Death Valley National Park, CA

The Super Bloom occuring in Death Valley National Park right now was underway when we visited in February. Woo hoo! If you are into desert wildflowers, check out Desert USA for updates. Here's just a few of the blooms we admired...

Desert Sunflower (Geraea canescens)

How could we not take multiple pictures with this spectacular flower - the definite show stopper?

Don't pass up smelling Desert Sunflower (Desert Gold)...it's enchanting!

Brown-eyed Evening Primrose (Camissonia clavaeformis)

Mohave Desert Star (Monoptilon bellioides)

Purple Mat (Nama demissum)

Caltha-leaf Phacelia (Phacelia calthifolia)

Gravel Ghost (Atrichoseris platyphylla)

Panamint Cryptantha (Cryptantha angustifolia)

The scale and grandeur of the scenery is humbling, inspiring and tends to provoke many thoughts difficult to articulate. Truly. The beauty of each small flower, each small piece is made that much grander by its place in the vast landscape.

Charcoal Kilns- wow, what a treat to see! These are some big, impressive ovens.

Death Valley is quite a mix of climates due to its lowest elevation (-279') and its highest point at Telescope Peak (11,331').  Climb a bit higher and you find cooler temperatures and snow in February.

Here we are happy atop Wildrose Peak (9,064') with the Sierra Nevadas in the background.

We opted out of Telescope Peak due to the snow and inappropriate gear, but you can see it in the background. Next time!

Thank you volcanoes for depositing such an array of minerals and ash to provide us with such a paint pot of color.

Our final bloom to end our exploration of Death Valley - the quintessential desert plant: Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata).

Next up: Mojave National Preserve