Dunes and Mosaic Canyon

The stars at night, are big and bright . . . deep in the heart of Death Valley.  I only had to take Babs out twice . . . and I was a little worried about snakes and scorpions . . . but the only serpent I saw was in the sky, and it was gorgeous.

Monday morning before we checked out we drove to the sand dunes and to Mosaic Canyon.  The sand dunes were not as big as those in Colorado (though there are others in the park that are), but they were still impressive.  We did see several tracks in the sand, but that is all of the life we saw.

Mosaic Canyon was just across the road from the dunes.  The geology of Death Valley is quite complicated, but Mosaic Canyon is a great example of the force of just a little water over time.  It does not rain much in Death Valley, but when it does, floods are common.  Just 1/4" of the wet stuff can create quite a problem is a person is caught in the Canyon.

When we were in Alaska, we enjoyed looking at the geology.  Death Valley was the same.  We saw some rocks that appeared as if they could have been cut by glaciers, but they weren't.  The forces of wind and water created much the same effect.  Some of the rocks were completely smooth, and it wasn't until we left the Canyon that we realized the rocks were marble.

We did not have the afternoon sun but instead the morning, but we still found some beautiful colors.