We started out by exploring Clark Dry Lake, which is north of County Road S-22. None of us had ever been there before. I've been wanting to check this area out for years, but in the winter there is generally a large herd of land yachts parked at the start of the trail, so I've never bothered. There is an unpaved road that runs a little over 10 miles, first along the edge of the dry lake bed, then up Rockhouse Canyon. At the very end it gets really rocky, at which point it pretty much ends, and you turn and come back out the same (and only) way. Just before the road heads up the canyon it crosses the edge of the lake bed, and you can get a close look at the dried mud surface.
After exploring around Clark Dry Lake and Rockhouse Canyon for a bit we wandered over to 17 Palms Oasis in search of a shady spot for lunch. Here's the view from my chair.
We checked out the scenic overlooks at Vista del Malpais and Fonts Point, with a few stops in between to get a closer look at some of the desert geology. You can see Clark Dry Lake in the distance from our parking spot at Fonts Point.
It wasn't really all that hot for being close to the end of May, probably only in the very low 90's. There was lot of wind, and it was a fairly cool breeze, which kept it comfortable.
Click here for a few more images from the day.
Whew, I'm finally able to post a comment! I've been trying to post a comment for days on this blog entry! I finally used a different browser and I'm able to sign in now. That dried mud is very photogenic Frank. I hope to get out to the desert more next year than I did this year.
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