On Sunday we had a 9 hour drive ahead, but that didn’t stop us from squeezing in one more hike on the way out of Death Valley. Stephanie had read some good things about Mosaic Canyon near Stovepipe Wells, which among other things, had some narrows—her new hiking obsession.

The only downside was the overcast weather that morning. Thankfully it didn’t rain, but it made for some pretty gray pictures and white skies. Oh well. We hiked in as far as we could, enjoying the smoothly carved out narrows and occasional mosaic walls. We stopped at the end (or the end for us) to enjoy a snack and just appreciate our time there, and then we hiked all the way out—always easier downhill than up.

And that was it. We got in the car and began the long drive back to San Francisco—this time taking CA-178 to Bakersfield through Panamint Valley and over the tail end of the Sierra Nevadas, past Isabella Lake and along the Kern River gorge. What an amazing drive!