Desert Camping

This is my best sunset picture. This shows the beauty of the desert and one of the main draws for camping overnight in the desert. No filters or alterations were used. The sun was a red neon color.

The weather has cooled off enough so the days are comfortably warm with nights require only long sleeves or a hoodie. This is the season for desert camping. There are no fences or private property so you are able to drive for hundreds of miles into the desert to explore. The destination chosen for this trip was an ancient ocean millions of years ago. There is a special spot that is filled with shark teeth and other fossils. Searching through the gravel, you can find shark teeth, quartz, coral and other fossils.

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There is no phone reception in these parts. No google maps. To find these locations our group leader used a GPS with the coordinates. A compass is also used for navigation. In this area, we were told to drive South if lost because you will eventually intersect the main highway.

After searching fossils, we continued further into the desert in search of a campsite.

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There are no roads or paths. Our leader is making his own path through unknown terrain. This inevitably leads to getting stuck which is part of the adventure and a reason to travel with multiple vehicles. The Jeep was able to pull out the Land Cruiser. A new route was picked and we continued on.

This was our chosen campsite. Dune on one side. Cars circled on the other end creating a windshield.

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Another lesson for desert camping is never leave your shoes outside the tent. Also, always keep your tent completely zipped closed. With a black light at night, you can spot these scorpions. Scorpions are much harder to spot inside your shoe.