HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ZIPPY AND THE FASHION QUEEN!

(photo by John Lee)

And here’s to a new year with perfect vision. (2020, get it?)

From Dust to Dust #2
Cathedral Gorge, Nevada
2019

From Dust to Dust #1
Cathedral Gorge, Nevada
2019

Erosion in all it’s intricate beauty.

Braking Power
Death Valley, California
2019

The brake pad bar on this wagon wheel is nearly as tall as I am. It had to be big because it’s a big wheel (7 feet in diameter) on a big wagon, part of one of the famous 20-mule team wagon rigs that hauled borax out of Death Valley back in the day. The complete rig consisted of two wagons carrying 10 tons of borax plus the tank wagon which held 12,000 gallons of water used to water the mules on 165 mile trip across the Mojave Desert. The entire setup, when fully loaded weighed 33 tons.

Evening Prickly Pear
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
2019

Not Gone, But Going
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
2019

Desert Ruins
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
2019

Another interesting sandstone feature I’ve not seen outside of this area. If I understand it right, cracks in the softer sandstone filed with harder quartz and related minerals way back when. Over time the sandstone eroded faster than the quartz, leaving what look like miniature ruined buildings behind.

Sand Castles
Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
2019

Southern Nevada sports many of the same kinds of sandstone as found in southern Utah, e.g. Moenkopi and Entrada. But for some reason there are unique features in the sandstone here that I’ve not seen, at least in great abundance in Utah. These pillar-like formations, which are quite common in Valley of Fire State Park, are an example. If it’s the same kind of sandstone as occurs in Utah, then I suppose the differences are due to location related differences in climate and and other effects on erosion.

Patriot’s Dream #50
Highway 93, Nevada
2019

The Last Drop
Cathedral Gorge, Nevada
2019