To those of you in the middle of a cold winter with freezing temperatures and snow warnings, today’s blog may be hard to take - it’s hot and sunny here! And today Lonnie drove us out into the nearby desert, where the sun is really blazing. You might think the desert is a boring place, since it doesn’t rain there and it looks like almost nothing grows. But it’s amazing. Several areas are filled with ancient sandstone formations of all shapes and sizes. They are clustered around in odd groups, making the landscape look like another planet.

Some look so perfectly formed that is seems they must have been created by people, but they are the result of natural processes. The black ring at the bottom of this picture is my metal detector, which shows how big this sandstone ball is.



















The larger ones remind me of the tragic statues of ancient Pompeii.








































In some places there are dry washes wide enough to drive through, and we used them as roads when possible. But just because they are wide enough doesn't mean they are drivable - most of the washes and paths don't deserve to be called roads, regardless of the tracks that mark them. They are full of drop-offs, ravines and swells. But Lonnie knows how to drive his 4-wheeler, and he navigated through some of the roughest terrain I've ever been on.



























At some recent point there must have been water in the washes, because it left mud which has dried to the point where it curls up like chocolate. (Yes, everything reminds me of chocolate!)




















This desert also has Mud Pots. That’s what you get when a combination of gas and water which is trapped below the surface finds a way to seep up slowly. There is very little water, just enough to form some mud and keep it wet. The gas escapes slowly, causing the mud to bubble. It looks like it’s bubbling because it’s hot, but the water is cool to the touch. (Yes, I had to stick my finger in it to find out).