Across the Desert

After our drive down US 395 along the Sierra Nevada, we struck across due east into Death Valley

At the precipice

Precipice with Wifely Model in foreground

Nice example of horizontal sedimentary layer of rock on a discontinuity of older non-sedimentary rock

As we descend (and our brakes start giving out and we fear for our gasoline supply), the inviting environs of Death Valley

 A great shot of multiple rock layers that have been curved by tectonic, mountain making activity over the eons.

Sand dunes at the bottom

We've dropped from around 6000 ft to Sea Level

And looking in the opposite direction we were under Sea Level

Ummm, not sure what this is supposed to be

We're out of Death Valley but not out of the desert and won't be for the rest of our trip since it is all desert from Nevada to New Mexico

This was shot just north of Las Vegas and is a great example of basin and range mountain building.

As the ground is being pulled apart (eventually there will be a sea here), blocks of crust tip and form mountains.  You can see the originally horizontal rock layers that have been tipped almost 90% by the block movement, yet there is none of the waviness we saw of mountain building in the previous picture.

Documentary proof of Cheetos as the 'Official Road Snack' of de-I and Wife

This is on the Arizona and New Mexico border and I took just because I thought it was so beautiful.