some Death Valley creatures

Here are some of the little creatures we came across during our travels a few weeks ago:

Zebra-tailed lizard:

One of fifteen White-lined Sphinx Moth Caterpillars that we observed in the hot desert valley eating the few flowers that were still alive. They are surprisingly enormous, about 6" long and 3/4" in diameter:
Phainopepla in Surprise Canyon:
An unknown type of frog in Surprise Canyon:
A Southern Desert Horned Lizard:
an unknown type of lizard (western brush or desert night lizard?):
a scorpion (about 1.5" long):
Loggerhead Shrike:

CA Poppy Preserve

Panamint Dunes

After a 2.5hr walk through the desert, we played in the dunes for a few hours. The wind began to kick up a little as we left the dunes, but by the time we arrived back to the car a few hours later, it was difficult to walk and the sand and dust storm was almost unbearable - apparently common here.

Independence to Death Valley

The internet connection is awfully slow, so not many pictures today. We'll post them another night.

After breakfast at our hotel, we visited a small lake in Independence and wandered around uneventfully. Then, we checked out the Eastern California Museum which had a variety of disconnected collections - Native American baskets, photos of Manzanar, old medical equipment, an exhibit on a climber from the 1920s, ancient guns, farming equiment etc. We visited the site of Manzanar Internment Camp which was heartbreaking. Once into Death Valley, we visited the Darwin Falls a luscious, green walk (with water) in the midst of a desert. Dispersed camping is permitted in DV, so we found a site en route to tomorrow's hike, more than 2 miles from our closest neighbors - should be a pleasant night's stay.

Lee Vining to Independence

We started the day in style at Nicely's for breakfast, then drove up Lundy Canyon. We had never spent time in the Canyon before and we thought that, without the hundreds of campers who gather there in the Summer months, it would be the perfect time to visit. It was beautiful to be next to the creek, see a ton of trout, and even spot two bird species we'd never seen before (a group of Pine Siskins and a Mountain Chickadee). We also bush-wacked our way down to the lesser-known tufa area at Mono Lake and wandered about in/amongst tufa for a couple of hours. Bartshe had lunch with us and gave us expert advice on where to go and what to do in Death Valley. We left Lee Vining around 3, stopped in Bishop for supplies, at a gorgeous reservoir where we saw some gorgeous trout and a Prairie Falcon, then headed to Independence for an overnight stay. Unbelievably, there is a French restaurant in this itty-bitty town, so we ate there for dinner. Some pictures:


Violet-Green Swallow:

Red-breasted Sapsucker:
Mountain Chickadee:
Owens River, between Bishop and Independence:

Andrew could not resist the trout, though they managed to resist him:
Tonight's hotel in Independence - the Winnedumah:
Our room, in which John Wayne stayed: