Ubehebe Crater (Death Valley National Park, California)

My friends, Brent and Nick, and I had long heard of the sailing stones of Death Valley. After talking to the rangers on my last visit to the park and learning that winter is the ideal time to adventure in Death Valley, we decided to do some camping and explore some of the wonders the park has to offer.

Our adventure started with Ubehebe Crater, a large volcanic crater at the northern end of the park. Upon walking to the edge of the giant hole in the ground, I was amazed by the scale. I'm just guessing here, but the crater is probably 3/4 of a mile across and 600ft deep. The entire area surrounding the crater is covered with black volcanic ash, which adds a distinct character to this part of the desert.

After gazing in and taking a few pictures, we decided to descend into Hades and check out the bottom of the crater. A fairly well defined path leads down the gravel-covered side of the inner cone. The trip down seemed to take no effort at all and was much more akin to snow-shoeing downhill than anything else I can compare it to. The only challenge was to ensure we didn’t' fall flat on our faces and glide the rest of the way down. After a few dusty minutes, we reached the bottom and found ourselves surrounded by the inner cone. It's massive. The ground here is . . . well . . . a little bizarre. It's a dry red mud that has cracked open into large palm-sized flakes, but then has much smaller flakes on top of each of the large flakes. It really is interesting to look at the crack patterns.

We spent a few minutes exploring the bottom and then decided to make our way back to the rim. Obviously, going up was not nearly as easy as going down. Climbing back up the loose gravel at this grade and for this duration is quite the test of endurance. Along they way, my throat starts to feel as if it has a covering of dust all around it. I cough and hack my way back to the rim, and then once again marvel at nature's beauty in this valley of death.

Racetrack Playa (Death Valley National Park, California)

The main focus of our trip was the Racetrack Playa, which is a remote valley in the northwestern wilderness of Death Valley. It is famous for the sailing stones, which I had heard stories and reports about for a few years. On the muddy expanse of playa, rocks (in some cases large rocks) apparently move all by themselves, leaving a trail etched in the surface. Sometimes the paths are straight. Sometimes the paths curve. And sometimes, the paths take sharp turns or even double back on themselves. I had always wanted to see this natural wonder and today is the day.
 
Nick had been told on his visit to the park a couple of years ago that it was necessary to have a 4x4 vehicle with special tires to reach the Racetrack Playa. However, upon talking to rangers and reading some articles on the Internet, we believed the trip could be made in my Jeep Wrangler, which has some heavy-duty tires on it. Passing Ubehebe Crater, we turned down the gravel road towards the Racetrack, expecting it to be a rough and hazardous ride. To the contrary, it wasn’t' bad at all, and didn't even really require a 4x4. The trip is about 29 miles from the crater and traverses some amazing vistas of the park. We pass numerous joshua trees and other vegetation on our way.
 
Finally, we see the vast Racetrack Playa in the distance, with the "Grandstand" at the northern end. We make our way to a makeshift parking lot to find numerous other adventure seekers already here. We get out and start walking out towards the Grandstand, which is a rocky island in the middle of the dry muddy sea. Along the way, we are amazed at how smooth and lifeless the playa is. I have been to the Black Rock Desert before in Northern Nevada, but the playa there wasn't nearly as smooth as this. This almost seems polished when running ones fingers over it. We reach the Grandstand and begin climbing around exploring. Eventually, we find a few stones around the Grandstand that have some faint trails behind them. It is pretty amazing to ponder how this could have happened.
 

After a while, we decide to head down to the southern end of the playa, near where we are planning to camp. Again, we find a makeshift parking lot and begin exploring this end of the playa. While there is nothing at this end like the Grandstand formation, the sailing stones are far more numerous here. We begin seeing them about a 1/2 mile from the parking lot. Each one we find is surpassed in splendor by the next. The variety of trails and rock sizes is amazing. Finally, we make our way to a rock face on the southeast corner, which seems to be the source of many of the rocks scattered about the playa. As we approach the frequency and density of the sailing stones increases rapidly. There are hundreds of them here, most with a unique trail of some kind.
 
As the sun begins to go down in the west, we decide to make camp. Heading another 1/4 mile or so south of the playa, we come across the primitive campground we had been told of. We erect our tents and prepare some dinner over our camp stoves. Night falls quickly out here in the remote desert, as does the temperature. We go to bed with intentions of rising early and seeing the sunrise over the playa.
 
I awaken a bit before my friends and decide to get out and make some coffee over my camp stove. Wow!!! It's cold out here. I'd guess the temperature is only about 20 degrees at this early hour of 5 AM. As I hear my friends beginning to rustle in their respective tents, I begin packing my gear.
By 6 AM, we are packed back at the Grandstand parking lot. Sunrise is still about 30 minutes away, and with the unobstructed wind here on the northern end of the playa, it is damn cold! We explore the area and prepare for the sun. As it breaks over the mountain, we are able to capture some very cool pictures of the Grandstand, the playa, and of course, the sailing stones. Our time well spent, we decide to head on back to civilization.

Devil's Punch Bowl (Nye County, Nevada)

When Nick asked me if I wanted to check out a couple of sites in the desert this weekend with him, I wasn't sure about going. However, I’m very glad I decided to make the journey. We made four stops, but the most amazing of them was without a doubt the Devil’s Punch Bowl.

Rising up like a bulge in the desert, we began seeing steam rise from a few miles away. Mind you, this is rough country and out in the middle of absolutely no where about fifty miles south of Austin. Had it not been for my jeep, I doubt we would have been able to traverse the roads to this wonder. The Devil’s Punch Bowl, also known as Diana’s Punch Bowl is a geyser, though I do not know and could not find any information on how often it shoots water. The main feature, at the top of the bulge looks as though a stone cylinder some 60 feet in diameter and at least 40 feet tall had been neatly cut out and removed. The inner walls of the cylinder glisten with mist from steam rising from the water’s surface some 30 feet or so below the edge where we stand. The amount of steam rising from the geo-thermally heated pool below is amazing and somewhat obscures our view into the geyser. 

As we do occasionally get clear shots into the depth of the cylinder, we are both amazing at what we see. There is abundant plant life that has made its home on the rocky crevasses at the water’s edge, but this is not normal desert plant life. There are ferns and other high humidity plants flourishing in this sauna. Hues of green make way to snowy white, as we scan further around the surface. It’s frigid up here and with the strong wind blowing, I wouldn't be surprised to find out the wind chill was twenty or thirty below zero. It appears that the steam as it blows across the surface meets with some of this blustery cold wind and freezes into unique ice crystals on the leaves of the foliage below. On the top of the bulge, this is even more apparent as tiny surface level rocks and ridges have ice crystals forming horizontally off them in the face of the wind. It almost looks like minuscule snow-covered Christmas trees grown sideways out of the rocks. Truly breathtaking.

We've been exploring and snapping pictures for the better part of an hour up here and we both feel frozen to the bone. It’s time to head back, but even with the cold temperatures and almost unbearable wind chill, I’m very glad we made this journey this time of year, for the contrasting effect of the hot steam and cold air made for an amazing visual.

Toquima Cave (Nye County, Nevada)

My friend Nick has a great interest in ancient Native American petroglyphs and pictographs, and has inspired interest in me as well. When was suggesting this trip, he included Toquima Cave, which is in a remote area of Central Nevada.

After a long drive down forest service gravel roads, we finally reached the trailhead. Its cold up here tough and there is a light dusting of snow on the ground. We follow the short trail and eventually climb up the rock face to the cave itself, which has been fenced off to protect the treasures contained within. The fence still affords as a terrific view of the pictographs though. These are some of the brightest and boldest, I have seen to date. Whites and Reds illuminate a huge number of figures along most surfaces inside the cave. If only we had a better understand of the ancient peoples that left these artworks for posterity.

Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness (Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom)

No trip to Scotland would be complete without a visit to the mysterious Loch Ness, which is the home to perhaps the oldest crypto-zoological phenomena still running, the Loch Ness Monster. As we travel down the Western side of the long, narrow, straight loch, we can’t help buy look out over the dark waters, hoping to catch a glimpse of “Nessie”. Nestled in the highlands and against a grey foreboding sky and yellow fields on the opposite shore, this entire region is breathtaking. It is the Scotland I have for so long imagined. It is the Scotland that my ancestors knew many generations ago. It is this Scotland where my heart feels at home, unlike any other place it has ever known.

We make our way towards the picturesque Urquhart Castle, which is often seen in pictures of Loch Ness, as it sits on a small peninsula guarding the ancient waterway. Upon reaching the castle’s visitor center, we sit through a short film documenting its storied history. Eventually, we make our way out to the castle ruins, which are still quite substantial. 

Visiting multiple areas such as the stables, guard house, kitchen, blacksmith, pigeon house, it’s apparent that this was more than just a castle; this ancient ruin was once a community. Legend has it that this place was originally the stronghold of a Pictish King. Near death, he was visited and converted to Christianity by Saint Columba in the 6th century. No one knows precisely when the castle was built on this site, but early mentions of the structure date back to the early 13th century. After many years of service and changing hands multiple times, the castle was partially destroyed near the end of the Jacobite Rebellion in 1692 to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. The mighty fortress was never rebuilt, which is quite a shame given its ideal location on the Loch Ness.

The views of the loch from the ruined stronghold are amazing from practically any angle one can find. It feels ancient here, as if shadows of the past are watching over this great structure, or at least what remains of it. I wonder how many Nessie enthusiasts, both present-day and in the past, have spent time here scanning the murky waters for any sign of the monster. Alas, we see no sign of the beast and must move on to our next city and soon return to the states, but this is a trip that will never be forgotten by either of us.

Wallace National Monument (Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom)

“Braveheart” has always been one of my favorite movies since its release. This portrayal of Sir William Wallace, the Scottish national hero, speaks to my soul with regard to what a man will do for what he believes in. Leaving Edinburgh, I couldn't pass up the chance to see the monument built to honor this great man.

A short drive northwest from the capitol of Edinburgh lays the city of Stirling, site of one of Wallace’s famous battles with the English. And on a tall, rugged hillside overlooking Stirling, stands the Wallace National Monument. Completed in 1869 to honor the former High Defender of Scotland, the tower is menacing in appearance. Rising like a beacon for hope from the hillside, the tower holds vigil over Scotland, with a statue of Wallace himself on one of the corners.

After a bus ride to the top of the hill, we entered the tower and began making our way up the 246 steps sit in a spiral staircase on one corner of the monument; the only way up. There are four levels within the tower to visit. The first contains a holographic movie telling the tale of Wallace’s exploits against King Edward. Also, contained within this level is the broadsword actually used by the 13th century hero. The second level contains busts of several other notable Scottish heroes, statesmen, and artists. It also contains some beautiful stained glass windows. As the spiral staircase is extremely tight and step, and with the air frigid and thin, my wife decides to stay on this level, while I continue upwards to the top. Upon reaching the third level, I find a display of documents and informational posters talking about the construction of the monument; interesting, but not nearly as interesting to me as the levels below. Finally, upon reaching the top, I step outside to get a marvelous view of Stirling and the nearby River Forth. It’s cold up here though, and very windy. My stay is brief.

I make way back down, rejoin Cass at the second level. After the bus ride back down the hill, we continue on our journey to the famed Scottish Highlands.

Rosslyn Chapel (Midlothian County, Scotland, United Kingdom)

We had been in the great city of Edinburgh, Scotland for the past couple of days. Our experience had been amazing. We had enjoyed some wonderful cuisine (I enjoyed haggis quite a lot) and visited some amazing sites, including a tour of the mighty Edinburgh Castle, defender of Scotland. The only struggle we really had in this beautifully old country was driving around. Adjusting to the driver sitting on the right side of the car, while driving on the left side of the road was quite challenging. Now though, it was time to test that driving skill once again, as we head out towards the highlands, stopping at a couple of sites along our way to Grantown-on-Spey.

Our stop sits about seven miles south of Edinburgh in Roslin Glen. Construction started on the now-famous Rosslyn Glen, which featured prominently in Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” and its movie adaption, in 1456 and was never completed, at least to the original plan. The chapel is only about one third of its planned size. No one is sure why construction was never completed, but the most obvious answer is money or the lack there of. 

Even in its incomplete state though, the chapel is an architectural marvel to behold. The masonry work both inside and out is of the highest artistic level to be seen in buildings from this period. The inside of the chapel is supported by fourteen pillars, including the “Master Pillar” and the “Prentice Pillar”. The story surrounding these two pillars tells of a master mason having completed the first and then traveling Europe for inspiration for the second. In his absence, one of his apprentices took it upon himself to create the later and in such a way as to overshadow his master’s work. The “Prentice Pillar” contains a representation of the Yggdrasil from Norse mythology. Upon his return and seeing the work, the master murdered his apprentice in a jealous rage. The master was later executed for the murder and their representations sit in the chapel; the master’s forever gazing upon the skilled labor of his apprentice.

Cultural references in the stone work do not end with Norse mythology. There are numerous sculptures in the structure representing a myriad of different cultures, mythologies, and religions. One of the most peculiar is the framing of a window by some type of seed cone, which very closely resemble cobs of corn. This is strange since corn was native to the Americas, which would not be visited by Columbus for another 30+ years.

While no pictures are allowed inside the chapel, a very knowledgeable tour guide gave a very informative lecture concerning various aspects of the chapel. It was quite enjoyable and left us to ponder the structure’s amazing history.