We are entering California.

Hello California

Where are the beaches?   Mom says we are not going to the beach.   The desert is in bloom.   That means there are wildflowers blooming where usually no flowers bloom.   Entering Death Valley National Park, we will look for wildflowers.

Going into Death Valley National Park

This desert usually receives 2 inches of rain annually and summer temperatures over 120 degrees are normal.   Here are a few flowers.

Purple flowers

We like purple, and of course yellow is one of our favorite colors.   These white flowers are pretty, also.

White flowers

And the flowers are growing in gravel like soil.   Mom buys potting soil for our flowers and needs to water every few days.   The flowers are beautiful this year, but mom did not get very good photos.

Thousands of flowers blooming.   Find yellow ducks in yellow flowers

Looking online you will see better views of flowers.   A fellow traveler we met at dinner one evening, suggested we take Artists Drive to see flowers.

We are in the flowers

We did, and also went to Artists Palette.   Artists Palette shows colors of the mountains.

Volcanic rocks of many colors

Over 5 million years ago repeated volcanic eruptions blanketed the landscape, depositing ash and minerals.    The volcanic minerals were chemically altered by heat and water, with variable amounts of oxygen and other introduced elements.   Chemical analysis have identified iron, aluminum,magnesium and titanium,but no copper.   Some of the colored minerals here include red hematite and green chlorite.   We love the information signs in national parks.   Further along Artists Drive, we admired this  splash of turquoise mountain.

Color of Caribbean in rocks here.

Just like  huge turquoise wave in the Caribbean Sea.   Here are a few more of this years wildflowers.

Different purple flowers

This bush is even producing small yellow flowers.

Bush has tiny yellow flowers

We especially liked these flowers.

Wildflowers really are growing wild this year.

This was our first time in Death Valley.    We were fascinated by the entire landscape and we will show you more next time.   You should see Death Valley soon.   You will like it also.