This year's winter trip took us to the Mojave Desert, a land barren and rich in the same view.
Perhaps you can get a sense of this powerful desert through its bold sky and intense geography.
If you can get beyond the crowds, it is truly rewarding in a very unexpected way.
Having visited the park three years ago with my brother, I knew what we were in for and was excited to share it. This time I was taken aback by the crowds, but we worked hard to get to farther, quieter places where we could feel the land and its beauty more personally. I am glad we always take that extra effort to seek out the paths less traveled. It left us yearning for more.
Just outside of the park, we spontaneously stopped in at the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. We planned to spend a quick thirty minutes and ended up staying all day. Our only regret: No bighorn sheep sightings. Another excuse to make the pilgrimage another day.
