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Home Sweet Campsite

Warm, sunny days made the desert a great place to camp in the springtime. Many of the campsites had no natural shade, so its important to bring your own shade if you need it. Three incredibly windy nights were a real challenge for everybody camping in tents.

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I set my camera on night mode to get the light of the full moon filtering through the clouds and used the tripod to steady the long exposure. I used the flash to illuminate Jim's face. BTP3240020c.jpg

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Irene & Betty. My camera was set on night mode. The camping lantern provided the light to make the picture. BTP3240017c.jpg

Irene and Betty camping at Furnace Creek, Death Valley National Park

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Moon rising over the Black Mountains and Furnace Creek Campground. ITIMG037.jpg

campsite, moon rising at Death Valley National Park

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Irene, Jim & Betty. The first few nights we camped in site #5. In the background you can see the laundry line tied from my truck to the tree. After the rains on the first night Irene and I had some gear that needed to dry out. BTP3250029c.jpg

Irene, Jim and Betty camping at Death Valley National Park

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Jim, Irene & Betty. This campsite had no shade from the sun. Irene slept in the blue dome tent and I used the little orange and tan tent. BTP3250028c.jpg

morning view - camping at Death Valley National Park

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Jim, Irene & Betty. A leisurely morning in camp. The ground was too hard to use my puny little tent stakes, so I tied down the corners of my tent to some big rocks. Mom's tent was not staked down at all, so her tent actually moved a little during the three extremely windy nights that we survived. BTP3270124c.jpg

relaxation while camping at Death Valley National Park

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Irene, Betty & Jim. For our last night in camp we moved to the adjacent site where we had a fabulous shady spot for our table. BTP3270060.jpg

camping under the big tree at Death Valley National Park

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Irene, Jim & Betty. In camp were were serenaded by the pair of Fantail Grackles that often perched in the branches of this huge Australian Beefwood tree (Casuarina cunninghamiana). BTP3270063.jpg

camping in the shade at Death Valley National Park

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We got showers by the pool at the nearby Furnace Creek Ranch. BTP3270104c.jpg

Background = roadside gravel at Hell's Gate.

Furnace Creek Ranch at Death Valley National Park

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