The light fluffy clouds of yesterday gave way to heavier dark clouds today but tomorrow is supposed to bring blue skies back to the valley of the sun. Tomorrow is the beginning of the Renaissance Festival – weee!
We Love the Clouds
My photography is nothing if not from the moment. No setup, no tripod, no plan, no clue – just inspiration. This photo is another from my series of stupid moments, that being while driving down the road and seeing a photo I have to take but not being able to pull over safely to snap it. So, I simply and stupidly point the camera out the window while someone else steers the car and I shoot away.
Oops
Walking away from the car, Caroline accidentally pushed the shutter button and this was the result. Sometimes I like these mistakes, beautiful scenery can get sooo old.
Ethiopian Cooking
Ethiopian food from Cafe Lalibela in Tempe, Arizona has been popular enough that for more than 10 years the cuisine of this African nation has found a home here in Arizona. Unfortunately for us the 3 Ethiopian restaurants I know of in Arizona are all located in the south valley. We have tried Blue Nile Cafe east of Lalibela on University Avenue and love their cooking too, but have yet to try Tina’s Ethiopian Cafe in Chandler. Caroline and I first became acquainted with the cuisine of Ethiopia at a restaurant in Frankfurt about 15 years ago, and we have continued enjoying this finger food ever since. This was my mother-in-law’s first taste of an African cooking style and hopefully not her last as she seemed to enjoy it as much as Caroline and I.
Ash Meadows
On our return home, we traveled east out of Death Valley, driving towards Amargosa Valley in Nevada so we could make a second visit in five years to the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. I, for one, was surprised by the golden, lifeless landscape; suppose I had forgotten that winter has this capability. While I was initially disappointed by the contrast to our first visit, the longer we walked along the spring-fed stream that feeds these wetlands in the middle of the desert, the more enamored I became with the meadow’s winter beauty. The nearby Devils Hole, a small part of Death Valley National Park lying outside of the main park boundary, was also on the itinerary, but a long drive home and a late start had to leave our return visit to the Devils Hole pupfish for a future trip.
Salt Sausages
Up before sunrise so we could take a long walk out on the salt flat near Badwater (elevation: 282 feet / 85.5 meters below sea level) and wouldn’t you know it, it takes forever for the sun to reach us.
We almost gave up after having walked out approximately a mile and a half (2.4km) and waiting for more than a half-hour for the sun to peek over the mountains.
Luckily, we held our ground because watching the shadow brighten and give way to sunlight was spectacular. The bluish salt quickly turns golden for a moment before blazing white.
Out on the salty Death Valley floor, we found areas where the ground buckles and small stalagmites grow in the cracks; insects that didn’t leave before the last water evaporated are dried into fragile shells, and miniature forests comprised of salt crystals, hair-thin filaments, and ceramic-like chunks that sound of glass as they clink together.
Daybreak here is as amazing as any sunrise at the Grand Canyon.
Heading up Mustard Canyon Drive to visit a place in the park we’ve not visited previously, I think.
The Harmony Borax Works lay in ruins but are well worth the drive up the narrow road.
Trying to maximize daylight hours during the shortened days of winter, we pushed Jutta along so we could make one more stop along the way before heading home. And don’t be mistaken; I’m not implying this giant cow is my mother-in-law.
Looking into the clear waters that are emerging from this spring at the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Amargosa Valley, Nevada.
Our visit will be short as we have quite a few miles left before pulling into Phoenix this evening.