Seeking water

Today was a day of wandering under a changing sky, from shades of gray early in the day to late afternoon clearing. It was a day of seeking water in the desert.

I planned to start my day at Badwater, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. A morning chat with one of the rangers here enticed me to drive a bit further to the south to find a few (less visited) pools of water. Heading north again, my second stop was Badwater, more water in the desert. I walked out on the salt flats past the area smoothed by the passage of many feet to see large hexagonal shapes in the salt.

Artist's Drive beckoned with exposed colors, pinks and greens scattered among the expected warm tones of the desert.

Footpaths etched in the dirt pulled me past the Harmony Borax Works to salt-clad ground showing where water sometimes flows.

As the sun dropped towards the peaks of the Panamint Mountains I returned to Badwater, seeking (and finding) reflections in the water.

It was good wandering day.