Cholla Cactus Garden, Joshua Tree National Park, CA "Isn't it going to be cold?" everyone asked. "Not compared to the negative degrees we camped through last year in Arizona and Utah," we constantly replied. As our new winter break tradition (in our efforts to combat high flight prices while still using vacation time to adventure somewhere new), we decided to take a road trip through the desert landscapes of California and Nevada. With our gear packed and our handy Pulse remote in hand, we caught the sunrises, sunsets, and cloudy days in between, while exploring my newfound love for couples photography and his newfound hobby for videography. Everyone always asks us, "Do you just have a third wheel photographer with you everywhere you go?" Nope - just our Pulse remote that allows us to not only take photos from our phone, but also set timelapses...long exposures...and more! So with our car piled high with equipment, we drove down for a week to take in that Southern California sunshine. 7 hour drive later...we made it to our campground! Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park, CA These sand dunes were super easy to access! Though the closer dunes were well traveled by visitors, we ventured out farther into the desert and ran up and down these dunes. We did check out Kelso Dunes later in our trip, but didn't make it all the way there as the trailhead was still quite a distance from the dunes themselves. Devil's Golf Course, Death Valley National Park, CA We hit up Badwater Basin right before catching the sunset at Devil's Golf Course (and got our boots salty in the process by accidentally slipping on one of the salt cracks!) A lovely stroll, but no need to walk the entire trail - the landscape is about the same all along the trail. Devil's Golf Course is an easy access landscape area on the way back to the campground, and definitely worth a stop for photos! What do you do when you already are car camping? Set up a tripod and capture the beautiful night sky! Death Valley is well known for having some of the darkest night skies, so we set a long exposure to capture all the light. Fire Wave, Valley of Fire State Park, NV We scouted out Fire Wave in the last few hours before sunset, and decided to come back the next day. So instead we ran across the rocks on the opposite side of the trailhead and caught beautiful sunbeams just as they dipped below the mountain. Can you believe that these rock formations were just behind our campsite? We were thoroughly impressed with Atatl Campground, as it was nestled right in the beautiful red rocks of Valley of Fire. Not expecting such a fiery color from our nighttime long exposures, we were surprised to have this beautiful photo come out! A few test shots later, we set our Pulse on long exposure and managed to get this shot of both of us. Atatl Campground, Valley of Fire State Park, NV Fire Wave, Valley of Fire State Park, NV And we're back! Though definitely the most visited landmark of Valley of Fire (so expect to see a lot of iPhone selfies and photographers), it was certainly a unique sight to behold. Just make sure to capture it right after sunset to avoid the harsh shadows. Also note that the gate to get to Fire Wave does close after sunset, so you can get out, but just can't get in. It also is only open after sunrise (but sometimes the rangers can be late in opening it up), so you'll have better luck catching a sunset rather than sunrise. Cholla Cactus Garden, Joshua Tree National Park, CA The Cholla Cactus Garden is a dream at sunset, with the golden rays backlighting the cacti. Get there earlier than golden hour, as the sun will disappear behind the surrounding mountains. There is a short loop trail that you can walk through, just be careful of getting the little cacti spikes on the ground stuck to your shoes. Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, CA We woke up this morning expecting to sleep in and take in a nice, slow morning - but couldn't resist heading out right away once we saw the rare cloudy weather coming in! With the weather forecast for rain that day, we made use of the morning before the afternoon shower hit. Though we didn't see any bighorn sheep (sad to say), we spent quite a bit of time here just loving those reflections at Barker Dam. You can walk across the dam as long as you're careful, but it did take my husband a brave leap to get to the rock in the photos. Arch Rock, Joshua Tree National Park, CA Arch Rock is surprisingly a bit tricky to find! We skipped it the first time making the loop, and ran into another visitor having the same issue. It's right at the end of the trail. El Matador State Beach, Malibu, CA And a very happy new year's from the Lewis', as we dropped by LA for butterbeer at Universal Studios before going home.
Until next time!
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