I took this after an afternoon of hiking up a slot canyon we read about in a Hiking in Death Valley booklet.

The weather is quite mild in December, although if there is a storm the winds can be harsh. In summertime, the temperatures can get as high as 120 degrees - hot enough to cook an egg on the road.

Having been partially raised not far away in the Mojave area, I have a fondness for the desert. Not to the point where I would want to live there, mind you, but there is a stillness, a quiet I find to be soothing.