Ridgecrest had been nice. Most everything we’d needed to buy had been there, and we’d stopped at a nearby brewery called Indian Wells.
They're best known for their Mojave Red ale, but I thought the Death Valley Pale Ale was good too
Starting again at Walker Pass was hard. The trail angels had packed up and gone.
On the way out, we noticed a small monument, explaining the pass’s history.
As well as the fact that it used to be "Walker's" Pass, not "Walker Pass"Last view down towards soda, fresh food, potable water, showers, etc.The Bureau of Land Management is not so good at making signs
We went up and down hills all day. Now, though, we were far enough north that we were entering and exiting desert as the altitude changed. It also gradually got less dry and more tree-covered throughout the day.
It started pretty dryStill desert scrubland with long views
Trees, technicallyOne wonders how those trees grew in the first placeThe yucca were flowing prolifically here. These were some of the last yucca we saw.Perhaps a different following yucca species here?
Having just been in town had some advantages. With access to a whole grocery store, I had many ingredients for my lunch.
After lunch, things started looking less like a desert in some directions.
Some of the trees even had leavesGrass, trees with leaves, and so forthDown the hill to the east, it was certainly still desertPine trees covering the slopes. A foreshadowing of what's to come.
