, though still breezy. Breakfast was chilly until the sun came over the hills about 8am, then it warmed up fast. Our 8.3 mile hike left from camp and continued out to the road, through 20 Mule Team Canyon to Gower Gulch and then through Golden Canyon past Manly Beacon and Red Cathedral to the waiting van. Tonight is Margarita night! Steve and Lynn donned festive shirts and hats and served up some mean margaritas, with chips, salsa and guacamole for happy hour. Dinner was chicken fajitas with chocolate cake for dessert. Steve’s practical jokes kept everyone laughing so hard we nearly cried! As soon as it was dark enough we star gazed once again before turning in for the night.
Fueling up on coffee and breakfast
The Creosote shrub is the most common in the Mojave Desert-can be up to 12,000 yrs old.
Steve took us on a flower walk before the hike. This is a Desert Rock Nettle or Sting Bush-the hollow needles are filled with histamines.
Buckwheat, or Desert Trumpet. There are 2 kinds-Inflatum and Deflatum, the is Inflatum (the stem is enlarged)
Wet Leaf Spiderling-leaves are always wet and sticky
Desert Holly-exudes salt and turns white to slow photosynthesis. Most xyric (drought resistant) plant in Death Valley
Brittlebush
Closeup of Brittlebish
Spruce
Setting off on our hike
We are walking on Desert Pavement-the wind has blown away all the sediment over thousands of years
 View over badlands of Panamint Range and Telescope Peak
 
another gastropod fossil
our ‘driveway” to our campsite
view of salt flats
 
 
it is still windy!
 
Steve explains the geology during our snack break. Death Valley is relatively young at 4 million years old
The “pavement” makes for easy walking
Dodder-Angels/Devils Hair. Fine golden strands are parasitic and will kill host plant.
more fossils
 
we head into a slot canyon
 
Hi Jen!
 
Indigo Bush
we come out at Rt. 190
in the road in the desert!
we go from Mars to Venus. Across the road, the terrain drastically changes.
 
the mudstone badlands are beautiful
 
 
20 Mule Team Canyon
The hole is an old Borax mine shaft
That is another mine shaft high up on the hillside
 
 
We need to get down in to that wash in Gower Gulch
the only way is this steep switchback old mining trail
We need to name this, as no one else sees it. How about the Main Stage? The stage curtains are in back.
Slot canyon Jen and I explored at lunch
The end!
unless we climbed up and over
Peeps! I should have brought more! Thanks Mom! It got up to 95˚ at the Valley floor today, it was 70˚ in the shade at out lunch spot in the Gulch.
Continuing down Gower Gulch
towards Manly Beacon, in Golden Canyon
The sky is always an incredible blue
 
climbing towards manly Beacon
viewpoint at base of the Beacon, looking back on the trail we just came up
looking at the salt flats near Furnace Creek
Green area has water source
 
 
Our trail around Manly Beacon and into Golden Canyon
It wasn’t as scary as it looks
Iron rich rocks of Red Cathedral
Red Cathedral
Looking back at Manly Beacon. Elev. 750 ft.
 
 
Anil rests in a side canyon
The pavement at right is the remains of a tourist road that was built in Golden Canyon to Red Cathedral in 1929. A flash flood in the 70’s wiped it out.
We stopped here to wash up, get water and ice. 190 ft below sea level. Next up-Margaritas!
Another flattened penny for my collection!
Tuesday, 3/24