Temescal Canyon

Hiking two weeks ago in Temescal Canyon, we had wonderful weather and incredible views. This is one of those places you don't think could exist, until you see it: a canyon landscape with views to the Pacific, Santa Monica beach, and all the way west to downtown Los Angeles.

seedheads of Mountain Mahogany

seedheads of sage (purple sage?)

remnants of a yucca plant after flowering

fall color palette with California buckwheat

sunset, Joshua Tree

arriving, walking, making a home

As soon as we arrived, we reached for our cameras to capture a piece of this stunning landscape.

One of the highlights was a short hike through Hidden Valley, where the boulders came in close: this was the place most enclosed by the dramatic, rocky hills. A lot of people, apparently from all over the world, were rock climbing here.

Each evening we had to choose a new place to be home for one night. Off of the Boy Scout Trail, the flat desert stretched on and on. We were drawn to a place with a fallen yucca branch, which formed our "kitchen," and set up our tent nearby. This one element, the fallen branch, defined our living spaces for the evening and next morning.

high desert plants

morning walk

evening light in the high desert

near the Boy Scout Trail, looking south to the Indio Hills

backlit grass seedheads

this small shrub looked like one of those funny fiberoptic lamps

a cholla cactus