Beatty Clan Spring Desert Trip, Part One: Bishop to Death Valley
Every time we go, there's more to explore, more longing in my heart, a thousand things I wish we could have done. I come home with my purse full of sand and ten loads of laundry, dusty sleeping bags to shake out and pans to wash, but a heart so full and replenished it spills over again and again, like an El Nino floodway. Our Beatty family trip (so many past trip posts here , there , and everywhere ) came early this year, planned as a Spring Break ramble through the Eastern California desertlands. We followed tracks that Darin and I have mostly made before, because I always go anywhere I go with the hopes that my whole family will someday find the same beauty that I find there. I started planning this trip last fall, knowing that the spring is a popular time to visit the desert, and the campgrounds might fill up quickly. As soon as reservations opened in both Death Valley and Anza Borrego, I reserved us sites. It takes at least three campsites to accommodate our group, or...